Can Your Sex Life Predict Longevity?

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• The healthy brain diet

• A different way to measure longevity

• The kick test

Nutrition 
The Diet That Supports A Healthier Brain

Exercise is the best way to protect your brain against the dangers of aging. The second best method? It might depend on what’s in your kitchen.

New research suggests that following a Mediterranean-style diet is associated with a significantly lower risk of cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

The Mediterranean diet— rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats (like olive oil and nuts), and lean proteins (such as fish and poultry) — has long been associated with heart health. However, this review highlights its potential role in protecting the brain.

Researchers analyzed data from thousands of participants across various studies, comparing those who closely followed the Mediterranean diet with those who did not. 

Those who followed a Mediterranean diet had up to a 30 percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who didn’t. 

The researchers believe the Mediterranean diet's impact comes down to its ability to reduce inflammation, improve blood flow to the brain, and combat oxidative stress—all of which contribute to neurodegeneration. The diet is also rich in polyphenols and omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to protect brain cells and support cognitive function.

If you want to keep your mind sharp as you age, you don’t have to go full Mediterranean; instead, borrow from the types of foods in the diet. 

That means prioritizing fresh vegetables, legumes, nuts, and fish, increasing unsaturated fats like olive oil, and limiting ultra-processed foods. 

Longevity
Does More Sex Help You Live Longer? 

Some people use biological age to determine how well you’re aging. Others use strength metrics like grip strength or pushups. But your bedroom activity might be another option.

New research suggests that frequent (safe) sex is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality.

Scientists analyzed the health outcomes of more than 17,000 people over 11 years.

The research suggests that those who engage in sexual activity less than 12 times per year have the highest risk for cardiovascular disease.

While we can’t assume cause and effect, regular sexual activity is linked to several health benefits, including reduced stress, improved blood circulation, and better heart rate variability—all factors associated with cardiovascular health. Additionally (all jokes aside), sexual activity can be a form of physical exercise, helping to maintain a healthy weight and improve metabolic function.

A slow sex life could be a sign of another health issue. Low testosterone, which can reduce sex drive and activity, is associated with higher levels of cholesterol and inflammation, which can also lead to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. 

And it might not be about having the best sex life, but just making sure you have some sex life. 

The protective effect was most noticeable in those engaging in sexual activity at least once a week.

However, there did not appear to be additional health benefits for those who had sex more than 100 times per year. 

Adam’s Corner
The Kick Test

Are you optimized?

The latest health trend feels like a way to cut the excess and put your energy into the things that matter. 

But it’s all a dangerous illusion.

Instead of cutting out the BS, you’re told you’re not doing enough, and more is the antidote.

The wellness industry is overflowing with fear-based recommendations designed to create knee-jerk reactions. 

You’re so busy playing whack-a-mole to the threats lurking in every food and behavior that you don’t have the time to question if you're really in danger or if the new changes you’re making are making you better.

Meat is dangerous, but so are some vegetables. Seed oils are to blame for everything, even though some of the longest-living populations consume seed oils regularly. We blame “hormone imbalances,” and yet few people test their hormones or understand what a hormone imbalance would really do to your body. Some people say high-intensity exercise will raise cortisol too much, while others suggest that walking isn’t even exercise.

And yet, all of this is strangely familiar. The difference is that technology and social media cause you to consume all the conflicting, confusing information at an unsustainable and overwhelming pace.

The solution is “optimization.” But it’s missing the most important ingredients to help you unlock optimal health.

Most optimization programs give you a mop to clean up a spill without ever considering what caused the leak.

It’s almost too easy to convince you that you’re failing at health without considering your individual needs.

If you’re tired of reacting to everything, “the Kick Test” is something I’ve used for more than 20 years as a truth serum. 

It’s based on the famous quote from Bruce Lee,

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

The Kick Test helps you get closer to mastery by limiting what you’re doing to improve your health and helping you build bulletproof behaviors.

When it comes to health, more is not more. And complication is not a sign of effectiveness.

Optimization has missed out on a glorious opportunity to minimize instead of maximize. 

We celebrate 27-step morning routines and complex behaviors as the only way to improve your health.

But, as Arnold would say, “It’s all bogus.”

Complication might seem like the best way to leave no stone unturned, but it’s a distraction. Instead, it’s far better to focus on small behaviors with asymmetrical upside. 

People are doing more and more, so they tend to become less efficient and effective. And it’s why many feel overstressed and overwhelmed by their health plans. 

The truth?

• You don’t need more exercise variety. You need to be able to perform a few exercises incredibly well.

• You don’t need endless sets and reps. You need to push yourself with maximum intensity and chase the hard reps.

• You don’t need to eat all the superfoods. You need to find a few nutrient-dense foods you can eat repeatedly and consistently.

• You don’t need a long morning or evening routine. You need to find something that helps you start and end the day in a way where you feel good — which is determined on an individual level, not some global ideal.

• You don’t need a complicated sleep routine. Find something that helps you wind down — even if it’s some form of entertainment — and let that set the stage to help you doze off into peaceful slumber. If you’ve done everything, you can look into other purchases that might help, but only if you’ve put time and energy into the basics.

If you want to be optimized, sometimes it helps to be minimized in the name of mastery.

The Kick Test is simple and invaluable because it helps you focus on “one kick” instead of 10,000. Here’s how it works:

The Kick Test

Step 1: Identify the problem(s) you’re experiencing with your health.

If you’re going to improve, you must honestly assess what is wrong.

Step 2: Determine what you are doing to fix those problems.

Make a list of what you’re doing to solve what you found in step 1. It might be nothing; it might be everything. Just be honest.

Step 3: Acknowledge why you have chosen those actions.

Is it based on a real test (you got blood work done or did a movement screen), or is it based on suggestion and manipulation? (An influencer told you that your hormones weren’t balanced in the absence of any real data)

Step 4: Ask yourself, “What is the one behavior I can consistently do that will also have the most upside?”

This is a two-part question. Consistency is the most important variable of success. But if you consistently do something that moves pebbles instead of boulders, you’re putting in a lot of effort for something that won’t have a significant impact. I’ve met many people who have punished themselves by fasting in the name of “autophagy” when they could’ve seen similar outcomes by just restricting daily calories or resistance training more frequently.

Step 5: Minimize, re-focus, and master

Once you have the one thing, your job is to turn that into a habit that feels automatic, and then measure if your life improves. Remember, mastery takes time. It’s not a day or a week. You might spend months mastering one habit and then add another. 

You will be tempted to add more, but you don’t need 10,000 kicks. You need one kick you’ve practiced 10,000 times. I’ll give you a few examples of my “one kick.”

Diet: I don’t struggle with protein, but I do with fiber. So that’s been all I’ve focused on to help me manage hunger. Every meal has fiber. I also find ways that are easiest for me to squeeze in fiber. It can be a high-fiber wrap. A powder into a protein shake. Vegetables baked into meals. The idea is to find something I enjoy and then make fiber a part of what I like.

Exercise: Walking used to be my kryptonite. I did not move at all outside of the gym.. Now, I have a calendar reminder throughout the day that forces me to get up and move. It’s a non-negotiable. I make it work, first hitting an average of 7,000 daily steps three years ago, then 10,000 per day two years ago, and finally 11,000+ steps daily last year without a thought (And just five years ago, I averaged 3,000 steps per day).

Sleep: I didn’t realize it, but my late-night snacking affected my sleep. I don’t struggle with falling asleep, but I would wake up, and my sleep quality wasn’t as good. So I have hard rules (closed kitchen) about when I eat my last meal. I don’t over-stress or worry about anything else. I just try to be good about when I stop eating and drinking relative to when I sleep.

Are there more things I can do? Sure. But every additional effort or stress could have a cost, as well. So, I have to weigh my efforts vs. my outcomes, as well as what I want to accomplish. 

I know my health goals and frustrations, and I understand that optimization isn’t about perfection; it’s about feeling better, performing well, and making sure I don’t have glaring weaknesses that hold me back.

If at any time I start to struggle, I do another kick test, see where I need to improve, identify where I’m wasting effort, and get back to leaning into mastery.

It rarely looks impressive. It won’t get clicks on social media. But it’s an incredibly effective way to deliver results and feel better without burning out or losing your mind. And that sounds pretty optimal to me. -AB

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell