The Sleep Diet

If you want help sleep deeper and recover better, the foods you eat could help you get more high-quality, restorative rest.

Welcome to the positive corner of the internet. Here’s a daily digest 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

  • Look good, feel good

  • The eat-sleep relationship

  • Makeup flex

  • Get up, stand up

Arnold’s Podcast

Motivation every day. Want Arnold to help you start your day? Each morning, we post a new podcast with tips you’ll find in the daily email and bonus stories, wisdom, and motivation from Arnold. Listen to Arnold's Pump Club podcast. It's like the daily newsletter but with additional narration and thoughts from Arnold. You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Look Good, Feel Good

I love rewarding people in the village. And that’s why I’m excited to share three new shirts.

The first is the official Arnold’s Pump Club shirt. I’d love to see members of the village wearing this and inspiring others to join our mission to lift up the world and create the positive corner of the internet.

The second shirt is a classic I had to recreate. In the 1970s, I used to sell these shirts with my mail-order business.

And, finally, in honor of my new book, I have a new Be Useful shirt. This one is special because the handwriting on the shirt is mine.

We’re doing a limited run of these shirts. Check them all out, and I hope you love them all as much as I do.

Three new limited edition shirts.

The Eat-Sleep Relationship

If you’ve cut back on technology and still struggle with getting a good night's rest, it might be time to check your diet.

Research suggests that eating more fiber and less saturated fat can improve the quality of your sleep.

In fact, for every 10 grams of fiber you eat, researchers noticed that you have four fewer sleep disruptions per hour of sleep.

Additionally, the study found that higher saturated fat consumption is linked to less slow-wave sleep. Slow-wave sleep is the deep sleep that helps your body recharge and recover. Scientists also found that people who eat more sugar and simple carbs — like bagels or white bread — woke up more at night and had less restorative sleep.

This doesn’t mean you need to avoid these foods completely. Remember — perfectionist diets tend to fail — so the goal is not to restrict everything you enjoy. But, if you’re struggling to get a good night's rest, slightly adjusting the type of carbs (more fiber, less sugar) you eat could help you fall asleep easier and stay asleep for better recovery.

The Benefits of Makeup Flex

When life throws so many curveballs that you strike out on your workout routine, all hope is not lost.

A new study suggests you can make up for missed workouts with longer training sessions on the weekend.

The scientists found that being physically active one to two days per week can be just as beneficial for cardiovascular health as spreading the same amount of physical activity evenly throughout the week.

The study found that physically active people had a lower risk of heart attack, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and stroke. But, these benefits were the same for weekend warriors and people who spread their activity out more evenly — as long as the weekend warriors achieved at least 150 minutes of total exercise.

The benefits of exercise don’t just come from the activity itself. Your body benefits when it rests and recovers, which is one possible reason the longer weekend sessions resulted in similar benefits.

While something is much better than nothing, this approach might not be ideal for all goals. If you want to build muscle gain or maximize fat loss, you’ll likely need more consistent effort with your training routine. But if you occasionally have a rough week, don’t panic. Train harder over the weekend and then get back on track.

Get Up, Stand Up

Sitting for long periods has been linked to various health problems, but a new study highlights an especially troubling consequence.

Individuals who sit for too long each day might have a significantly greater likelihood of developing dementia.

Scientists reviewed data from nearly 50,000 people to determine the risks associated with too much sitting. People who sat for more than 10 hours per day were nearly 10 percent more likely to develop dementia. And that risk skyrocketed when sitting for 12 or 15 hours per day.

We’ve discussed the importance of getting up every few hours to move. That advice is still good and has protective benefits, but keeping track of how much you sit might be helpful. The researchers found that even if you exercise or move around during the day, you might be at greater risk if your total sitting time (not including sleep) exceeds 10 hours. It’s the total amount of sedentary time that potentially causes trouble.

We realize many of you have desk jobs requiring you to sit. But, if possible, it might be in your best interest to spend parts of your day standing, whether taking walking calls or using a standup desk.

Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell


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