52: Ben Greenfield - Biohacking for brain health: why simple hacks can help us recover from poor mental health to become boundless in mind, body and spirit

Ben Greenfield is one of the world’s leading biohackers. Voted by the NSCA as America’s top personal trainer, he is also a health consultant, nutritionist, physiologist, competitive athlete, 13-time Ironman triathlete and New York Times bestselling author of 13 books, including the wildly popular Beyond Training: Mastering Endurance, Health, & Life and Boundless: Upgrade Your Brain, Optimize Your Body & Defy Aging.

With a focus on brain hacks for improving mental health, in this fascinating interview Ben explains why rebooting communication between our nervous system and brain is fundamental to our mental health and wellbeing. He discusses why our emotions, intellect, motivations, cravings, focus and ability to feel whole, human and “boundless” can be drastically impacted when communication between our brain and body is poor. The interview packs a punch and covers an extensive discourse on the many biochemical causes of poor mental health (including neurotransmitter and hormone imbalance, insomnia, dysregulated nervous system, poor diet and gut issues), and he suggests surprisingly simple ways we can recover from anxiety, depression, low mood, stress, poor memory, addiction, fatigue, poor motivation etc.

In this lively and incredibly educational conversation, learn why neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine) can drive poor mental health; discover why neurotransmitter testing, DNA testing and hormone profiles offer helpful tools for understanding the root causes of poor mental health; and discover how our diets (protein and amino acid intake, ketogenic diets etc) are the building blocks of our neurotransmitters and our hormones, and why when depleted or dysregulated they are a major cause of poor mental health. Discover how diet, quality sleep, cold therapy, calming the nervous system and taking care of our Soul can hack our brains for greater happiness and health, enabling us to become truly “boundless” in mind, body and spirit.