Ed Sheeran Says 'Heavy Exercise' and Comfort Foods Are 'Great' for His Mental Health

Mar. 15, 2025

Ed Sheeran.Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage

Ed Sheeranis sharing how he avoids burning out with such a busy music career.

“I feel like your mental well-being is the most important thing,” Sheeran said.

“Being burnt out is like a really real thing. I hope I don’t burn out,” he added, noting that right now, he’s only performing on the weekends which is more relaxed and manageable. “When I was doing arena tours, you’re playing like four shows in a row, one show off. Four shows in a row, one show off.”

The four-time Grammy winner explained that “heavy, heavy exercise” every single day is what helps keep his mental health intact while he’s on the road. He added that eating his favorite comfort foods is also great for his mental health, as long as he maintains his exercise.

“If you’re eating food that you really wanna eat, but then also exercising and looking the way that you kind of wanna look. I feel like that’s a good, good balance,” Sheeran said. “So I eat, I love fast food. I love curry. I love drinking nice wine. I love all the things that would be bad for you if you didn’t exercise. But I feel like I’d go crazy if it was just no carbohydrates the whole time.”

The singer then agreed with host Nicole Ryan who said, “the reason I work out is so I can eat and drink whatever I want.”

“And that’s a really healthy way of being,” he added. “It’s all about balance. Like you can have a filthy burger once a week if you want, and you can have ice cream every day if you wanna have it, it’s just about balance.”

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Back in 2019, Sheeran opened up about his love for fitness. He explained on theBehind the Medalpodcast that he took up running after quitting smoking and lost nearly 50 lbs. in the process.

The “I Don’t Care” singer said at the time that his fitness routine usually includes 45 minutes of running in the morning, and he sometimes adds in swimming and sit-ups.

“I started doing it because when I stopped smoking, I was very aware that my lungs were so full of s— that I needed to clear them out,” he said of his decision to start running. “Gyms are good but there’s nothing like fresh air to really give you a cleanout. That’s, for me, the main reason why I started doing it.”

source: people.com