Context

Talking about the relationship between physical wellbeing and psychological wellbeing starts from the assumption that these are two clearly separate areas: body and mind, or physical / physiological and mental / emotional. We tend to think and talk as if they were separate things, but we know that these aspects of life are interconnected and that they really cannot be separated from each other.

We are an integral whole: our ideas and emotions have a physiological substratum and at the same time can have an impact on our physiology; and physical phenomena also affect our emotions and our way of thinking.


In this section we present some of the most interesting findings about the relationship between certain basic physical activities and emotional wellbeing, as well as "tips" and recommendations on simple actions that can significantly improve our levels of subjective wellbeing.

Explanation

Several investigations have focused on exploring the relationship between sleeping, eating, exercising and having a positive mood. They have found that these factors play an important role in wellbeing, in different combinations.

  • People who do not sleep well tend to be overweight.
  • Lack of sleep is also related to stress and anxiety; high levels of stress are linked with excesses in eating, which produces obesity.

It has also been found that the relationship between sleep, eating, physical activity and emotions can produce positive results.

  • Physical activity reduces stress and helps you sleep well.
  • Adequate sleep can reduce the need to overfeed and encourage a good mood.
  • Physical activity and emotions can produce positive results.

11.1 Sleep, eat and move: the compass of Smarts and Stamina

Sleeping, eating, exercising and mood are connected not only by subjective experiences, but also by the biochemical reactions that these activities generate in our brain and in our body.

Read a description of the work of Kathryn Britton and Marie-Josée Shaar (2011), who are two specialists in positive psychology and their relationship with physical wellbeing.


SaS Compass

SaS Compass

This tool is based on scientific evidence of research conducted in positive psychology and physiology; among its foundations are:

The four elements of the compass are interrelated through the biochemical activity of hormones and neurotransmitters, which promotes or inhibits certain types of behavior.

To achieve good health, you have to have a balance in the development of the four elements.

Increasing healthy behaviors in one of the elements, makes it easier to develop them in others. Neglecting one of the elements has negative repercussions in other areas.

The use of the SaS Compass facilitates the creation of positive habits, emphasizing the interrelation and the synergy that exists between the elements that compose it.

There are many substances produced by the body that affect the way we feel and behave, but there is more evidence for four of them:

Click on each element to view its information.

Serotonin

It is a neurotransmitter that has the role of balancing impulses like anger and aggression; it also regulates appetite through satiety, influences sexual desire, and controls body temperature and motor activity.

Dopamine

It is also a neurotransmitter, it controls behavior, cognition and learning. It is associated with the pleasure system of the brain, the feelings of joy and motivation.

Leptin

It is a hormone that regulates the appetite, maintains the balance of energy: how much do we need to replace and how much can we use?

Cortisol

Hormone that is released in response to stress increases the level of sugar in the blood. It is very important for the optimal functioning of people, but it must be kept at a low level. Cortisol is increased with caffeine, lack of sleep, intense exercise and any situation that causes anxiety and tension. To reduce cortisol, aerobic exercise, music, a massage and laughing are recommended, among other things.

11.2 The four Compass elements

Below, review the four elements of the Sas compass:


Sleeping

It produces a balance in the hormones and neurotransmitters: it lowers the level of cortisol and leaves leptin, serotonin and dopamine free. The importance of the effect of a good sleep is generally minimized, for this reason in this busy life it is easy to take hours off from sleep and think that we need only a few hours to rest.

Eating

Healthy eating habits help maintain energy and vitality throughout the day. They increase the production of serotonin or dopamine depending on the type of food consumed. When you have adequate levels of serotonin and leptin, it is easier to select healthy foods. On the contrary, with high levels of cortisol the selection of food is made looking for an immediate satiety.

Mood

Positive emotions are related to the balance of chemicals in the blood. When the levels of serotonin and dopamine increase, we feel in a very good mood; on the contrary, when the level of cortisol increases, we are in a bad mood.

Exercise

As with sleep, physical activity increases serotonin and dopamine and reduces cortisol, all at the same time. To have the energy and desire to exercise, the presence of dopamine and leptin is necessary.

The importance of sleeping

One of the most significant impacts of modern life is that people do not get enough sleep. The lack of sleep tends to accumulate and has a negative impact on our brain functioning; the ability to react becomes slow, we lose concentration, our general functioning deteriorates.

On the other hand, if we sleep enough we are more alert, energized and resilient.
Having good sleep habits can facilitate everything we do in life.

This is because sleep is the medium in which the balance of the body's biochemicals is given.

Some Facts

  1. Two out of three adults sleep fewer hours than they need.
  2. William Dement, sleep researcher, says that there is no practice or exercise that makes our body and mind work well with insufficient sleep.
  3. You need to sleep between 7 and 8 hours a day.
  4. Lack of sleep is cumulative, it is not possible to replenish sleep by sleeping more on weekends.

The importance of eating healthy

Without a doubt, what we eat is currently a major concern. We need to ask ourselves what we eat and what we should not eat.

The evidence on the importance of food for health is overwhelming. There are many studies that prove the benefits of a Mediterranean diet.

Ruiz-Canela, Estruch, Corella, Salas-Salvadó and Martínez-González (2014) found that the Mediterranean diet style, in addition to reducing the risk of myocardial infarctions and strokes, is associated with a lower risk of suffering arterial diseases. Other research has shown that the Mediterranean diet helps cognitive functioning (Martínez-Lapiscina et al., 2014). A recent study (Oyebode, Gordon-Dseagu, Walker & Mindell, 2014) found that eating fruits and vegetables correlates with a decrease in the risk of mortality from all causes, cancer and cardiovascular problems, regardless of age, sex, social class and level of education.

Some Facts

  1. In addition to nurturing, food has a social function, is associated with celebrations, distractions, motivation and sometimes, comfort.
  2. We eat more than we need on these occasions. An example of this unnecessary overfeeding is the well-known "Lupe-Reyes", in which Mexicans know that they will celebrate the festivities by eating from December 12 until January 6.
  3. Bad eating habits. There is a marked increase in the consumption of fast food, with high content of fats and sugars.
  4. There is a tendency towards obesity, and the most worrisome is childhood obesity, in which Mexico has the first place in the world.
What do you eat that can hurt you and what do you not eat that could nourish you better?

Click on the button to view the information

Mood

Happy people have many benefits, among which are good habits, better health, work with purpose and meaning, greater creativity and a warm social life.

Positive emotions such as joy, being satisfied, interested and grateful, tend to expand our chances of being successful. They also generate positive memories, which support positive moods.

Some Facts

Click on each number to view the information.


A source of well-being is having a purpose in life. People with a high sense of purpose tend to feel satisfied and have little fluctuation in their mood; generally they feel good.

Meaning is a source of resilience and motivation.

Realistic optimism is one in which people aspire to have positive results; they know they are possible, but they are not sure that this is the case and they are willing to work to achieve them.

Optimistic people tend to have better habits and are persistent to achieve their goals.

Physical activity

In addition to exercising, it is very important to move throughout the day, in the office or at school. As mentioned in the previous section, exercise increases mental functioning. The connection is clear, the more movement the better brain functioning.

Some Facts

Click on each number to view the information.


Most adults know that exercising has many benefits; however, this knowledge alone is not enough for us to have a physical activity routine.

Sitting requires minimal effort. The metabolism decreases to a third in the consumption of the calories needed when standing or walking; this can lead to obesity.

Being sedentary lowers the level of fat processing, affects insulin levels associated with a propensity of type 2 diabetes and increases cholesterol levels.

Moving gives us more energy, keeps us more alert and with greater ability to focus.

A good exercise program should include 3 types of exercises: strength, flexibility and balance aerobics.

11.3 "Blue Zones" and what we can learn from them

Dan Buettner is a journalist who loves to explore and travel the world.

He worked for National Geographic magazine when he started a project that has become the axis of his professional life: the "blue zones”.

As you know, there are many types of maps: political maps that show the borders between the countries, hydrological maps in which the rivers are seen, economic maps that mark the indicators such as the gross domestic product and per capita income, etc.

There are demographic maps in which regions are represented with different colors depending on the longevity of the inhabitants of those parts of the planet. The areas in which people live the most are marked in blue.

Dan Buettner and the National Geographic team decided to explore those regions of the earth, the areas where there were many people living more than a hundred years, which they called "blue zones”.

Dan Buettner

Initially they found 4: the island of Sardinia on the coast of Italy, Icaria, another island, this one in Greece, Okinawa, in Japan, Loma Linda in California and Nicoya in Costa Rica.

Dan went to all these places and spent a lot of time living with and interviewing the people who live there.

He found that, although they are very different geographical regions and cultures, the inhabitants of the blue zones have certain common customs that can explain, at least partially, why they have such long lives.

Click on the button to learn more.


Closure

Physical health is a very important part of integral well-being, we could not talk about well-being without considering it.

The four elements considered in the Sas Compass: sleep, eat, exercise and have a good mood are integrated, we cannot start leveling one at a time, we must work on all of them at the same time. The change can be gradual, but encompasses the entire compass. If we do not sleep well, it is more likely that we eat foods high in fat and sugar, and that we are so tired that we do not want to exercise, the result will be that we will be in a bad mood. On the contrary, we can cultivate a virtuous circle, if we sleep well, eat healthily and exercise, which will help us to have a good mood.

Review the following Checkpoint:

Make sure you understand:

  • The four elements of the SaS compass.
  • The role of neurotransmitters in well-being.
  • The importance of generating virtuous circles to promote your well-being.

References

     

  • Buettner, D. (2008). The Blue Zones. Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest. Washington, D.C., USA: National Geographic.
  • Martínez-Lapiscina, E. H., Clavero, P., Toledo, E., Estruch, R., Salas-Salvadó, J., San Julián, B., Sanchez-Tainta, A., Ros, E., Valls-Pedret, C. & Martinez-González M. (2013). Mediterranean diet improves cognition: the PREDIMED-NAVARRA randomised trial. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 84 (12), 1318-1325.
  • Ruiz-Canela, M., Estruch, R., Corella, D., Salas-Salvadó, J. & Martínez-González, M. (2014). Association of Mediterranean Diet with Peripheral Artery Disease: The PREDIMED Randomized Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 311(4), 415-417.
  • Shaar, M. J. y Britton K. (2011). Smarts and Stamina, The Busy Person´s Guide to Optimal Health and Performance. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Positive Psychology Press.
  • Oyebode, O., Gordon-Dseagu, V., Walker, A. y Mindell, J. (2014) Fruit and vegetable consumption and all-cause, cancer and CVD mortality: analysis of Health Survey for England data. JECH Online.