Every weekday, we help you make sense of the complex world of wellness by analyzing the headlines, simplifying the latest research, and providing quick tips designed to help you stay healthier in under 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
The simple fix that could prolong your life
Weekly wisdom
The comparison trap
Fitness
Number You Won’t Forget: 11,000
Does intense training burn out your heart or make it stronger for the long haul?
New research offers a wiser way to think about your heart: training helps your heart work with greater ease, efficiency, and less strain over time, which might help you live longer.
Researchers gave athletes and non-athletes 24-hour heart monitors to see how many beats each group “spent” in a day. Even though the athletes trained hard and had temporary spikes during workouts, their resting heart rates were so much lower that they ended up with roughly 11,500 fewer beats per day, which was about 11 percent less than those who were less fit.
Exercise doesn’t “use up” your heartbeats; it helps your heart save thousands of them every single day. A review of 191 studies found that regular exercise consistently lowers resting heart rate by 5% to 9%, with the biggest improvements coming from endurance training and yoga.
A lower resting heart rate reflects a heart that pumps more blood with less effort, a marker strongly tied to longevity. Large population studies show that every 10-beat drop is linked to about a 9% lower risk of early death.
That’s because exercise strengthens the heart muscle and reduces the wear and tear that comes from chronic, elevated heart rate.
Most people see changes within three months of training three times per week, and the effect is strongest if your resting heart rate is on the higher side when you start.
Together With Momentous
The Simple Fix That Could Prolong Your Life
If you’re looking for one change that impacts everything from heart disease to cancer prevention, the answer might be hiding in food you often avoid.
Scientists found that eating more fiber is consistently linked to a lower risk of death and disease, including heart disease, pancreatic cancer, and diverticular disease.
In one of the largest reviews of its kind, researchers analyzed 33 meta-analyses covering 38 health outcomes and more than 17 million people. The goal was to assess whether higher dietary fiber intake actually reduces disease risk, or if past claims were overstated. To ensure quality, they only included data that met high credibility standards.
The scientists found a clear, significant link between higher fiber intake and lower disease risk. There was also evidence for lower rates of all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease, and ovarian cancer.
Fiber helps regulate blood sugar, lowers LDL cholesterol, improves gut health, reduces inflammation, and feeds beneficial bacteria. It may also help with satiety, leading to healthier weight management.
Despite all the benefits, it’s estimated that only 5 percent of people get the recommended amount of fiber. And the average intake is about 15 grams per day, far short of the ideal range of 25 to 35 grams per day.
The fix sounds simple — add more fiber-rich whole foods to your day, like oats, lentils, berries, beans, chia seeds, vegetables, and whole grains — but it can be hard to put into practice.
If you struggle to get enough fiber, we’ve been developing a special product for the last year. By recognizing the importance of fiber, we partnered with Momentous to develop an innovative solution.
We call it Fiber+, but you can call it the easiest way to close the biggest nutrition gap most people have.
We want to be very clear about what this is (and what it isn’t).
Fiber+ is an Arnold’s Pump Club exclusive.
You can’t buy it in stores.
You won’t find it browsing the Momentous site.
It’s not even visible unless you know where to look.
We ran an initial test with 1,000 jars and quietly shared it with Pump Club app members first. No marketing. No hype. Just real people using it daily.
The overwhelming response surprised even us (and we’re obviously biased).
People didn’t just say they liked it — they told us their digestion felt calmer within days. Less bloating. More consistency. Fewer “ups and downs.” The kind of changes you notice not because something dramatic happens, but because problems stop happening.
That feedback is why we made more. And why we’re sharing it with you now.
What makes Fiber+ different is the formula.
Most fiber supplements rely on a single ingredient and hope for the best. Fiber+ combines three pathways to better health — soluble, insoluble, and fermented (resistant starch) — so it works the way fiber is supposed to work in the body.
That means:
• Better digestion
• Support for healthy gut bacteria
• Improved blood sugar and cholesterol regulation
• Benefits that research suggests can begin showing up in just a few days
• Long-term benefits, such as improved cardiovascular health
And just as important: the unflavored mixes easily, and the flavored actually tastes good.
You can mix the unflavored version into smoothies, yogurt, or even onto a bowl of cereal, or use the flavored cinnamon version as a simple drink on its own — no orange sludge, no forcing it down.
Here’s the only catch: we have a limited supply. Once this batch is gone, there won’t be more available until the official launch later this year. If you miss it now, you’ll have to wait.
If fiber is something you know you should be prioritizing, but haven’t found a solution you enjoy sticking with, this is your chance.
Get early access to Fiber+ while it’s available
If you’re looking for a small change with big impact, increasing your fiber intake might be one of the easiest (and most underrated) steps toward a longer, healthier life.
Weekly Wisdom
Most people who feel stuck are waiting for clarity, confidence, motivation, or permission. They’re standing at the bottom of the staircase, staring upward, convinced that movement comes after certainty.
But it doesn’t.
We get this backward. We assume confident people move first, and that movement is the reward for feeling ready. In reality, readiness is a byproduct of motion. The brain believes what the body proves.
That’s what faith actually looks like in real life. Not bold declarations. Not perfect plans. Just movement without guarantees. One step that creates evidence. Evidence that you can do something hard. Evidence that change isn’t theoretical; it’s already happening.
The staircase doesn’t reveal itself all at once because it doesn’t need to. Each step lights the next one. Momentum is how belief becomes real.
Turn Wisdom Into Action
Sometimes, the hardest part of change isn’t knowing what to do. It’s knowing exactly what to do and still not doing it.
Because that first step feels like a verdict.
If I try and fail, what does that say about me?
If I start, do I have what it takes to keep going?
If I take this step, am I admitting how long I’ve avoided it?
So you wait. Not for motivation, but for safety.
To overcome this hurdle, name the thing you’ve been avoiding. Then answer this (in writing): “What am I afraid this step would mean about me?”
Not what would happen. What it would mean.
Then, you can confront what’s holding you back from taking that one step today, tomorrow, and the next day.
Faith begins when action stops being a judgment and becomes a neutral fact. That’s when movement feels safe again. And the moment it stops representing everything, it becomes possible to do more than ever before.
Better Questions, Better Solutions
The Illusion Of Comparison
Old Question: Why am I behind everyone else?
Better Question: What timeline would I choose if no one could see my progress but me?
At some point, we’ve all been guilty. We’ve assessed where we are with a goal, compared ourselves to someone else, and felt the frustration and regret.
Comparison feels factual, but it’s mostly a highlight reel stitched together by stress, algorithms, and selective sharing.
When you borrow someone else’s timeline, you also inherit their priorities, tradeoffs, and pressure. A private timeline lets you figure out what works for you without rushing to prove it.
Psychologists have spent decades studying social comparison and how we judge ourselves based on others’ progress. Research suggests that frequent upward comparison (looking at people who appear “ahead”) increases stress, anxiety, and feelings of inadequacy, especially when progress is public and constant.
People who focus on self-referenced goals — measuring progress against their own past performance — report higher motivation, greater persistence, and better well-being.
Progress feels more satisfying when it’s private, specific, and aligned with personal values rather than public milestones.
Public timelines are arbitrary and tend to reward speed and spectacle. But your life isn’t a race. Private timelines reward consistency and fit.
This isn’t about settling for less. It’s about doing it on your terms.
The next time you’re working towards a goal, define progress in terms only you can see. If the plan still feels worth doing in silence, you’re probably on the right path.
And that’s it for this week. Thanks for being a part of the positive corner of the internet. Remember, you have endless opportunities to get better every day. Don’t overthink, do something, and repeat. Have a fantastic weekend!
-Arnold, Adam, and Daniel
Better Today
Take any of these tips from today’s email and put them into action:
1. The 11,000 Heartbeat Advantage: Why Training Makes Your Heart Work Less and Last Longer
A heart monitoring study found that athletes log roughly 11,500 fewer heartbeats per day than non-athletes, and a review of 191 studies confirms that regular exercise lowers resting heart rate by 5-9%, with every 10-beat reduction linked to a 9% lower risk of early death. Measurable changes can be experienced within three months of training at least three times per week.
2. Only 5% of People Get Enough Fiber: A 17-Million-Person Analysis Shows Why That's a Problem
A review of 33 meta-analyses found that 76% of health outcomes — including all-cause mortality, heart disease, and several cancers — showed significant improvement with higher fiber intake, yet only 5% of people hit the recommended 25-35 grams daily. The fix is straightforward: add fiber-rich whole foods like oats, lentils, berries, and beans. If you struggle with those behaviors, use a supplement that combines soluble, insoluble, and resistant starch pathways.
3. The Hidden Reason You Know What to Do But Still Don't Do It
The reason you avoid starting isn't a lack of motivation. It's that the first step feels like a judgment about who you are, not just what you're doing. The fix: write down what you're afraid this step would mean about you, then separate the action from the identity verdict so movement becomes a neutral fact instead of a test.
4. Why Comparing Your Progress to Others Backfires
Decades of social comparison research confirm that measuring yourself against people who appear "ahead" increases stress and feelings of inadequacy, while self-referenced goals (tracking progress against your own past performance) lead to higher motivation, greater persistence, and better well-being. Define success in terms only you can see, and progress becomes more satisfying and sustainable.
—
Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
