The Easiest Way To Help Prevent Heart Disease

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• Number you won’t forget

• Your dog deserves the best

• Weekly wisdom

• The easiest way to protect your heart

Longevity
Number You Won’t Forget: 39 Percent

We talk a lot about fitness, nutrition, stress, and sleep, but ignoring one other aspect of health might cause more harm than you think. 

Research on more than 450,000 people found that a lack of social connection is associated with a 39 percent increase in risk of death from all causes. 

The participants were tracked for 12 years, during which their social behaviors and health outcomes were assessed. The study looked at three key factors:

1. Social isolation: Limited contact with friends, family, or groups.

2. Loneliness: How participants felt about the quality of their social interactions.

3. Living alone: Whether participants resided by themselves.

Loneliness increased mortality risk by 14 percent, independent of actual isolation, which means even if someone had frequent contact with others, feelings of loneliness still mattered. And other studies have found that loneliness and a lack of connection are linked to a 30 percent increase in cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The findings held true even after adjusting for variables like age, physical health, socioeconomic status, and mental health. This suggests that social connection itself is a critical driver of health outcomes.

Social relationships positively influence your health in many ways. Studies suggest that connection can help lower stress and support a healthier immune system. People with strong social networks are also more likely to exercise, eat well, and avoid risky behaviors. And social connections provide emotional and practical support during challenging times. 

Even if you’re more introverted, connection isn’t just about the number of relationships you have. Acts of kindness—like helping a neighbor or volunteering—can create stronger bonds and make you feel more connected.

Together With Sundays For Dogs 
Your Dog Deserves the Best

Arnold’s love for animals is no secret. From dogs to horses and even a pig named Schnelly Schwarzenegger, his home is full of beloved companions. 

And just like with his own diet, Arnold believes animals deserve the best food to fuel their health—though he’s been known to sneak his pets an oatmeal cookie or two.

That’s why The Pump Club has been on a mission to find the ultimate dog food for animal lovers. After all, your pup deserves food as good as yours. 

Sundays for Dogs offers the perfect combination of health and convenience.

Other dog foods force you to choose. Cheap kibble? Easy, but it’s full of fillers and lacks nutrients. Fresh meals? Nutritious, but it means freezing, thawing, and cooking. Sundays does it all, with air-dried, human-grade ingredients that are shelf-stable and ready to pour.

• Superior Nutrition: Sundays beats traditional kibble 39-0 in a third-party taste test, featuring recipes with short lists of meats, fruits, and veggies you’d recognize.

• Easy to Serve: No fridge, no prep, no cleanup. Just scoop it into a bowl and watch your dog devour it.

• Better Ingredients: Air-dried low and slow in the USA, Sundays retains maximum nutrition while delivering jerky-style pieces your dog will love.

Sundays is all about raising the bar for your best friend’s diet. This isn’t just dog food—it’s human-grade nutrition made simple.

Try the Sundays Challenge: Let your dog decide. Put Sundays next to your current food, and see which one wins. Use code PUMPCLUB to get 40% off your first order and discover the food your dog deserves.

Weekly Wisdom

Health
The Easiest Way To Protect Your Heart

Most advice for improving heart health requires a lot of effort — run more, eat better, and lift heavier weights. But what if one of the best things you could do for your heart was as simple as standing up? 

Research suggests that taking small breaks from sitting could significantly improve your cardiovascular health — making it easier than ever to protect your heart and improve your overall well-being.

Scientists examined how your heart is affected by long periods. Across the board, sitting for 2 hours caused reduced blood flow in the legs, increased systolic blood pressure, and decreased HRV—all indicators of increased cardiovascular stress.

Prolonged sitting causes blood to pool in the legs and reduces your body’s ability to regulate blood pressure and heart rate. Over time, this can contribute to chronic conditions like high blood pressure, poor circulation, and an increased risk of heart disease. While being fit and active helps reduce these effects, it doesn’t completely eliminate the risks of uninterrupted sitting.

But here’s some good news: Standing up and moving around — as little as 15 steps — can help offset the effects of your long days sitting. 

The effect is so powerful that research has found that 3 minutes of moving can offset an entire day of sitting. And the more intense the movement — such as running up a flight of stairs — the more your heart benefits. 

Consider this another reminder that you don’t need to overhaul your life to make a difference. Small, consistent habits can protect your heart and improve your overall health. If you have trouble moving during work, set a timer every 1.5 to 2 hours to remind you to get up and move. Just a few steps or a few minutes make a difference. 

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

-Arnold, Adam, and Daniel

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell