Body

“To keep the body in good health is a duty…  otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” 

Buddha

There is sooooooooooo much to talk about with BODY! Our body is the vessel that carries our brain, our perception of the world and perception of ourselves within said world. Our body is influenced by everything from the environment (macro and micro) of where we live and work, to the fuel we put into it, the rest and maintenance we give it (like any machine it needs maintenance), and the exercise we conduct to keep it in shape.

If the body is in suboptimal condition, the brain and mind are too.

When we look at Body, we examine the role of sleep, nutrition, breathing, exercise and more. It’s important this comes third in the order of N.O.B.L.E. as we must first develop an awareness and understanding of why we are the way we are, what we do and why we do those things, if we are to have any hope of effectively changing our thoughts and behaviour. Up until now things have been mainly cognitive and theoretical. However now, we can start making changes and enacting things physically, tangibly.

Clearly, we won’t get everything covered in a few words so let’s take a brief dive into three.

Sleep 

The main link for sleep apnoea is genetic  

and weight has little correlation as a causal factor. 

I haven’t met an adult without some experience of fatigue and its negative impact on decision making and energy levels. Despite popular myths, the only thing that overcomes fatigue is sleep; not caffeine, loud music or an open window, for they are temporary measures at best. Now imagine that your fatigued brain is also mentally un-healthy. Things are going downhill from here.

It's not too far a stretch to see that poor sleep and depression are very closely linked. Just as sleep is the only measure to overcome fatigue, sleep is also the best tool to maintain resilience. A recent edition of The Harvard Mental Health Newsletter even stated, “Once viewed only as symptoms, sleep problems may actually contribute to psychiatric disorders”. People who sleep poorly are much more likely to develop significant mental illness, including depression and anxiety, than those who sleep well.

Now, for those of you saying, ‘yeah but I don’t stay up late’, think again. There’s a way to get fatigued even when you’ve been in bed for 8-10 hours, it’s called sleep apnoea.

When I found out I had sleep apnoea, I thought the doctor was joking. I thought it was just the pressure of the job, getting a little older and broken sleep due to shift work causing me to be weary. One of the reasons I hadn’t connected the dots was my misbelief that sleep apnoea was caused by being overweight to obese. However, the doctor quickly pointed out that the main link for sleep apnoea is genetic and weight has little correlation as a causal factor.

There’s far more to the story, but for now understand that a fully oxygenated night sleep makes an unimaginable difference in providing clarity of thought and healthy organs – of which your brain is #1.

Nutrition 

The gut-brain axis is like a two-way messenger superhighway  

sending signals from the gut to the brain and vice versa. 

The brain is the most sophisticated supercomputer on the planet and like any computer, the quality of the output is directly linked to the quality of the input. Therefore, if you want better quality outputs (your mental health), you need better quality inputs (your food).

This is explained through the gut-brain axis, which has been known about for many years but is now scientifically proven. In fact, there is a growing body of evidence that the 100 million nerve cells lining the intestinal tract from your oesophagus to your rectum could be considered your second brain. The job, therefore, of the gut-brain axis is to connect the ‘first’ brain (your central nervous system) to your ‘second’ brain (your enteric nervous system).

The gut-brain axis is like a two-way messenger superhighway sending signals from the gut to the brain and vice versa with links between psychological health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression, intuitional instincts such as ‘butterflies in your stomach’ or ‘gut feel’, through to gastrointestinal disorders including irritable bowel disorder.

Our gut has millions of bacteria known as microbiota which are delicately balanced, and this balance can influence our mood and emotions. What you eat impacts the microbiota and whether your gut reacts either positively or negatively. So, having a balanced diet is not only good for your physical body but your mental health too.

To be clear though, when we say a balanced diet, we’re not advocating the food pyramid shared in schools. We believe in focusing on whole, clean (unprocessed) foods.  

Another thing most people were taught at school is how to take big deep breaths – but that was flawed too. 

Breathing 

Taking note of how you breathe is important  

to improve your health and your mindset. 

Before you read on, do this simple exercise.  

Put one hand on your chest, the other on your belly. Take some deep breaths and notice what happens when you breath IN.  

Taking note of how you breathe is important to improve your health and your mindset. Does one hand move out when you breath IN? Does your chest expand when you breath in or does your belly expand, or both? Most people were taught that their chest should expand and stomach contract as their lungs fill up, but this doesn’t allow for full lung capacity due to our diaphragm pulling up under our lungs limiting their expansion.  

Our chest should stay still  

and our belly should expand when we breath in. 

Instead, our chest should stay still and our belly should expand when we breath in, allowing the diaphragm to contract and move downwards and therefore, our lungs to fully expand and fully fill with air. It’s called diaphragmatic breathing or belly breathing.  

When we’re anxious or in fight/flight mode we breath shallowly and it becomes a cyclical state of stress where the stress event causes shallow breathing which in turn causes further stress. When we breath shallowly we inadvertently induce or maintain a stress response which also keeps our heart rate elevated. 

Conversely, diaphragmatic breathing lowers our heart rate and stabilises blood pressure. It also serves as a mindfulness exercise when you deliberately pay attention to each breath in and out. It serves to distract and quiet the mind whilst also relaxing the body.  

Being selfish to be selfless ensures sustainable success  

and nurturing our physical body is essential to that long term success. 

Leaders recognize the mind-body connection and prioritize their physical well-being. They lead by example, nurturing their physical and mental health. A healthy body promotes resilience, energy, and clarity of thought, enabling us to tackle challenges with vigour and grace. Being selfish to be selfless ensures sustainable success and nurturing our physical body is essential to that long term success.