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Today’s Health Upgrade

• Monday motivation

• Don’t wait till tomorrow

• Workout of the week

Arnold’s Corner: Monday Motivation

I spent the weekend at Oktoberfest with my girlfriend, my son, and my friends. I want you to know I did not turn down the schnitzel, the weisswurst, the kaiserschmarrn, or the beer.

“Wait, Arnold, this is a fitness newsletter. Why are you telling us about all of these unhealthy, delicious foods?”

Because I want you to be healthy and fit, but I don’t want you to just have a 30-day or a 90-day transformation like influencers push. I want you to have a lifetime transformation.

I want a healthy and fit life that you can sustain forever, and I don’t believe it is sustainable to cut the joy out of your life.

We eat protein and vegetables and healthy food most of the time so that we can let loose with friends and family some of the time. Otherwise, what’s the point? We don’t want to be fit and healthy just to be fit and healthy. We want to be fit and healthy to make our lives better.

So I want you to always remember to live. Have that schnitzel or beer when your friend is in town or you’re on vacation. Don’t starve yourself of joy.

Remember, we share studies all the time about how connecting with other people also extends your life. This isn’t just a fitness newsletter. It’s a life improvement newsletter.

It’s a lot easier to connect with new or old friends over some delicious treats than it is with broccoli and chicken.

Let my weekend inspire you. Remind yourself that those days when you don’t reach for a bedtime snack or a soda aren’t for nothing — those days allow you to find joy by treating yourself with your ice cream, or beer, or steak on the days when it’s time to celebrate your success and your commitment to being healthy and fit.

If we want to keep our healthy habits for a lifetime, the carrot cake matters more than the stick.

What Happens If You Start Today?

Committing to exercise today could be the decision that helps you prevent cancer tomorrow.

 An analysis of cancer cases in the United States determined that approximately 46,000 cancer diagnoses could be avoided by getting people to commit to an exercise program today.

Many people wait till “tomorrow” to begin a program, and that’s part of the problem because movement is a key part of prevention. The goal is to get to 150 minutes of movement per week but don’t let that number intimidate you. The point is to do something, and then do more.

So, where do you start? If the gym is intimidating, trying to walk for 15 minutes twice per day can help you build confidence and hit the magic number. Or, try our workout of the week (see below). Each program is designed for people of all levels and can be done at home without any equipment.

If you’ve been putting off working out — or know someone who hasn’t been motivated to exercise — we hope this gives you extra purpose and inspires you to get moving. It’s never too late to start, and the time you put in today could be the time that you get back later in life.

Workout of the Week

Here’s a classic routine called “Double Trouble.” The workout consists of 4 exercises. On the first set, perform 2 reps of the first move, 2 moves of the second, and continue doing 2 reps until all sets are done. Take a rest, and then, double the number of reps, so you’re performing 4 reps of each. Keep doubling until you hit either 8 reps (3 rounds), 16 reps (4 rounds), 32 reps (5 rounds), or 48 reps (6 rounds) per exercise (depending on your level of fitness).

As the reps increase, you might find that you need to take mini-breaks to complete a set (for example, you might be able to do 20 reps of bodyweight squats, rest, and do the remaining 12 reps to complete 32 reps). If you get to the point where you can’t at least perform the reps from the prior set without a break (for example, if aiming for 32 reps, you need to do at least 16 reps without a rest), then that means you shouldn’t perform any additional sets.

Exercise 1: Bodyweight squat

Exercise 2: Bodyweight/inverted row

Exercise 3: Pushups

Exercise 4: Reverse lunges

You can rest as much as needed after each round, but you can also time the workouts to see how hard you can push the intensity while minimizing rest. Give it a try, and let us know your time.

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell