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
Number you won’t forget
Weekly wisdom
Is your metabolism broken?
Arnold’s Podcast
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Longevity
Number You Won’t Forget: Two
That’s the number of workouts per week it took to protect the brain from shrinking.
Nearly 1 in 5 older adults will experience at least mild cognitive impairment, so scientists are continuously searching for ways to protect their brains.
Researchers found that after 24 weeks, training twice per week protected the brain’s memory centers—and even improved recall—in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Those who didn’t lift weights lost gray matter in the hippocampus and precuneus, two brain regions essential for memory, learning, and self-awareness. The resistance training group showed no loss in those regions and improved their memory.
And it didn’t stop there. The group lifting weights also showed better white matter, stronger brain connections, and less nerve fiber damage.
The researchers believe resistance training supports brain health by boosting blood flow, enhancing neural plasticity, and fighting inflammation, all of which can slow or prevent the progression of cognitive decline.
Mindset
Weekly Wisdom
Turn Wisdom Into Action
You don’t build confidence by shouting affirmations in the mirror—you make it by keeping promises to yourself. And every time you keep a promise to yourself, you build something no one can take away.
Small acts of discipline, from finishing a workout to choosing a healthy meal, become the bricks in the foundation of self-respect. Don’t chase motivation. Chase consistency. That’s how you earn the version of yourself you admire.
Better Questions, Better Solutions
Your Metabolism Isn’t Broken (But Here’s What You Can Fix)
Old Question: How do I fix my metabolism?
Better Question: What can help me become more aware of what’s really holding me back?
Feeling like your body is working against you is one of the most common experiences. But most people aren’t dealing with a broken metabolism—they’re struggling with broken feedback loops.
Research shows we consistently underestimate how much we eat and overestimate how much we move. Without awareness, it feels like you're doing everything right…and getting nowhere. With awareness, you start making decisions that actually move the needle.
We often think metabolism slows in your 30s and tanks in your 40s. But the real story? Your energy burn follows a pattern, and understanding it could change how you fuel and train at every age.
Your metabolism doesn’t steadily slow down with age—it follows four distinct stages and stays surprisingly stable for decades.
In a landmark study, researchers analyzed the daily energy expenditure of more than individuals ranging from 8 days old to 95 years old. They used the gold-standard doubly labeled water method to track how many calories people burn each day under real-world conditions. And what they found rewrites much of what we assume about metabolism across the human lifespan.
Surprisingly, total daily energy expenditure (your metabolism) remains remarkably stable from age 20 to 60, even during significant life stages like pregnancy. Only after age 60 does metabolism begin to decline, with a gradual drop in daily energy needs. The study attributes this to decreases in fat-free mass (muscle and organ tissue) and cellular activity.
If you’re in your 30s, 40s, or 50s and blaming weight gain on a slowing metabolism, it might be time to look elsewhere, like sleep, stress, movement, or food choices. Because your calorie-burning engine is likely running just fine.
A review found that people underreport their calorie intake by as much as 30 to 50 percent, often without realizing it. Add in a sedentary lifestyle, poor sleep, and stress, and it feels like your metabolism is broken, even when it’s not.
When you pay attention to your habits—especially around food, movement, and recovery—you start seeing the real levers of change. Your body isn’t the enemy. It’s just reacting to the inputs you may not fully see yet.
So, if you’re stuck or feeling broken, try this experiment: for one week, track everything you eat without judgment. Wear a step tracker or log your movement. Notice your sleep, hunger, energy, and mood.
You’re not doing this to be perfect. You’re doing it to be honest with yourself. Because awareness is the first domino. And once it falls, real progress begins.
And that’s it for this week. Thank you for being a part of the positive corner of the internet, and we hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
-Arnold, Adam, and Daniel
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
