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Today’s Health Upgrade
Number you won’t forget
Weekly wisdom
How to stick to your workouts
Endurance fuel
Arnold’s Podcast
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Health
Number You Won’t Forget: 1.5X
Can light exposure harm your long-term metabolic health?
New research suggests that bright light at night significantly increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
And that’s not all. The study also suggests that the amount of light you get during the day can affect your metabolic health.
In one of the most extensive studies of its kind, researchers analyzed more than 13 million hours of light exposure data from 85,000 individuals across 670,000 person-years. Participants wore wrist devices that measured their exposure to light over 7 days and were then followed for an average of 9 years to track the incidence of type 2 diabetes.
Individuals exposed to brighter light at night (specifically between midnight and 6 a.m.) were 1.5 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who remained in the dark throughout the night.
Conversely, those who experienced higher daytime light exposure had a 21 percent lower risk of developing diabetes.
And here’s the most striking part: this relationship held true regardless of physical activity, sleep patterns, and baseline health.
The researchers believe the culprit is circadian disruption. Bright light at night can suppress melatonin and confuse the body’s internal clock, leading to impaired glucose metabolism and increased insulin resistance. Meanwhile, getting enough daylight, especially in the morning, helps reinforce your natural circadian rhythm and improves metabolic function.
If you want to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, food and exercise matter — but so does your light exposure. Make it a priority to get outside during the day, especially in the morning, and dim the lights at night. Minor lighting tweaks can help reset your body’s clock and protect your long-term health.
Mindset
Weekly Wisdom
Fitness
The Feel-Good Secret to Sticking With Exercise
Sticking with a fitness routine doesn’t have to mean you have more discipline and willpower.
A new study found that when you focus on enjoyment first, everything else — consistency, performance, and mental health — gets better.
In the study, researchers divided participants into two groups: one completed exercise sessions with a traditional structure, while the other followed an "individualized pleasure-oriented" approach. That meant choosing activities they enjoyed, doing them at their preferred intensity, and prioritizing fun over performance.
Those in the pleasure-first group adhered better to the program, completing 77 percent more sessions.
The researchers suggest that making exercise enjoyable activates the brain's reward system and reduces resistance or dread associated with working out. This "affective forecasting" — anticipating how good you'll feel — makes it easier to stay consistent, even on tough days.
If you want better results, stop thinking of workouts as punishment or doing workouts that you hate. Instead, choose activities you enjoy, go at a pace that feels good, and focus on how it makes you feel. Science shows that this approach will build consistency, which will deliver results, and that can lead to the motivation and willpower to add new challenges and keep improving.
Nutrition
More Miles, More Protein
If you’re logging long runs or clocking time on the bike, your muscles are doing more than just burning calories—they’re demanding extra nutrients to repair, rebuild, and keep going. And one nutrient in particular rises to the top of the list: protein.
Endurance athletes need more protein than you might think, but not necessarily different amounts based on gender.
In the study, researchers investigated how endurance exercise affects protein needs and whether men and women require different amounts during recovery.
Endurance-trained athletes needed approximately 1.6 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, significantly higher than the standard recommendation of 0.8-1.0 g/kg for non-athletes
Despite common assumptions, female and male athletes had nearly identical protein requirements when adjusted for lean body mass. In other words, the higher protein need was directly related to the participants' activity level, not their gender.
When crushing those long runs or epic rides, your body isn't just burning carbs for fuel. It's breaking down proteins significantly faster than scientists calculated initially.
And the repair process after endurance exercise requires significant protein to improve muscle repair, reduce soreness, and help you bounce back quicker for your next run.
If you’re looking for a high-quality protein powder, don’t forget Momentous just released four new, limited-time flavors.
If you want to try all 4, you can get them for the price of three (one bottle FREE) by using the code “WHEYFLAVORS” at checkout. Just put all four flavors in your cart, add the code, and one is on the house.
Or, as an APC reader, you can get 14% OFF any flavor (and our entire purchase) with the code “PUMPCLUB.”
As a rule of thumb, aim for about 20 to 40 grams of protein per meal. But remember, there’s no magic timing for protein. While it’s good to eat protein within 3 hours of completing your workout, the total amount of protein you consume daily matters more than when you eat it.
And that’s it for this week. Thank you for being a part of the positive corner of the internet, and we hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
-Arnold, Adam, and Daniel
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
