How you feel is not just in your head, it’s also in your gut, your immune system, your nervous system, and your heart. In short, your mental state has more to do with your biology than you think. This is why trying to change your mind with your mind doesn’t always work.
In part two of this series, we explored the importance of cross-training to build mental fitness by combining daily exercise with additional mental fitness activities that cultivate calm and build awareness and clarity like mindfulness and breath practices. We also briefly introduced the idea of learning how the gut and brain communicate, which is what we’ll explore more deeply in this article.
The Gut-Brain AxisThe gut-brain axis is the “phone line” between your gut and your brain. It’s how they talk. This network can be separated into three channels: the nervous system, immune system, and endocrine system. Research on the gut-brain axis is emerging as part of the newest discoveries in science and suggests that improving the gut-brain axis can lead to improved energy, mood, mental focus, and stress resilience.
Most of our neurotransmitters are made in the gut microbiome, and most…
