The Relationship Between Balance And Lifespan

A 10-second balance test might help determine how likely you are to have a longer life.

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

  • A new reason to cut carbs at night?

  • Study of the week

  • The 1-leg test (and more)

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Number You Won’t Forget: $500 Billion 

What’s the cost of a gym membership? No matter what they charge, it’s a lot less than what you’ll pay down the road for skipping workouts.

Research estimates that if current trends continue, the global cost of inactivity will surpass $500 billion by 2030.

It’s nice to look good but even more important to be healthy. Even if you can’t afford the gym, make sure you schedule time to move each day. It could be the one decision that prolongs your life more than anything else. If you need help with motivation, support, and workouts that tell you exactly what to do (without all the thinking), check out The Pump.

Nutrition
On Our Radar: The Performance Benefits Of Cutting Carbs At Night

Carbs do not make you fat. But can the timing of your carbs provide an extra benefit?

A new study suggests limiting your evening carbs could improve your VO2 max and increase power. 

What makes the study so interesting is that the participants did not reduce the total carbs they ate daily. And they weren’t going low-carb, either. One group had 290 grams of carbs, and the other had 270 grams of carbs. But the group that ate 270 grams of carbs stopped eating carbs after 4 pm and just focused on protein and fat. 

Before we jump to conclusions, there are a few things to remember. The participants were not consistently following an exercise program or diet, so they were more likely to respond well. And the study was very short (just a week). 

And remember, prior research has found that cutting out carbs at night is unnecessary for weight loss. 

The study suggests that if you’re looking for a slight edge in performance, eating more carbs earlier in the day and fewer carbs later could offer an advantage. But if the stress of cutting carbs at night (or the impractical nature of it limiting what you might eat with friends and family) is significant, the boost in performance and fat-burning is not worth overcomplicating your diet. 

Health
Study of the Week: What’s Old Is Still Effective

Want to help protect yourself against cancer? Sticking to the basics might be your best bet. 

New research analyzing more than 730,000 participants found that people who ate more broccoli had a 36% lower risk of getting any cancer than those who didn’t eat much of the green vegetable.

We love bringing you cutting-edge breakthroughs, but — the truth is — some of the most boring tips are the most effective. So, instead of looking for what’s new and next, it helps to double down on what repeatedly appears to offer health benefits. 

Observational studies have many limitations. They don’t show cause and effect, and—more importantly—you can’t completely control whether or not you get cancer; however, you can stack healthy behaviors that are highly likely to provide your body with benefits and a low likelihood of causing any risks.

Weekend Boosts
The 1-Leg Test, $150 in Savings, and Stress Reduction

💪Improve Your Balance, Live Longer
Mark this up to research that is both strange — and true. Scientists found that people who can’t balance on one leg for 10 seconds are 84 percent more likely to die a premature death. 

The data applied to people between 50 and 75, but that’s just another reason to start working on your balance now. 

If you want good balance, you need great strength. Building single-leg strength with movements like lunges, step-ups, single-leg squats, and deadlifts is a great way to ensure you can pass any balance test. 

What made it interesting was the researchers controlled for variables typically associated with shorter longevity, such as age, body weight, and diseases. That means the relationship between strength, balance, and lifespan is more than just a coincidence. 

💪 List We’re Checking Out: The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century 

💪 Mindset: Change Your Lens 
If you haven’t checked out The Daily Stoic newsletter, it offers a glimpse into how shifting your perspective can vastly improve your day-to-day life. 

The other day, the email shared something that might help you during times that feel overly stressful and yet beyond your control. 

If you read the news, it feels like the world is falling apart. Political incompetence. Political corruption. Political violence. Rising crime. Depressing economic news. The future looks dark. People seem awful. Nothing seems calm. Everything seems high stakes.

And worse, it’s happening near you. Are you in danger? Should you be scared? Is there really nothing you can do about it?

How we look at things matters. And sometimes by noticing how we might look at something while we’re on vacation or through the lens of foreign language or culture or a history book, can give us a better insight into how we might better look at things back home or right now. Zoom out. Take a sideways glance. Get the outside of the issue, the problem, the day’s events. Seek perspective.

With a different view on things, you may not feel like the world is falling apart. Instead, you may see things are pretty similar to how they’ve always been.

As Arnold says, focus on what you control. Let go of the rest. Be Useful. And you might be surprised how much less you feel stress, and how much more positive you feel about yourself, your surroundings, and the future. 

💪Something to Watch: Losing Weight Without Giving Up Your Favorite Foods.

💪Pump Perks: Take the Plunge and recover like an elite athlete. Save $150 with the code Pump150.

And that’s it for this week. Thank you for being a part of the positive corner of the internet. We hope you have a fantastic weekend!

-Arnold, Adam, and Daniel

Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell


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