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“Life has always revolved around health and well-being in my family,” explains Greg O’Shea. “For as long as I can remember my parents have encouraged me to prioritise and pursue fitness, but as I approached my early teens it very much became a personal passion.”
A love of high-level sport has always run deep in the O’Shea family, so it’s only natural that Greg’s passion was kindled from an early age. Both his parents ran internationally for Ireland, and his father played rugby for years. “Of course, I took inspiration from them and followed in their footsteps by representing Ireland in both athletics and rugby, culminating in competing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.”
Now years later, even though Greg has hung up his rugby boots, he has kept fitness and sport at the forefront of his lifestyle. “I challenge myself personally with endurance events such as Ironman and Ultramarathon trail running; I create social media content focused on building healthy habits; and I am a presenter and commentator for Team Ireland and World Rugby.”
Eager to share his expertise and passion with others, Greg also recently dipped his toe into the entrepreneurial world by launching a successful fitness app called ‘Bettr’ to help people easily incorporate wellness into their lifestyle.
I turned my back on the ‘golden ticket’ after winning the reality TV show Love Island. I could have easily chased the money and celebrity lifestyle, but I knew in the long run it would’ve made me miserable. Instead, I decided to take a contract for rugby for less than minimum wage (€18,000 per year) to pursue my dream of becoming an Olympian. Money isn’t everything but it’s necessary to survive. Once you reach a certain level of income, happiness plateaus and life is more about purpose and connection.
You need to have the mindset of creating a life you are excited to live and with people you love. My experience as an Olympian has taught me how to sacrifice short-term fun for long-term fulfilment. However, I have also learned you don’t need to be a professional athlete to apply that mindset to your life. You just have to figure out what you’re passionate about, research how to make money doing that passion, and then surround yourself with the people you love and care about. I plan to have this mindset until the day I die.
I live by the phrase “health=wealth”. If you are unable to move and breathe properly then you will spend your life struggling to enjoy the moment and take full advantage of the beautiful opportunities life gives us. Think about the billionaire businessperson who is so unhealthy they can barely go for a walk with their partner or play with their kids. But then imagine the healthy parent who can wake up to have breakfast with their kids, drop them off at school, do a full day of work, then still have the energy at the weekend to hang out with family and friends or bring their kids on an adventure.
A healthy body helps you to have a healthy mind; it is all interconnected. Think about a sports car but with bad petrol, it’s not gonna go very far! You need to prioritise your health and well-being in order to give your life longevity and allow you to show up as the best version of yourself for your friends and family. I know it’s easier said than done, but that’s why I created Bettr so I can literally show you what to do and do it with you for even more motivation.
You only need to exercise two or three times a week for 30 minutes, elevating your heart rate to the point where you are breathing slightly heavily and sweating a little. Then if you eat relatively well (you can still have that piece of chocolate if you want; you are human after all and life is to be enjoyed) and get decent sleep then you are well on your way to living a long healthy and happy life.