The Simple Meal Strategy That Eliminates Decision Fatigue (No Sunday Prep Required)

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 Vitamin D Test

• Weekly wisdom

• What if you can’t meal prep?

Longevity 
Number You Won’t Forget: 60% 

Most people think longevity comes from doing something extreme. Hard workouts. Perfect diets. Relentless discipline. All of those could help.

But you can also support a longer life with something you can do right now.

Walking 6,000–10,000 steps per day (depending on your age) is associated with up to a 60% reduction in all-cause mortality.

Scientists analyzed 15 large, long-term studies across the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Australia. These weren’t fitness influencers or marathoners. These were your ordinary people. Instead of relying on memory or surveys, participants wore activity trackers, making this some of the most reliable movement data we have.

The benefits of steps are influenced by your age. If you’re under 60, getting 8,000-10,000 steps per day was associated with up to 60% lower mortality, and that number dropped to 6,000 to 8,000 steps after the age of 60. 

But the benefits started at lower mileage. Even if you only get about 5,000 steps per day, you’ll still experience 40% lower risk of early death. 

The reason is simple. Walking improves nearly every system that supports your health, including blood sugar control, blood pressure, inflammation, and cardiovascular fitness. Just moving more — and consistently — was enough.

Together With Function Health
The Vitamin D Test

Almost any given week, you can find some study about Vitamin D. However, many of these studies don’t mention this one crucial detail.

The effectiveness of Vitamin D supplementation depends on your level of deficiency. 

Despite what you might hear, research suggests that most Americans do not have a severe Vitamin D deficiency. That’s because as little as five minutes of sun exposure can help fill your Vitamin D tank, and many foods are fortified with Vitamin D.

More importantly, Vitamin D is stored within your fat cells and liver. So even if you’re not getting much sun, your body stores the vitamin because it plays an important role in vital processes such as immune function and glucose metabolism.

Vitamin D appears to be an easy supplement to add. However, research has found that Vitamin D toxicity can be a problem for people, especially for those who overestimate their deficiency.

Instead of just taking a supplement, we recommend having your blood tested by your doctor or a convenient service like Function Health to determine whether there’s any need to change.

Research suggests that a level of 12 ng/ml can get the job done and that you max out your benefits around 20 ng/ml.

For example, Vitamin D’s bone-strengthening benefits are linked to blood levels between 12 and 15 nanograms per milliliter. However, when you supplement to raise your levels above 20 ng/ml, there are no additional benefits. 

So instead of guessing, we recommend testing.

Testing replaces uncertainty with clarity. It tells you whether you actually need Vitamin D or can confidently skip it.

That’s why tools like Function Health matter. They make it easy to see what’s happening inside your body before you add supplements you might not need, or miss ones you actually do.

If you’re thinking about Vitamin D (or already taking it), this is the simplest next step: Test first. Decide second.

Because the smartest supplement strategy isn’t “take more.” It’s know more.

As an APC reader, Function Health makes it easy and affordable to get more than 160 tests that will let you know exactly what’s happening in your body, and if you have any reason to be concerned. 

Use the code “PUMPCLUB25” to get a $25 credit on your purchase, and give yourself the clarity and peace of mind you deserve. 

Mindset
Weekly Wisdom 

When people hear the word "forgiveness," they usually miss the most important part.

They often think of a single moment: excusing someone who hurt them and moving on. But forgiveness shows up in far more places than we usually notice.

There’s the obvious one: the person who wronged you, disappointed you, or crossed a line.

There’s the quieter one: the person you resented because what they said stung, partly because it was true.

And then there’s the hardest form of forgiveness of all: forgiving yourself.

Many people aren’t stuck because of what someone else did to them. They’re stuck because they’re still carrying guilt, regret, or shame from a past version of themselves. A decision they’d undo. A moment they replay. A standard they didn’t meet. Over time, that unresolved self-judgment quietly becomes an anchor.

Forgiveness isn’t denial. It doesn’t mean what happened was okay. It means you stop paying interest on a debt that can never be collected.

That’s not weakness. That’s strength: choosing to move forward without dragging the past behind you.

Turn Wisdom Into Action

This week, look for where forgiveness might be hiding in plain sight. Ask yourself three questions:

1. Who am I still mentally arguing with? (That’s often unfinished forgiveness.)

2. What truth am I resisting because it hurts my identity?

3. What mistake have I punished myself for long after the lesson was learned?

Then take one small step:

• Write down what you’d say if forgiveness were about release, not approval.

• Acknowledge what you learned — and name what you’re done carrying.

• Practice this mentality: “I don’t excuse it. I release it.” (Yes, even when the “it” is you.)

Forgiveness isn’t a single act. It’s a practice. And every time you choose it, you reclaim strength that was never lost but was tied up in the past.

Better Questions, Better Solutions 
How Can I Eat Better If I Can’t Make Time For Meal Prep?

Old Question: How do I find more time to meal prep?
Better Question: What’s the simplest meal I can make on autopilot that still aligns with my goals?

The old question is the one almost everyone asks when nutrition feels hard. Meal prep can be a great option. And it sounds responsible. Organized. Disciplined.

But it quietly assumes the problem is your effort, not your environment.

The new question changes the game. Because now you’re not fighting time, stress, kids, work, or takeout menus. You’re engineering simplicity and reliability.

Meal prep is a strategy. A go-to meal is a system.

One reliable, repeatable meal removes nutritional stress by eliminating decision-making when your brain is tired and your willpower is low. You don’t need perfect variety. You need something that works even on bad days.

Behavior research consistently shows that habits stick when they reduce friction, not when they demand motivation.

People don’t fail at eating well because they don’t “care enough.” They fail because workdays are long, kids need attention, stress narrows bandwidth, and food environments push convenience over quality.

When choices pile up, decision fatigue takes over. A default meal short-circuits that process. It’s the same reason successful companies standardize systems and why pilots rely on checklists.

Less thinking. More consistency.

Your goal: Pick one meal you can make in under 20 minutes, with ingredients you don’t have to think about.

Not five meals. Not a Sunday prep fantasy. One.

Here are a few samples that work for so many members of the Pump Club app:

• Rotisserie chicken + microwave rice + frozen veggies

• Eggs + toast + fruit

• Greek yogurt + berries + nuts

• Protein shake + banana + peanut butter

• Lean ground beef (96% lean) + a whole grain bun (burger night!)

• Lentils, instant quinoa, and avocado

• Black beans, instant rice, salsa, and mozzarella cheese

You have endless options. It doesn’t have to be pretty. It just needs to be simple, nutritious, and something you enjoy. Eat it once a day if needed. Twice if life is chaotic.

You’re not giving up flexibility. You’re buying yourself peace.

Stop fighting the barriers. Start playing a simpler game.

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  

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell