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Today’s Health Upgrade
How to protect your eyes from screen time
What’s really in your pre-workout?
The hidden link between physical and mental health
Arnold’s Podcast
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On Our Radar
The Nutrients That Protect Your Eyes From Screen Time
Looking at screens all day can leave your eyes tired, your vision blurry, and your sleep disrupted. And with most people logging more hours of screen time daily, the effects can quietly build up—until they start messing with your focus, mood, and overall well-being.
If your job prevents you from cutting back on necessary screen time, new research suggests there might be a simple way to fight back.
The combination of lutein and zeaxanthin can improve eye strain and vision that results from too much time looking at screens.
In a new randomized controlled trial, researchers examined whether supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin could improve eye health in adults who used screens for more than 6 hours every day. All of the participants displayed symptoms suggesting their eyes were being negatively affected by their screen use.
After 6 months, participants taking lutein and zeaxanthin experienced improvements in several markers of eye health, including ability to see things clearly at a distance.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are yellow-orange colored compounds found in food that, by all appearances, our eyes absolutely love. When you ingest these molecules, your body sends them to the eyes, where they accumulate in the retina, an area in the back of the eye involved in visual function.
This study adds to a large body of evidence suggesting that lutein and zeaxanthin are uniquely beneficial for maintaining eye health.
If you want to add more lutein and zeaxanthin to your diet, they can be found in many green, yellow, and orange foods, including kale, peas, broccoli, spinach, pistachios, carrots, squash, and egg yolks. Or you can go the supplemental route and combine 10 mg of lutein with 2 mg zeaxanthin, which is the dose used in the study.
To protect your eyes in general from too much screen time, eye doctors recommend the 20-20-20 rule: take 20 second breaks every 20 minutes and look 20 feet away. This helps reduce strain and improve hydration to keep your eyes healthy.
Together With Momentous
What’s Really In Your Pre-Workout?
You might be taking supplements to improve performance, but researchers found something very disturbing when they started testing the products you trust. Unfortunately, what’s on the label doesn’t match what’s in the bottle — and it happens more frequently than you’d believe.
Scientists found that 89 percent of sports supplements claiming to contain performance-boosting botanicals either didn’t list the specific ingredient or contained it in unlisted forms or amounts.
In this study, researchers tested 57 sports supplements marketed for performance enhancement. These products claimed to contain botanical ingredients believed to increase strength, endurance, or fat loss.
While you can argue whether the ingredients tested actually work (most have sparse research to back up the claims), that’s not what was most concerning. This wasn’t an argument about efficacy — it was a blatant abuse of label accuracy.
Only 6 of the 57 products (11%) accurately listed the ingredient on the label.
40% of products contained a different botanical ingredient than what was listed.
12% included banned or unapproved drugs that are not allowed in dietary supplements.
Dietary supplements are not regulated with the same scrutiny as pharmaceuticals. Manufacturers aren’t required to prove safety or effectiveness before selling a product, and oversight of ingredient quality is often inconsistent or absent.
So whether you’re buying online or in retail, at best, you might not be using the active ingredients you’re purchasing and — at worst — you could be using something illegal or dangerous.
And it’s not just botanicals. Research has shown that everything from creatine to multivitamins and protein powders have inaccurate labels.
If you use supplements, stick with companies — like Momentous — that prioritize transparency, third-party testing, and certification. Look for NSF Certified for Sport or Informed-Sport logos, which indicate products have been independently tested for banned substances and ingredient accuracy.
While everyone has to work within their budget, the reality is that the majority of the cheapest supplements are priced so affordably because they don’t invest in certification, which can cost into six figures (or more).
If you choose to use supplements, we highly recommend Momentous because they put your interests first by ensuring:
Every product is third-party tested to guarantee no banned substances or dangerous toxins and metals.
Every label is verified to be accurate.
No proprietary blends or hidden ingredients.
Even product is evidence-based, and they only use the highest-quality ingredients.
If you want to experience the Momentous standard, all APC readers receive 35 percent OFF your first subscription (or 14 percent off any first purchase).
You don’t need to swear off all supplements—but you do need to be more selective. Don’t put something in your body if supplement company isn’t willing to pay to ensure that the label fully matches the ingredients.
Fitness
The Hidden Link Between Physical and Mental Health
Does overcoming physical challenges in the gym help you conquer challenges outside of it?
New research suggests exercise strengthens mental health and emotional well-being by boosting resilience
Researchers conducted a powerful statistical method that combines data from multiple studies to uncover underlying connections between exercise and mental health.
The findings were clear: physical activity was strongly linked to increased resilience, and resilience, in turn, was associated with lower levels of anxiety, depression, and overall psychological distress.
People who regularly engage in physical activity may develop stronger coping mechanisms for stress and adversity. This might be because exercise helps regulate stress hormones, improves self-efficacy, and fosters a sense of accomplishment—all of which contribute to greater mental toughness.
If you want to boost your mental health, remember that consistency is key. Even moderate amounts of exercise can build resilience over time.
And don’t forget that exercise doesn’t have to be complicated, but it shouldn’t always feel easy. You must challenge yourself. Activities that push you out of your comfort zone can help you develop mental toughness.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
