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
Monday motivation
Gut check
Workout of the week
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.
Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation
Imagine being me.
Every weekend, you get to hear people’s wins. Over and over.
Some weeks, I get to hear their struggles — and then I see thousands of people come out of the woodwork to remind them they’re not alone.
How could you ever be a pessimist?
I was pretty much set with my optimism, but our weekend schmooze in the Pump app would cure anyone on earth from pessimism.
Here are some examples.
And here’s the question for you. Is it worth hanging around on the worst parts of the internet that make you angry?
Or is it better to find people who want to succeed or struggle together?
I know I hate the negativity of the internet. That’s why I founded the positive corner. Join me.
Nutrition
Is Your Gut the Key to a Stronger Immune System?
Probiotics get all the attention for gut health, but the secret to a healthier microbiome can be found in what you eat.
A recent study suggests that the foods you eat are essential in supercharging your immune system and improving your gut health.
Scientists put participants on a 17-week diet that ignored probiotics and instead focused on fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, fermented cottage cheese, kimchi, fermented vegetables, and kombucha.
The gut-friendly diet led to many benefits, including more microbial diversity, less inflammation, more healthy bacteria, and more gut-friendly nutrients.
However, the biggest change was that the overall improvements to gut health resulted in a stronger immune system and more resilience against potential pathogens.
The scientists believe that developing a more diverse microbiome is linked to better immune adaptability, suggesting fermented foods may help prepare the immune system to respond to pathogens and environmental stressors more effectively.
To support your immune system, incorporate fiber-rich and fermented foods into your daily routine. Try adding foods like beans, lentils, oats, berries, and green vegetables for fiber, and enjoy yogurt, sauerkraut, or kombucha for fermented options. Start small by including at least one serving of each daily, and watch how these foods can help build a stronger defense system from the inside out.
Fitness
Workout of the Week
The Pump app isn’t just about positivity and community, it also provides access to the workout Arnold found most effective, whether starting from scratch or for those who are more advanced.
You’ll see workouts torn from the pages of Arnold’s training logs, and you might be surprised how much Arnold believes in the power of full-body workouts.
To give you a taste of how a full-body workout can pump up your upper and lower body and target your abs, we created a lightning-fast program that you can do in less than 20 minutes.
The workout is a 7-exercise circuit. You’ll do all seven exercises in a row, resting 30 to 60 seconds between each exercise. So you’ll do the first exercise, rest 30-60 seconds, then the second exercise, rest 30-60 seconds, and so forth. Once you complete the last exercise, rest for 2 to 3 minutes, and then return to the first exercise.
The Workout (If you want to see what it’s like to be trained by Arnold, don’t miss the bodyweight squat video.)
Press (pushups or dumbbell chest press): 3 sets x 15 reps
Row (inverted/bodyweight row or dumbbell row): 3 sets x 10 reps
Squat (bodyweight or dumbbell/goblet squat): 3 sets x 8-12 reps
Reverse lunge (bodyweight or with dumbbells): 3 sets x 6-10 reps/leg
Dumbbell curl: 3 × 8-12 reps
Dumbbell lying triceps extension: 3 × 6-10
Side plank: 3 sets x 30 seconds per side
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
