The Drink That Fights Diabetes

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

• Like your favorite spotter

• The drink that fights diabetes

• Workout of the week

Arnold’s Corner
Monday Motivation

I had a great trip to Austria for my annual fundraiser for my environmental work. It was just a few days and then back to the movie set today, but we raised over 1.5 million euros for the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative, so it was a fantastic win.

We also auctioned some art pieces to raise more money for fire relief, and I couldn’t help myself. I bought a piece by Mark Evans, who you have to look up, with another 125k donation to firefighters. 

You have to look up Mark because he carves his art onto leather. It will blow you away. Some artists can finish a piece in a few days. Mark takes months. It’s an unbelievable thing in our instant gratification world and I’m proud to have one of his pieces to hang at my house and to send more money to our firefighters. Last year, he did a portrait of me that someone bought at our After-School All-Stars auction.

I’m sure most of you saw, but we also have a shirt if you want to support the fire efforts. We are donating 100% of the profits to the LAFD Foundation, the California Fire Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity’s Rebuild LA program to help victims of the fires.

I don’t like when huge companies or rich people sell a shirt to donate money so they can say they’re doing good without putting their own skin in the game, so I already sent a million dollars.

So my money is out the door and some more is on the way after this week’s charity auction. Anything you add with your shirts will be the cherry on top.

If you want to support victims directly, which some of you asked about, you can donate directly to Habitat’s ReBuild LA fund here.

This week has been the week of tough love over at the Pump app.

When I talked to Adam and Daniel in New York for our surprise meet-up for the app members, I started to think that maybe we’ve made the idea of eating well look too easy.

Because you can bet I had schnitzel and kaiserschmarrn the past few days. But telling you that when you still need to make a big change in your habits might make it seem too easy.

I’ve met so many people who struggle, so I know that major change is anything but easy. Just recently, on the movie set, someone told me they could not get their budl to go away no matter how well they ate.

They told me they ate almost completely vegetables and protein, and nothing worked.

I spied a little bit for the next week. I caught him at crafty with a bag of chips — he said they were baked. Then, at lunch, I looked at the plate. He wasn’t lying. It was protein and vegetables. But I am not sure I have ever seen someone use the plate so well. There might have been half of a cow on that plate, stretching past the edge and doubled up in a pile.

My advice when I see these things is pretty simple.

Is it working? If yes, then, by all means, keep going.

If not, then why are you still doing it?

Cut the portions down, turn the dial back, and don’t tell me nothing works when you’re sneaking chips.

I have found that even the smartest, hardest working people suddenly become just like the politicians in Washington when it comes to their diet. They keep doing the same crap over and over despite garbage results.

At some point, you have to change. And I don’t want to sugarcoat it for you. That change is hard as hell.

I know I’m lucky that I had this vision of being a bodybuilder when I was 15 because I built my habits early, and they have served me all of my life.

That’s why I can get away with the schnitzel and the treats. Because 90% of the time, I’m a machine. I have small portions of real food. A snack for me is a snack — it isn’t a whole meal pretending to be a snack.

But I know a lot of people aren’t that lucky. The habits you’ve developed don’t help you. They hurt.

Breaking habits you have built for years is hard as hell. I don’t want you to assume you can be as carefree about what you eat as me, or even Daniel and Adam, if you have to break 10, 20, or 40 years of bad habits.

I have more than 60 years of good habits. The boys have two decades.

I recently showed the village (the app members) how I “cheat” in my day of eating. It’s just one big slice of pizza. When I eat Schnitzel, I eat half of it.

I might ask the boys to do the same because I have a feeling some of you might say, “Shit, their cheating is my healthy day.”

I need you to understand that it will not be easy if you want to lose that 10, 20, or 100 pounds you gained. It will suck. It will feel unnatural.

It won’t be fast. I can’t promise that your habits will improve in a month or even two months. It might be shitty for a few months before it becomes automatic.

What I can promise you is that once you get through the shit, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

It does get easy once those habits become etched in stone and routine. You don’t have to think about it to maintain. When you see the budl growing, you know how to downshift and turn the dial down to get it under control.

It becomes easy, but only if you’re willing to go through the hard part.

I can’t tell you how long that will last because it has been so long since I built my habits.

I can just tell you that if you can keep pushing through it, eventually, it becomes part of who you are and doesn’t take the same effort.

It is no different than resistance training. If you haven’t trained in 20 years, the first bodyweight squat is hard as hell. But if you keep doing them, one day, they’ll be easy, and you’ll ask me how to make them harder.

If you haven’t learned good eating habits, it will be hard as hell.

All I can tell you is that it will always be hard if you keep giving up and not making a change when you aren’t moving toward your goals.

If you’re willing to keep going through the hard times, that’s the only way it will eventually become easier.

Together With Vanta 
Like Your Favorite Spotter

Getting physically fit and running a healthy business have more in common than you might think. Doing either requires focus, drive, stamina — and the willingness to push past discomfort to achieve your goals.

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Many founders at Arnold’s Pump Club rely on us to help support their health. We also want to provide the tools to support your business. 

When you're focused on building a company, you don't have months to spend on audit prep. 

If you want an accountability partner for your business, Meet Vanta. Their startups program is built especially for founders—by automating up to 90% of the work needed for SOC 2, ISO 27001, and more. Like a great training partner, Vanta gets you compliant fast—opening doors to next-level growth opportunities.

Vanta also connects you with trusted experts to build your program, auditors to get you through audits fast, and a marketplace for essentials like pen testing.

And just like your favorite spotter at the gym, Vanta's here to support the heavy lifting—so you can keep your eye on that IPO.

Because we love supporting entrepreneurs and giving great deals to the village, you can get $1,000 OFF for being a member of the positive corner of the internet. Sign up yourself or tell your boss that the Pump Club is here to improve the health of your business. 

Health
The Drink That Fights Diabetes

The world’s most popular beverage might do more than energize your mornings. 

New research suggests that your coffee habit might help protect against type-2 diabetes. 

Scientists examined three population cohorts totaling nearly 300,000 people and assessed their health outcomes over 34 years. 

Each cup of coffee—particularly without added sugar or high-calorie creamers—was associated with a 10 percent reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

And this isn’t the first time researchers have noticed the connection. A prior review of eight clinical trials noticed that people who drink 2 to 4 cups per day have a 25 percent lower risk of disease than those who drink less or no coffee at all. 

One study even found that when coffee drinkers decreased daily consumption, their likelihood of diabetes increased by 17 percent. 

Coffee appears to improve insulin sensitivity and lower glucose levels, both of which can help protect against diabetes. Coffee also includes chlorogenic acid, which can help reduce inflammation and protect your cells and DNA. As an added benefit, a cup of coffee has 2 grams of fiber, supporting better blood sugar management. 

If you don’t love caffeine, there’s good news for you, too. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee offer benefits, suggesting that compounds like polyphenols and antioxidants—not just caffeine—play a key role.

As you might expect, the magic of coffee appears to be undone by loading up your beverage with sugar or creamers. 

If you’re a frequent coffee drinker, the research suggests you can enjoy more than one cup, with the benefits extending to about four or five cups per day. Of course, you must consider the benefits against other potential adverse side effects of coffee, such as jitters, anxiety, or headaches. 

Fitness
Workout of the Week

Some people underestimate the effectiveness of bodyweight workouts. But here’s hoping this program changes your mind. 

This bodyweight workout includes three blocks, each combining two or three exercises you’ll complete with little rest while alternating between movements that challenge different body parts. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have targeted every muscle for an incredible full-body blast.

Block 1: 6 minutes

Set a timer for 6 minutes. Perform the first exercise, then the second. Rest only as needed, and continue alternating between the exercises until the time is up. 

• Alternating lunges: 8-12 reps per leg

• Pushups:10-20 reps

Rest 3 minutes

Block 2: 8 minutes

Set a timer for 8 minutes. Perform the first exercise, then the second, and finally the third. Rest only as needed, and continue alternating between the exercises until the time is up. 

• Squats: 10-12 reps

• Superman W: 10-20 reps

• Hip raise: 10-15 reps

Rest 3 minutes

Block 3: 8 minutes

Set a timer for 8 minutes. Perform the first exercise, then the second, and finally the third. Rest only as needed, and continue alternating between the exercises until the time is up. 

• Hamstring walkout: 8-10 reps

• Bodyweight triceps extension: 8-12 reps

• Lateral lunge: 8-10 reps/side

Give it a try, and start your week strong!

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell