Can You Strengthen Your Longevity Genes?

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• Monday motivation

• Can you strengthen longevity genes?

• Workout of the week

Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation 

It’s a big week in the United States.

So I have two challenges for you.

First, vote. Visit vote.org to find your polling place. Whether you plan to vote the same way I do or not — I just want you to use your voice.

I know it’s very easy to take this for granted, but there are people around the world who would give up everything to have the opportunity to choose the direction of their country.

Use your power.

My second challenge is going to be harder for most of you. I want you to remember that even though people might disagree with you, they are not your enemy.

You might disagree with someone about the debt, taxes, immigration — you name it.

But that does not mean you have to give up your humanity and be nasty to them.

It doesn’t mean they’re a communist or a Nazi.

It just means you have a different vision of policy.

I know that some of the people at the top have given all of us a bad example of how to treat our fellow men and women, but this week, my challenge to you is to stay out of the mud.

There will be enough nastiness no matter what happens.

I want you to rise above it. You can do it. We can do it.

If you need inspiration, just look at the letter my mentor, President George H.W. Bush, wrote to President Clinton after he lost the 1992 election to him:

That grace has always inspired me, and I hope this week, it inspires you to show the same grace to the people you don’t agree with politically.

And if you want to test your civics knowledge, try the citizenship test that I took, along with every immigrant who raised their right hand and swore an oath to this country: 

We can choose to be better.

We all have that power, no matter what some of our role models and the owners of social media sites and the media want us to think.

Health
Can You Strengthen Your Longevity Genes?

What if your DNA could tell you not just how strong you are but also how long you might live? 

A recent study found that a DNA score for muscle strength could predict your risk for common diseases and lifespan.

Scientists studied the DNA of about 340,000 people and grouped them according to whether they had genes known to increase muscle strength. This design allowed researchers to study the direct effects of stronger muscles on health and disease without the confounding that comes from trying to determine the impact of people’s exercise and health habits.

The study found that people with a genetic predisposition to greater muscle strength tended to live longer. The participants in the top 20 percent for genetically predicted muscle strength had up to a 25 percent reduced risk for future health events.

This means genetics have a considerable influence on muscle strength and mass. 

But here’s the good news: even if you are not genetically blessed, you can still experience the same protective benefits if you prioritize strength. 

Research suggests that any activity that strengthens your muscles is associated with better longevity and fewer diseases. Greater strength seems to improve health in a variety of ways, reducing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, COPD, osteoporosis, and depression.

Research has repeatedly shown that muscles are not just mechanical tissues that exist solely to help us move and do work. 

In addition to burning calories and storing nutrients, muscles produce health-promoting hormones and proteins called myokines. These myokines have extensive effects on the body, stimulating the immune system, promoting fat metabolism, and altering brain chemistry in ways that help explain the far-reaching benefits of strength training.

The bottom line is that strategies to increase muscle mass and strength (like regular resistance training) are highly likely to have similar benefits as those seen in this study, with most of these benefits achievable with just 30 to 60 minutes of strength training per week.

If you need a place to start, try the workout of the week below and perform it two to three times per week. 

Fitness
Workout of the Week

Get ready for a workout that will feel much longer than it is. This plan consists of timed sets instead of aiming for a goal rep range. We’ve done timed sets before, but not quite like this.  

Grab a stopwatch (or your phone), set a timer for 20 seconds, and do as many reps as possible. Then, rest for 40 seconds and perform the next exercise.

Two rounds of this workout will take you just 10 minutes. And if you’re more advanced, try to perform four rounds, which will only be 20 minutes.

Bodyweight Version

• Pushup

• Inverted row

• Step-up

• Hamstring walkouts

• Squat

Dumbbell Version

Select a weight you could normally do for about 6 to 8 reps. 

• Dumbbell chest press

• Dumbbell bent-over row

• Dumbbell step-up

• Dumbbell straight-leg deadlift

• Dumbbell Goblet squat

Give it a try, and let us know what you think!

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell