Body Budget

Do You Know Your Body Operates Like a Financial Budget?

Just as you manage income and expenses to maintain financial health, your brain continuously balances energy and resources to keep you physically and emotionally healthy. This concept, known as the "body budget," was introduced by neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett.

Let’s understand the concept of Body Budget

Your body budget refers to how your brain regulates resources like water, glucose, and salt to meet your body's needs. Every action you take - whether it's physical activity, learning, or even experiencing emotions - acts as a withdrawal or a deposit in this system.

When withdrawals exceed deposits, your body budget becomes unbalanced, leading to fatigue, stress, and health issues. Our brains don't differentiate between mental and physical withdrawals. So, to our brains, physical withdrawals from our body budget; working long hours, running a marathon, disordered sleep or a poor diet; or mental withdrawals such as fear, worry or anxiety, are all withdrawals from the same system.

If we make too many withdrawals (and not enough deposits), our body budget will become unbalanced and we may experience negative outcomes such as:

●       Low energy and fatigue

●       Increased stress and anxiety

●       Depression

●       Difficulty managing emotions

●       Lower resilience

●       Feeling overwhelmed

●       Pain

And chronic imbalance (persisting for a long time or constantly recurring) leads to bigger negative outcomes such as illness, chronic inflammation, chronic pain and depression.

Body Budget and Human Performance

We can't argue with the fact that our behaviour produces our results.

But below the surface of our behaviour, we have thinking, feeling, our emotions and our physiology (the way our body functions). In this pyramidal visual representation, our physiology is our foundation, a key driver of our performance or results.

Our physiology impacts our emotions which impacts our feelings which impacts our thinking, our behavior - and finally our results. So, our physiology underpins our entire life.

Let’s talk about the Four Pillars of a Balanced Body Budget

1. Nutrition Consuming a balanced diet replenishes essential nutrients and maintains stable energy levels. Regular meals with adequate hydration act as deposits, while poor dietary choices can lead to withdrawals.

Neuroscience research shows that a healthy diet also slows down cognitive aging and memory atrophy (decline/wasting away). We can gain an improvement in cognitive age of up to 7 1/2 years when following a healthy diet long term - a significant increase in longevity.

Additionally, the gut-brain connection is a two-way street and they influence each other. Therefore, good digestive health improves psychological well-being and psychological well-being improves digestive health.

Proper hydration is also critically important for optimal brain and body functioning. Drink water to keep your brain well hydrated and all your cells in peak condition. It should always be your very first choice of fluid. The general rule to follow, as to how much water you should be drinking per day, is to drink 300 ml for every 10 kg of body weight, or 10 fl oz for every 22 lb.

Healthy diets will have these factors in common:

●       Low in sugar and processed foods

●       High in vegetables, especially leafy greens

●       Some protein, whether meat, fish or a non-animal alternative

2. Good Quality Sleep Quality sleep restores your body's energy reserves. Chronic sleep deprivation results in continuous withdrawals, impairing cognitive function and emotional regulation.

Sleep contributes significantly to the process of learning and memory. It's linked to neural restoration and physiological maintenance across multiple brain systems.

Conversely, sleep loss is linked to deficits in cognitive functions and impaired emotional function - including our emotional regulation. And as 'sleep debt' accumulates over time, our performance becomes progressively worse.

We can't simply "catch up" on missed sleep by sleeping in the next day or on the weekend. However, some of us will be happy to learn that a daily, brief afternoon nap can improve cognitive deficits after restricted sleep, and that napping can enhance learning and memory.

3. Physical Activity Regular exercise strengthens your body and improves mood, contributing to deposits in your body budget. However, overexertion without adequate rest can lead to excessive withdrawals.

Exercise is a key contributor to deposits in your body budget. It strengthens the body, improves mood, and supports cognitive health. Studies show that regular exercise can:

• Improve learning and memory

• Reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety

• Delay cognitive decline
  

It is recommended that adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week, including muscle-strengthening exercises twice a week. Activities can range from walking and yoga to high-intensity workouts like running or cycling.

4. Stress Management Chronic stress depletes your body budget by continuously activating energy-consuming processes. Stress, fear, and worry function as mental withdrawals, impacting overall well-being. Effective ways to add deposits include:

• Mindfulness and meditation

• Engaging in hobbies or social activities

• Spending time outdoors
  

Here are some practical tips to balance your Body Budget

• Mind Your Diet – Opt for whole foods rich in nutrients to provide sustained energy.

• Prioritize Sleep – Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.

• Exercise Regularly – Incorporate moderate physical activity, such as walking or yoga, to boost energy and mood.

• Manage Stress – Engage in relaxation techniques and set aside time for activities you enjoy.
  

By consciously managing these four aspects, you can maintain a balanced body budget, leading to improved health, enhanced mood, and greater resilience in daily life.

All rights reserved by The Neuroscience School and Dr. Irena O'Brien.