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Today’s Health Upgrade
Monday motivation
An anti-aging vitamin?
The fastest, free way to feel better
Workout of the week
Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation
Years ago, I brought an old friend of mine skiing in Schladming, in Austria.
It’s a fantastic mountain, and for those who are skiing fans, you know that it’s the site of one of the World Cup races.
Despite skiing being essentially Austria’s national sport, I didn’t grow up with it. I found my love for it later in life, and I took lessons and did my reps until I felt comfortable on any type of run or terrain.
I love the challenge of it.
My friend was a good skier like me, but he didn’t love a challenge as much as me.
I brought him to the run where they do the World Cup race every year.
As soon as we got off the chairlift, I immediately realized this was a major, major mistake.
This wasn’t the groomed run we’d seen when they raced down it. It was just as steep (the professionals go 90 miles per hour), but it was moguls (for those of you who don’t ski, giant bumps). All the way down.
I wasn’t happy about it, but my friend really freaked out.
He literally started crying.
So I put my arm around him and said, “I’m giving you the good news first. Tonight, you will be eating dinner down there at the lodge. I promise you. But the bad news is, we have to get down there. And it’s going to be really, really hard. I want you to forget about what it looks like and just focus on me. I will lead the way. Don’t look down, just look at me or my trail, and we will make it.”
I started out, and we took big turns traversing across the moguls, 4 or 5 at a time. I checked on him as we went. It was brutal. We had quite a few slowdowns along the way to try to figure out the best way forward. We stopped halfway, and I made him look at how far he had come, but he couldn’t relax yet.
What seemed like hours later, we made it to the bottom.
We hugged each other, and when I looked at him, he was crying again. His tears of fear had changed to tears of joy, of accomplishment.
He pointed to the crazy run, looking to the top of the mountain, and said, “I did that! I did it!”
He could not believe what he’d overcome: his fear, his inexperience. It was a new feeling for him. He saw that he was stronger and more capable than he believed just an hour earlier. That night at dinner, I told everyone the story of how he went down the mountain, and he felt like King Kong. He told the story for years.
That joy my friend felt is what I want for all of you. There is nothing better in the world than finding out you are more powerful than you think.
I know many of you read this newsletter because you want to get healthier and fitter. Some of you are at the very beginning of a journey that might feel very overwhelming. Like my friend, you might be looking down your own mountain and crying at the enormity of what is ahead.
I want to ask you to take a breath. Don’t look down. Focus on the next day. Then the next week.
You’re going to fall. You will miss workouts, you will eat cheat meals. That’s OK. Just get back up and focus on the next day.
The fear, the stops, the falls, none of that matters. All that matters is that you keep going.
I want you to have that moment my friend did, where you look back at what you’ve done, and you just can’t believe it.
But to get there, I need you to stop looking at the whole mountain.
You can do this. Start this week.
December Challenge
Your Chance To Keep Going
If you’ve ever needed a sign to bet on yourself, this is it.
Most people wait for the perfect moment to achieve a goal. But progress comes from the first turn, the next step, the choice to keep going even when it feels steep. That’s why we’re paying you 50% back of your annual membership when you complete The Foundation in The Pump Club app. Start today, finish within 6 months, and we’ll refund half the cost of your membership.
Because sometimes the smallest act of belief is all you need to discover what you’re truly capable of. You get a free 7-day trial, so the bet on yourself is truly risk-free.
Together With Momentous
Is This the First Vitamin That Actually Slows Cellular Aging?
Most anti-aging promises fall apart under real science. But every once in a while, a study comes along that makes you sit up a little straighter and pay attention to the smaller details that can make a meaningful difference.
A new analysis from the massive VITAL trial suggests one simple, inexpensive daily habit may actually slow down how fast your cells age.
Scientists found that taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily slowed telomere shortening by the equivalent of about 3 years of biological aging over 4 years.
Telomeres are like the plastic tips on your shoelaces. They protect your DNA from fraying every time your cells divide. But over time, those tips wear down. When they get too short, your cells stop working as well, stop repairing damage, or stop dividing altogether.
Researchers investigated whether Vitamin D3 or omega-3 supplements could protect the tiny “caps” (the plastic tips). They assigned more than 1,000 adults to one of four groups: vitamin D3 (2,000 IU/day), omega-3 fatty acids (1 g/day), both, or placebo. Researchers measured telomere length at baseline, year two, and year four.
Out of everything tested, Vitamin D3 stood out. Those taking it lost 140 fewer base pairs of telomere length compared to placebo, roughly the amount associated with three extra years of cellular youth. For comparison, Omega-3s had no effect.
The researchers believe the results could be explained by Vitamin D’s ability to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, two forces that accelerate telomere shortening. Keeping those in check might help your cells maintain their “protective caps” longer. Interestingly, the effect seemed strongest in adults who weren’t obese and weren’t on cholesterol medications, though more research is needed to confirm why.
While there were several limitations of the study, and we can’t overstate Vitamin D’s benefits on aging, it was the largest and longest randomized trial ever to test vitamin D’s effect on telomeres and the first to show meaningful preservation.
If your Vitamin D levels are low, it might be worth discussing with your doctor and supplementing with 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily, which is considered a safe, affordable dose that was effective in this study.
Momentous Vitamin D3 is the product we trust for ourselves and our community. Rather than just accepting the sub-part standards of the supplement industry, Momentous raises the bar and guarantees that all products are third-party tested to ensure what’s on the label is exactly what’s in the bottle. More importantly, their products are backed by science.
Momentous Vitamin D3 uses the same high-quality D3 in research, at the dose supported by the VITAL trial. And it’s trusted by the best, with more than 150 pro and collegiate teams relying on Momentous for purity and consistency.
If you want to support healthy Vitamin D levels — and potentially help your cells maintain their protective “caps” a little longer — APC readers get up to 35% OFF their first subscription (and 14% off any one-time purchase).
Start Your Week Right
The Simple Habit That Quiets Depression, Anxiety, and Loneliness
If December feels like a pressure cooker, you’re not alone. The stress, the expectations, the juggling; it’s easy to turn inward and think the solution is to “treat yourself” more.
But a new study suggests something surprisingly different: the fastest way to feel better might be doing something small for someone else.
Researchers assigned about 1,000 adults to one of three groups for two weeks: One group performed three small acts of kindness for others per week, another did three nice things for themselves, and the control group did nothing.
The group performing three small acts of kindness for others reduced depression, anxiety, and loneliness more than doing the same number of “self-care” acts for yourself.
The self-kindness group improved only in depression, with no real change in anxiety or loneliness. The control group saw no benefit.
The researchers believe prosocial acts work because they increase social connection, the feeling that you matter to someone else. Even tiny behaviors like texting a friend to check in, dropping off a snack, or helping someone with an errand were enough to shift mood meaningfully. Helping others pulls you out of your own head, interrupts rumination, and reminds you that you’re part of something bigger.
The pattern aligns with a mountain of other research showing that giving (even in small ways) strengthens emotional well-being. This week, choose three tiny, specific acts of kindness for someone else. Send a supportive text. Compliment a coworker. Pick up a coffee for a friend. Hold the door.
They might seem small, but your brain doesn’t care. It treats each one like a dose of connection, and connection is one of the most reliable mood lifters we have.
Fitness
Workout Of The Week
This week’s workout is as direct as it is effective. Three different workouts. One for push and hinge, one for pull and squat, and then a total body day. And each only requires dumbbells. The result: show up and push hard, and you’ll strengthen your entire body and every main movement pattern.
Day 1: Push & Hinge
Perform each exercise as a straight set. Do the first set, rest 2-3 minutes, and then repeat until all sets are done. Then, move to the next exercise.
Warmup
Goblet Squats: 1 set x 8 reps (light)
Pushups: 1 set x 10 reps
The Workout
Dumbbell Floor Press: 5 sets x 5 reps
Romanian Deadlift: 5 sets x 5 reps
Farmer’s Carry: 3 sets x 30 seconds
Day 2: Squat & Pull
Warmup
Walking Lunges: 1 set x 10 reps/leg
Inverted Row: 1 set x 10 reps
The Workout
Perform each exercise as a straight set. Do the first set, rest 2-3 minutes, and then repeat until all sets are done. Then, move to the next exercise.
Goblet Squat: 5 sets x 5 reps
Dumbbell Row: 5 sets x 5 reps (per arm)
Suitcase Carry: 3 sets x 30 seconds (per arm)
Day 3: Full Body
Warmup
Skier Swings: 1 set x 10 reps
Inchworms/bodyweight walkouts: 1 set x 10 reps
The Workout
Perform as a circuit. Do one set of the first exercise, followed by the next, and continuing through all four exercises, resting as little as possible between movements. Once you’re done (that’s one round), rest for three minutes, and then repeat. Complete a total of 3-4 rounds.
Dumbbell Push Press: 5 reps
Dumbbell Skier Swings: 10 reps
Dumbbell Reverse Lunges: 5 each leg
Overhead Dumbbell Walk (both dumbbells held straight overhead): 30 seconds
Give it a try, and start your week strong!
Better Today
Take any of these tips from today’s email and put them into action:
1. Arnold Says: "Stop Looking at the Whole Mountain"(How to Start When Your Goal Feels Overwhelming)
Arnold shares the mindset shift that will help you achieve the seemingly impossible: stop looking at the whole mountain and focus only on the next move. Whether you're starting a fitness journey or facing any overwhelming goal, the strategy is the same — one day, then one week, knowing that falls and setbacks don't matter as long as you keep going.
2. 2,000 IU of Vitamin D3 Daily Slowed Cellular Aging by 3 Years
In the most extensive randomized study of its kind, taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily preserved more telomere length over 4 years compared to placebo, the equivalent of less biological aging. Comparatively, Omega-3 supplements showed no effect on telomere protection.
3. Small Acts of Kindness Reduce Depression, Anxiety, and Loneliness (In As Little As 2 Weeks)
A study of roughly 1,000 adults found that performing just 3 small acts of kindness for others each week — texting a friend, helping with an errand, buying someone coffee —reduced depression, anxiety, and loneliness more than doing the same number of self-care acts. The self-kindness group only improved depression, with no change in anxiety or loneliness.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
