THE PODCAST

How do famous people influence our way of thinking in regard to mental well-being and to what extent do the physical and mental correlate? This podcast will explore how Aziz Shavershian or “Zyzz” inspired millions of men to pursue a healthier lifestyle in order to be happier.

Thanks for tuning in to our podcast, hosted by me Love Ekberg and Linus Fondin. So what is the key to a joyful life? Some would argue that so-called “meaningful experiences” give living purpose. But who even knows what defines "meaningful" and does life even need a purpose? While you ponder these questions, our person on the topic of today argued that it’s absolutely essential that you do that with a healthy body and healthy mind. Aziz Shavershian, an Australianb bodybuilder, became an internet sensation during the early two-thousands making refreshingly frank and personal content about mental and physical health in our world of increasing perfectionism. Aziz called "Zyzz" online often spoke about mental health in a way that appealed to men in particular, something groundbreaking as most advice men get about mental health is unprofessional and or destructive. A depressing statistic is that seventy-nine percent of all suicides are committed by men and at the same time are men fifty percent more likely not to seek professional help. What Aziz did that appealed to so many men is that he identified the link between a healthy lifestyle and a healthy mind. In his videos, he advocated that everyone should exercise regularly and set goals for themselves. He also saw the value in appreciating your body for what it is, but instead of becoming complacent men too should "own" their bodies and strive to become the best version of themselves. And what did this healthy lifestyle look like according to Zyzz? The core pillars in attaining a healthy lifestyle would be (of course) exercise as well as continuing to do things that you find happiness in. Even though said activities could negatively impact your training it's vital to vary your everyday life so that you don't lose motivation or burnout, which will stunt your long-term growth as a human being. Aziz himself was quite controversial, right? I mean one of the things he became known for was that he partied frequently and went to many raves... Yes, it's one of those things where he was almost like a walking contradiction. On one hand, he advocated for this focused and disciplined life with exercise but he also promoted social life and people should "go out". How did he justify this then? Well from one point of view one could argue that it fits into this philosophy of living your own life so to say. That as much as you should be proud of your own body you have all the power to live as you like and no one else has any say in how that looks like.

So what you’re saying is that Aziz wanted people to live life without the anxiety of having to care what others think all the time and being free in a way? Because I feel that that way of thinking, while maybe not being this “key to a joyful life” it would certainly prevent one from being miserable all the time. It’s a shame we couldn’t have Zyzz here on this podcast to ask what he thought of your interpretation Love but I’m positive that he would be satisfied as long as you could make something positive of it.

Me and Love are two high-school students from Sweden. We chose the topic of our podcast as it is close to heart - we are both incredibly passionate about our respective sports. As with anyone around our age interested in sports, Zyzz has had an influence on our view towards sport, exercise and self-image.

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