Which Is Better: Stretching or Foam Rolling?

Welcome to the positive corner of the internet. Every weekday, we make sense of the confusing world of wellness by analyzing the headlines, simplifying the latest research, and offering quick tips designed to make you healthier in less than 5 minutes. If you were forwarded this message, you can get the free daily email here.

Today’s Health Upgrade

• Better or worse

• Longevity brew

• Health boost: instant retention

• 365 days of grief

Training
Better Or Worse: Stretching vs. Foam Rolling

We recently shared that foam rolling takes a few weeks to provide real benefits. That caused many of you to ask if stretching was a better option. Luckily, research has tested that very question.

Scientists found that static stretching and foam rolling similarly improve range of motion. But one might work quicker than the other.

If you’re unfamiliar, static stretching involves holding a stretch for a prolonged period, typically 15-60 seconds. Foam rolling, or self-myofascial release, involves using a foam roller (or something hard like a lacrosse ball) to apply pressure to specific muscles and fascia.

They work in different ways to improve range of motion but equally drive a similar outcome. The only difference is that static stretching can lead to better range of motion in less than four weeks, whereas—as we mentioned the other day—foam rolling takes at least four weeks to produce results. 

So, if you want quicker changes, static stretching will get you there, but in the long run, either option, if done consistently, will help improve your range of motion. And remember, even if you don’t enjoy stretching or foam rolling, research has also found that weight training can help improve your flexibility and range of motion. 

Nutrition
Longevity Brew

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Instead of spending thousands of dollars to hack your longevity and optimize your health, you could exercise daily, prioritize sleep, eat nutritious foods — and drink delicious coffee. 

The last item might surprise you, but research suggests that a daily cup (or three) of coffee might help you live longer. 

Researchers aimed to investigate the relationship between coffee consumption and mortality rates across European populations. The study included 521,330 participants, aged 35 to 70, followed over an average of 16 years. Researchers collected detailed information on coffee drinking habits, health status, and mortality.

Drinking three or more cups of coffee per day was associated with a 12 percent lower risk of death from all causes in men and a 7 percent lower risk in women. This association held even after adjusting for factors such as age, smoking, and diet.

The study suggests that coffee's health benefits may result from its rich antioxidant content. These compounds can improve heart health, reduce the risk of certain cancers, and enhance liver function. Additionally, coffee consumption was linked to lower levels of inflammation and improved glucose metabolism, which are crucial for overall health.

While it's essential to consider individual tolerance (hello headaches) and avoid excessive intake (hello insomnia), enjoying a few cups of coffee each day might contribute to better health and a longer life. The World Health Organization found that coffee helps protect against cancer, improves endothelial function (think: heart health), and is the top source of antioxidants in the American diet. 

If you’re sensitive to caffeine, you can still experience the health benefits with our go-to coffee alternative. It’s loaded with the same magical beans but a fraction of the caffeine and none of the crash. 

If you love coffee, you can enjoy more than one cup but don’t get too carried away. Research suggests the benefits could level off at four cups.

Nutrition
Health Boost: Instant Retention

Need a short-term boost in memory? Save your cup of coffee for after you learn something new. Research suggests consuming caffeine after learning new information can enhance recall and memory.

Any caffeine can give you an energy boost, but there appears to be something special about coffee. Recent research found that coffee lights up parts of your brain that control short-term memory, attention, and focus — but plain old caffeine didn’t have the same impact.

Mindset
365 Days of Grief: What I Learned

Editor’s note: A year ago, I lost my father. Watching my dad battle cancer could’ve taken me down any number of paths, including shifting my beliefs about health and wellness. Here’s what you can gain from my loss. -AB

Many people would’ve considered my father a model of health. He ate nutritious foods, got outdoors, took his steps, lifted weights, didn’t drink alcohol or smoke, and did things he loved.

And yet, brain cancer still found him and took him at 69.

Some people have asked if watching my dad suffer changed my stance on health. After all, if our healthy habits don’t guarantee a longer future, is it worth all the effort?

But my dad’s illness didn’t change how I live because I don’t believe I’m completely in control of life’s outcomes.

I exercise and eat well because I know that nothing is given but the body I have. I take care of myself knowing that — at some point — it’s going to break down. And my efforts reduce the likelihood and give me a greater chance of bouncing back from any setback.

Watching someone battle death makes it clear how much we seek certainty in life, which is why it’s easy to obsess about our health. And it makes it painfully obvious how many people manipulate those fears to sell you false solutions in the name of health and longevity.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many good players in the wellness industry.
But there are also many more predatory businesses that prey on insecurity and fear, pushing you towards extreme behaviors designed to break you and make you more vulnerable to buying into the next quick fix.

The sad part is that — at some point — the vicious cycle breaks people mentally and physically. That’s why we write this newsletter and help people in the Pump app. Someone has to do something about an industry designed for good that leads so many to bad habits.

So, how do you navigate a treacherous but essential road?
You simplify your approach.
You stop trying to game the system.
You find the things that are undeniably good for you.
Try to avoid the things that just feel wrong or are designed to stop working or cause burnout.
And when it doesn’t go your way, you don’t beat yourself up. You chalk it up to experience, learn, and adjust.

The wellness industry paints a “healthy lifestyle” as the pursuit of some sort of idealistic optimization. But the beauty of mastery is that it requires failure, not perfection. Those who “never get it wrong” are doomed to never figure it out and feel right.

There’s much more to life than just cutting out everything you enjoy in the name of health. Enjoyment and flexibility are essential parts of the healthy living equation.

Life is less about imposing your will and more about doing the things that give you the best opportunity to make the most of your time. To make that a reality, it helps to have a clear understanding of how you want to spend your time.

My father knew how he wanted to spend his time. And in sickness, that clarity deepened.

Once he was diagnosed, my dad acted like he wasn’t sick and that cancer wouldn’t define his existence.

He wasn’t the most positive person, but he shifted and became relentlessly optimistic despite his bleak diagnosis. For three years, he never complained about anything. Not the chemo or radiation or medication. Not the device he wore on his head or the changes to his diet. He never said he was tired or exhausted or said that it was hard.

Not till the very end, when he was on his deathbed, struggling to speak and make his brain work, did he admit that the disease “f*cking sucks.”

In illness, my dad wanted to spend his time defying death. He refused to acknowledge that his disease was his assassin. It’s not that he didn’t believe he was sick or how the cancer operated. It’s that he refused to believe that cancer could beat him.

His approach had some downsides. It meant any talk of death or doing things in the present to help preserve his memory in the future was pushed aside. I desperately wanted my father to answer many questions so I could take them with me when he was gone. He ignored my requests. Not because he didn’t want to share memories. Rather, doing so meant acknowledging that one day, he would no longer be here, and the mindset he built to stave off death couldn’t risk any intrusive thoughts.

My dad lived on his terms, and I loved him for it. And in many ways, it worked. With a little bit of luck, a lot of medical care, endless positivity, and a healthy lifestyle, my dad lived far longer — and with a higher quality of life — than anyone imagined. Six months before he passed, my dad was still skiing down mountains. It was a thing of beauty and part of what made his decline so hard; I think he even tricked me into believing he could outwit death.

When my dad was first diagnosed, I said everything I wanted to say. I didn’t want to leave anything in my heart. And before he passed, I made sure I had no more regrets.

But once he was one, I realized what I didn’t do.

I regretted that I didn’t always act like our time was limited, especially before his sickness. I thought about my relationship and what it could’ve been and realized I didn’t always make the best use of our time.

It still keeps me up some nights.
There’s so much we don’t control, but we do have the here and now.
We control how we treat people and how we love them.
We decide how we respect and care for our bodies.
We can relentlessly pursue our wildest dreams, take big chances, and do the things we love.

Ironically, realizing that I don’t control my health outcomes pushes me to take care of my body every day.

And yet, it took illness and death to help me realize I should take a similar approach in other aspects of my life.

As the cliche goes, “There are no guarantees in life,” no matter how pure, focused, or well-executed you pursue an outcome. The myth of life is that when you do the right things, you end up winning.

The reality of life is that if you don’t quit, do the right things, and chase the version of life you want the most, then you can’t lose — regardless of the outcome.

In his final weeks, I told my dad the things I wish I had done differently, and that’s when it hit me.

Too often, my obsession was on the outcome instead of the process.

Life’s regrets are not about what we get; they are about what we do.

My relationship with my dad could’ve been exactly the same, but if I did the things I wanted instead of waiting or letting excuses stand in the way, then there would’ve been nothing I would’ve changed.

The ability to choose what you do is what makes life great. Having few regrets isn’t about getting what you want; it’s about the freedom of not having to wonder, “What if.”

Peace and satisfaction come from knowing you spent your time intentionally because loss and disappointment are built into the fabric of life just as much as happiness and success.

So it’s worth assessing what really matters — and then holding yourself accountable so that your thoughts and emotions are clear. Once that happens, you’ll be more likely to take the actions that make the best use of your time.

I think about that often. It’s the part of my dad that I’ll carry with me every day.
Somehow, the least emotional person I know—my dad—helped me better understand my emotions so I could more effectively take action on the things that matter.

And I’ll tell everyone about it too. Because the one thing I’ve learned about death — at least in the US — is that it makes almost everyone uncomfortable.

No one asks me about my dad. People want to act like his passing didn’t happen. The fact that there is an end to life is the very fabric that makes life worth living. The more you embrace that, the more joy you’ll find.

I don’t claim to be an expert on life, death, or the meaning of our existence.
But I do believe that all of us have experiences that help us see around the corner, understand what’s coming, and prepare to handle it a little better.

I miss my dad like I miss the innocence of childhood. You can keep your memories, but some things, once they are gone, are never the same.
I wish I could see him again. Talk to him again. Share another Buffs game with him.

But my dad didn’t live an abbreviated life. His life was full and beautiful. He inspired me in the way he always put his family first, took great care of himself, and truly grasped what made him happy.

More than anything, my dad was grateful for life, and that meant he appreciated every second — even the bad ones.

In a surprise twist, when I talked about his cancer, my dad told me he didn’t believe his disease was unfair. And that’s because he saw the bigger picture and understood that “sh*t happens.”

In a book filled with so many chapters he loved, it just so happened that his final chapter was the worst one.

But that didn’t make the book any less of a classic. -AB

—

Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell