Can Dancing Help Fight Depression?

New research found that all exercise can improve well-being, but dancing might be the most effective way to boost your mood.

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

  • Weekend boosts

  • Number you won’t forget

  • Weekly wisdom

  • Can short workouts really make a difference?

Arnold’s Podcast

Want more stories from Arnold? Every day, Arnold’s Pump Club Podcast opens with a story, perspective, and wisdom from Arnold that you won’t find in the newsletter. And, you’ll hear a recap of the day’s items. You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Weekend Boosts

💪Article We’re Reading: Why You Should Not Get A Full-Body MRI

“Arrogant people have tried doing things to healthy people to make them better off for thousands of years. Nearly none of these people did any good, and the majority did more harm than good. Modern AI and tech researchers are not much smarter than our ancestors. They are just as arrogant (perhaps more so), and probably getting this wrong.”

We’re not telling you whether you should or shouldn’t do a full-body MRI, but being more informed helps you make better decisions. And the “three types of tumors — but only one is dangerous” hypothesis shows the potential downsides you rarely see discussed with some newer technologies.

💪Book Recommendation: The 5 Types Of Wealth
The 5 Types of Wealth encourages you to leverage your unique strengths across the five dimensions to build a purposeful and meaningful life of wealth beyond money.

Instead of taking the old approach, it offers a new way of measuring what matters, making better decisions, and designing your life around the pillars that create lasting joy and fulfillment.

If you want to be useful in your life, The 5 Types of Wealth will help provide guidance and direction. 

💪Podcast Recommendation: Big Shot
Yesterday’s post “Judgment Day” received lots of wonderful feedback, and many of you want to know what podcast inspired the column. It’s called Big Shot, and if you want to hear the judgment day story, check out the Ron Shaich episode.

💪Pump Perks: Maui Nui
The restock is in. Maui Nui, a proud partner of the Pump Club that does good for Maui and the environment by offering the world’s healthiest red meat, has restocked its usually sold-out favorites. Get yours and 20% off when you use the code “PumpClub.” 

💪Instant Health Boost: Dance Like No One Is Watching
All forms of exercise can reduce symptoms of depression, but research suggests that dancing might be the most effective way to boost your mood.

Researchers analyzed 218 studies on more than 14,000 people and found that dancing was as good as—or better—at treating symptoms of depression and improving feelings of well-being than other forms of exercise. In fact, dancing showed better outcomes for some than using SSRIs. And that’s not all dancing can do for your mind and body. Dancing was also associated with overall improvements in self-efficacy, anxiety, depression, motivation, and quality of life.

Fitness
Number You Won’t Forget: 90 percent

If you want to get better at running, run more often. 

But if you want to become a more efficient runner, remember to hit the gym and grab the bigger weights.

Research suggests that heavy weight training improves running economy and overall performance. Specifically, runners improved most when training with 90 percent of their maximum weight and in a range of 1 to 4 repetitions.

And your workouts don’t have to be overly long, either. Research appears to show that you only need about 2 to 6 sets, performed 2 to 4 times per week to see an impact. But you’ll need to be patient. It will likely take 8 to 10 weeks before you start seeing the improvements.

If you’re worried about heavy weights, the same study found that plyometrics—such as jump-based workouts—also offer running improvements, but not as significantly as the heavy weight training. 

Mindset
Weekly Wisdom

Training
Minimum Effective Dose: Can Short Workouts Make a Difference? 

Last week, we shared how getting outside could be the key to unlocking more fitness benefits. But if you think you need to set aside hours for exercise, your body needs much less than you think.

Research suggests that mini bursts of movement — anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes — can improve your cardiorespiratory fitness and mortality. 

It’s the latest study in the growing body of evidence about “Exercise snacks,” which are exactly what they sound like—mini doses of movement that don’t fit the traditional mold of gym workouts but still help improve overall health. 

The scientists reviewed 32 studies that examined forms of intermitted activity, including everything from sprinting up the stairs to randomly doing 1 or 2 minutes of bodyweight exercises or a few minutes of yoga or Tai Chi. 

The key was that the short bursts had to be done with at least moderate intensity. But even when the exercise was short, consistently doing small amounts of intense exercise led to improved heart health, muscle, strength, and disease prevention. 

Although the benefits and changes are not as consistent or impressive as a consistent training program, the point of the study was to answer if something really is better than nothing. Because the barrier is so low, exercise snacks appear to increase motivation and consistency because they are so doable and flexible. So, if you find yourself away from the gym, out of a routine, or managing a busy schedule, finding a few minutes throughout the day to move and raise your heart rate can provide meaningful health benefits.

That’s it for this week. Thank you all for being a part of the positive corner of the internet. We hope you have a fantastic weekend!

-Arnold, Adam, and Daniel

Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell


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