What if we’ve been measuring the wrong things? 

For decades, colleges have tracked student achievement through test scores, GPAs, and personality traits like grit, resilience, etc. These metrics are helpful. But on their own, they don’t tell the whole story, especially for institutions committed to educating the whole person. Our research at Oral Roberts University suggests that the physical body, often overlooked in academic analysis, may hold some of the clearest evidence of student flourishing. Not metaphorically, but measurably. 

Over the past ten years, our team has collected and analyzed more than 15,000 biometric, behavioral, and academic data points from undergraduates from every major. Across a dozen published studies [1-12], we’ve examined how step counts, resting heart rate, grip strength, sleep-wake preferences, personality traits, and lifestyle patterns predict academic outcomes like GPA, retention, stress resilience, and even weight change. 

The findings have been consistent. 

Students who walk more each day are not just healthier; they also tend to earn higher grades and are more likely to stay enrolled. Those who sleep in alignment with their biological clocks report greater emotional stability and perform better in class. A lower resting heart rate is associated with reduced stress load. And yes, even something as simple as handgrip strength has been linked to academic persistence. 

As the data accumulated, a deeper, holistic pattern emerged: student flourishing is not just cognitive and spiritual, it is also physical. In our setting, where spiritual life is integrated into the daily rhythms of campus, from required chapel services and discipleship groups to leadership mentoring and faith-infused classrooms, students are constantly invited to grow in identity and purpose. But what we found is that this formation is reinforced when students also steward their bodies well. 

This shouldn’t surprise us. Scripture doesn’t treat the body as separate from the soul.  

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 (NKJV) 

We are called to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, so not in isolation, but as an integrated whole. In our research, this theological truth found practical expression; we saw that students who were thriving academically were often those who showed consistency and attentiveness in physical areas: walking more, sleeping better, making healthy food choices, exercising moderately. In fact, these simple physical patterns often predicted student outcomes better than standardized test scores or demographic factors. 

Importantly, this is not about idolizing fitness or reducing people to metrics. It’s about recognizing that flourishing, in a Christian liberal arts context, involves the body just as much as the mind and spirit. And if we are serious about forming resilient, purpose-driven graduates who can serve and impact the world, we should also be serious about the environments and habits that sustain them. 

What makes this possible, in part, is the intentional design of a campus culture that integrates spiritual and physical life. At our university, chapel is not an extracurricular event. It’s a required, communal practice that reinforces belonging, alignment, and spiritual growth. Students know they are part of something bigger, not just academically, but in terms of calling and identity. This sense of shared formation provides a foundation that supports not only faith development but also behavioral stability and emotional health. 

Our research has shown that these overlapping domains, spiritual, physical, psychological, and academic, are not separate silos. They are a system. When students are grounded in faith, engaged in movement, and surrounded by a community that prioritizes wholeness, they flourish. And the best part? Much of this can be measured, tracked, and intentionally cultivated. 

For Christian colleges facing growing pressure to demonstrate value, relevance, and outcomes, this is good news. We don’t need to abandon our mission or mimic secular models of success. Instead, we can lean deeper into our theological distinctives and pair them with behavioral insights. We can foster spiritual growth and physical stewardship. We can use data to support discipleship. We can form whole students, and have the evidence to show that it matters. 

Because in the end, flourishing isn’t just a feeling. It’s a pattern we can see. It’s a way of living that takes root in spirit, mind, and body. And yes, flourishing leaves footprints. 

*ORU’s Healthy Academic Communities Research Group:
Myra J. Bloom – University Libraries
Scarelt R. Jost – Health, Leisure and Sport Sciences
Andrew S.I.D. Lang – Computing and Mathematics
Nancy V. Mankin – Health, Leisure and Sport Sciences
Philip P. Nelson – Behavioural Science
Enrique F. Valderrama Araya – Computing and Mathematics 

[1] Ferguson C, Kaneta L, Li A, Nelson P, Satralkar M, Lang A. Chronotype as a Predictor of Academic Success of University Freshmen. International Journal of Psychology and Neuroscience. 2018;4(2):37–48. 

[2] Broaddus AM, Jaquis BJ, Jones CB, Jost SR, Lang ASID, Li A, Li Q, Nelson PP, Spear EM. Fitbits, field-tests, and grades: The effects of a healthy and physically active lifestyle on the academic performance of first year college students. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Published online 2019 May 29. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2019.1623062 

[3] Allee MF, Anderson SE, Bloom MJ, Jost SR, Keating DP III, Lang ASID, et al. The Influence of Chronotype and Grit on Lifestyle and Physical Activity. Building Healthy Academic Communities Journal. 2020;4(2). https://doi.org/10.18061/bhac.v4i2.7617 

[4] Bloom MJ, Jost SR, Keating DP, Lang ASID, Mankin NV, Mast ZW, et al. The influence of chronotype on the body mass index of U.S. college students. Sleep Sci. 2021; Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.5935/1984-0063.20200130 

[5] Bloom MJ, Brown LM, Jost SR, Lang ASID, Mankin NV, Mast ZW, et al. The Impact of Body Mass Index on Physical Activity and Cardiac Workload. bioRxiv. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.26.461877 

[6] Anderson JR, Bloom MJ, Chen GYX, Jost SR, Keating DP III, Lang ASID, et al. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on College Student’s Stress and Physical Activity Levels. Building Healthy Academic Communities Journal. 2022;6(1). https://doi.org/10.18061/bhac.v6i1.8670 

[7] Anderson JR, Bloom MJ, Broshous WT, Chen GYX, Jost SR, Lang A, et al. HEXACO personality factors as predictors of physical activity, resting heart rate, body mass index, and healthy lifestyle behaviors. Current Issues in Personality Psychology. 2023. https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp/159157 

[8] Anderson JR, Bloom MJ, Broshous WT, Chen GYX, Jost SR, Lang ASID, et al. Can leading a physically active and healthy lifestyle prevent gaining the freshman 15? Human Movement. 2023;24(4):118–125. https://doi.org/10.5114/hm.2023.127976 

[9] Albaugh EM, Blackburn JM, Bloom MJ, Castile EC, Gomes VRC, Grooms KC, et al. Grip Strength, Body Composition, and Academic Performance in College Students. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Student Success. 2024. 

[10] Bloom MJ, Chen GYX, Gomes VRC, Jost SR, Lang ASID, Mankin NV, et al. Association of Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity With College Student Success and Retention. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 2024;21:1027–1036. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2023-0148 

[11] Anderson NJ, Bloom MJ, Castile EC, Jost SR, Lang ASID, Mankin NV, et al. Sex Specific Relationships Between Resting Heart Rate and Handgrip Strength in College Students. Am J Biomed Sci Res. 2025;25(4):AJBSR.MS.ID.003347. https://doi.org/10.34297/AJBSR.2025.25.003347 

[12] Anderson NJ, Bloom MJ, Cai D, Castile EC, Gomes VRC, Jost SR, et al. Fixed Traits and Flexible Habits: Balancing Personality, Chronotype, and Lifestyle in Whole-Person Education. [Manuscript under review].