This article contains mentions of grief.
“I think I was always an academically-minded child,” said Kinesiology Associate Professor Dr. Eli Puterman. “I loved information and I loved learning.”
When Puterman began his post-secondary studies, he was on track to be a doctor. Yet, life experiences he endured in his early 20s prompted Puterman to pivot the academic direction of his pursuits, and he later pursued a master’s and PhD in clinical psychology.
“I realized my deep passion was the connection of the field of health psychology, where we're trying to explore the impact of our behaviours, our stress levels, on the underlying physiological mechanisms that predict disease,” he said.
"All the exciting research I read sparked a deep interest in integrating psychology with medicine, kinesiology and exercise science," Puterman said.
Puterman is the Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Physical Activity & Health, a Michael Smith Foundation for Health research scholar and the lab director of the UBC Fitness, Aging, & Stress (FAST) Lab. At UBC, Puterman is part of the School of Kinesiology's Move More initiative, which encourages the UBC community to get active.
During his graduate schooling, Puterman noted that discourses around health psychology mainly focused on stress about aging and health. At that stage of his studies, he said he found a missing component that set him on a quest for his research: what about people who stay healthy in their lives even though they find themselves stressed?
'All movement of the body is important for the body'
Puterman’s passion for psychology came from his life experiences, “which made [him] want to learn more and more about what is happening in our brains and how we behave," Puterman said.
During his undergrad, Puterman’s boyfriend passed away. To navigate this loss, he turned to literature exploring Buddhism, death and dying, and existentialism. That’s when he discovered his interest in psychology.
Puterman then did a postdoctoral fellowship in San Francisco to learn more about the stress pathways. After delving into these systems, he said he understood just how vital interventions are to managing stress.
"Even though there is stress, there are avenues to reduce that stress mentally and in our bodies through physical activity."
For 13 years, Puterman has worked with high-stress patients and found positive correlations between stress and physical activity.
"Even though there is stress, there are avenues to reduce that stress mentally and in our bodies through physical activity," he said.
After conversations with participants, Puterman noted that many people who intend to be healthy are blocked by stress. He said if people are given more options for physical activity — ones they are more passionate about and can pursue — it can help them overcome barriers to becoming physically active.
To Puterman, people must think about new ways of exercising, which are not limited to going to the gym, taking spin or cross-fit classes or some high-intensity exercise. He underlined exercise also includes walking, doing something at home or going out in nature.
"All movement of the body is important for the body," he said.
"We have to learn more about ourselves to be able to choose those which fulfill us and make us happy because if we are not gaining pleasure from it, we will likely not be able to continue it.”
Go, go, going
Puterman said he’s a “pretty activated” person, shifting between multiple roles in his professional life.
“I have always been so. I just go-go-go."
Puterman is anticipating funding for one of his future projects, which will involve partnering healthcare workers with fitness coaches trained in motivational interviewing. These coaches would support healthcare workers in getting physically activity, by understanding exercise needs and desires and figuring out ways to overcome personal barriers to getting active.
The project, he said, is a follow-up to the kind of work he and his team did in San Francisco for family caregivers providing care for a family members with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia.
"At the end of the day, with the right resources, people succeed in their ways. Even if it doesn't work now, it will all be okay."
As Co-Lead, Community Engagement and Intersection at the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging at UBC, Puterman engages with the public through monthly presentations and oversees a website for older adults to communicate with the centre and learn tips about healthy aging. He said there are talks underway to launch a podcast on healthy aging for older Canadians too.
On his other future projects, he said, "I have that lens to focus on translating other amazing research that happens here at UBC into public health messages."
Puterman believes with the right resources, people are bound to succeed.
He encourages finding ways to stay grounded during both personal challenges and global uncertainty, whether it’s through movement, deep breathing, staying connected with loved ones or giving back to a cause that matters to you. He also emphasizes the importance of making time for kindness — to yourself and those around you.
"At the end of the day, with the right resources, people succeed in their ways. Even if it doesn't work now, it will all be okay. Accept where you are right now."
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