Scientists Found The Key To Living 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

• Monday motivation

• Scientists found the key to a longer life

• Workout of the week

Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation

This week, I want to talk about mental health.

Most of us absolutely love this time of year. I know I do.

But I also know that for many people, it isn’t all celebrations and joy. For some of you, I know the holidays might be painful.

Maybe you’ve lost someone. Maybe you’re going through hard times. Maybe you are dealing with family drama. Maybe it brings back childhood memories that aren’t the best — or it brings back fantastic memories and makes you miss that time. Maybe you’re stressed with all of the events and plans.

Whatever it is, the first thing I want you to do is avoid beating yourself up or thinking something is wrong with you.

Psychologists have studied holiday depression for years. It’s very real.

And I want you to know you aren’t alone. I see you, and I know from the emails that I get and the comments I see in the app that other people are feeling the same feelings.

I also want you to know that there is always hope. It might be hard to find, and you might not even want to find it right now, but I promise you, it is out there.

I am not a therapist. If you’re feeling down, you should absolutely talk to one. That isn’t weakness — that is strength.

I do know a thing or two about having a positive mindset, though, and I have heard from thousands of people who have found the light in their own darkness.

Today, I want to challenge those of you who are struggling (and, to be honest, all of you who are thriving, too).

I want you to try two things this week. You might think I’m crazy, but if you’ve read this newsletter for a while, you’ll know that the science backs me up.

The first challenge is that I want you to move your body. That can be a workout (I told my team to keep the free month of The Pump app available until the holidays are over for this reason). That can be a walk outside. That can be just getting up from the couch and doing 10 squats or 10 pushups and sitting back down.

We have shared studies that show exercise is as effective as medication in treating depression and anxiety in some people.

But I see it with my own eyes every day. If you open the weekend schmooze in the Pump app on any Saturday or Sunday, you’re going to find five people who say that since they started training, they have a more positive mindset.

I know on the days when I wake up and feel like crap, like the world is black and white instead of color, my bike ride and my workout almost always snaps me out of it.

Of course, it doesn’t always work. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a try. I know when you feel like that, the last thing you want to do is move. I get it. Just try it for me —and for you.

The second challenge is that I want you to do something for someone else.

Donate toys or books. Volunteer to serve food at a homeless shelter. Leave an extra tip at a coffee shop. Just do something to make someone else’s day:

I can already hear it. “Arnold, I can’t take care of myself right now. I can’t even make myself take a shower. How can I take care of someone else?”

Trust me. I could share study after study about how helping someone else improves people’s moods more than getting a gift themselves, but I know this from personal experience.

The days I’m the happiest are those that aren’t about me. 

When I bring pizzas to our veterans, or feed breakfast to firefighters battling our wildfires here in California, or hand out turkeys or toys at the Hollenbeck Center in East LA, or train with Special Olympics athletes.

Those days are my little piece of heaven.

I have a theory about why exercise and giving back help people feel better about themselves.

Both are wins, it is true. But both also show you that you have more power than you think.

It is empowering to know that you got your body moving. It takes you out of your brain and tells your body that you are in charge.

It is empowering to know that you can help someone else.

And when you feel empowered, you’ve planted a little seed of hope somewhere in your mind. Like a garden, you have to keep watering it — with more movement, with more good deeds, with more of your amazing power.

I want you to know that I am thinking of everyone in our village during this holiday season, and that includes you. I am so grateful for all of you.

You are not alone. We’ve got almost a million people who are reading this right now.

Together, we can lift up the world.

Longevity
Want To Live Longer? Prioritize This One Thing

At the risk of sounding like clickbait, a new study provides a strong recommendation to anyone looking to maximize their longevity.  

If you want to live longer, forget fancy hacks and focus on moving more. 

That was the outcome of a fascinating study that analyzed 15 longevity markers and how well they predict lifespan. The scientists analyzed 3,600 people between 50 and 80, took baseline measurements, and then tracked their life and death to identify the best way to measure lifespan.

The scientists looked at every major indicator of death, including weight, age, ethnicity, alcohol, smoking, and disease.

While you might assume that diseases like cancer or heart disease are a way to determine longevity — or even older age — how much you move is the best determinant of how many more years you might live. 

While you might be wondering, “How much do I need to move to live longer?” the study had restrictions that didn’t allow us to draw that conclusion. But we know that more movement results in a higher likelihood of a longer life.

We often hear about the benefits of exercise, but this study puts it into perspective: movement is non-negotiable for a long, healthy life. It’s not just about hitting the gym or running marathons—it’s about consistently incorporating movement into your day, including low-intensity exercise such as walking.

If you need an initial goal, research suggests a minimum of 150 minutes of movement and 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week can support a longer life.

Fitness
Workout Of The Week

Here’s another workout you can do in 15 minutes. It is a beautiful mix of a muscle-building pump, full body strength, and cardio. This workout requires minimal equipment so that anyone can try this with a pair of dumbbells or a rucksack. (Remember, all members of the Pump Club get 20% OFF their GORUCK purchases with the code use “PUMP20GORUCK.”)

The Workout: Perform 1 set of each exercise for 30 seconds. Once you complete each set, catch your breath, and repeat again. Complete as many rounds as you can in 15 minutes.

Exercise 1: Bodyweight or dumbbell squat. 

Exercise 2: Bodyweight or weighted pushup

Exercise 3: Overhead farmer’s walk (hold dumbbells or ruck overhead and walk slowly and in control)

Exercise 4: Alternating lunges (holding dumbbells or wearing the ruck)

Exercise 5: Dumbbell or ruck overhead press

Note: If you don’t have any dumbbells or rucksack, load up a backpack with a few books. 

Give it a try, and let us know how it goes!

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell