Welcome to the positive corner of the internet. 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
APC exclusive
Weekly wisdom
Better questions, better solutions
Make a difference
Arnold’s Podcast
Want more stories from Arnold? Every day, Arnold’s Pump Club Podcast opens with a story, perspective, and wisdom from Arnold that you won’t find in the newsletter. And, you’ll hear a recap of the day’s items. You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Health
Number You Won’t Forget: 83 Percent
Imagine writing something down and forgetting it moments later. Not because you’re distracted, but because you didn’t really write it at all.
New research suggests that using AI tools like ChatGPT to write can weaken your brain and impair memory.
Scientists split 54 participants into three groups: One wrote essays using only their brains (no tools), one used a search engine, and one used a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT.
Each group completed three essay-writing sessions using the same method. In a fourth session, researchers flipped the script: ChatGPT users were asked to write without the assistance of the AI, and non-AI users were given access to it.
They analyzed everything—brain activity via EEG, the quality of essays using both human and AI judges, and even how well people remembered what they wrote.
Participants who used only their brains had the strongest and most distributed brain network connectivity. Search engine users exhibited moderate neural engagement, while ChatGPT users showed the weakest cognitive activity.
But the most jarring moment came during session four.
When former ChatGPT users were forced to write without AI, they underperformed in every way compared to both their prior selves and those who never used AI at all.
Their EEG scans showed decreased alpha and beta connectivity, suggesting mental under-engagement. Their brains, quite literally, forgot how to think for themselves.
In fact, 83 percent of ChatGPT users couldn’t accurately quote from their own essays just minutes after writing them.
Why? Because they didn’t generate the thoughts. ChatGPT did. And when the machine thinks for you, your brain turns off.
The researchers coined the term "cognitive debt" to describe this phenomenon. Every shortcut you take with AI subtracts from your future ability to think, recall, and create independently.
This doesn’t mean we’re against AI. We love it for many reasons, and it’s a fantastic tool that can do everything from answering questions to improving the health of your business.
But dependency comes with a cost. If you're using AI, use it as a guide, not a ghostwriter. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI tools can be powerful. However, if you rely on them too much, the time you save today may come at the cost of clarity and efficiency tomorrow.
Together With Momentous
APC EXCLUSIVE: 40% OFF
We’re always trying to get you special offers that help make you better every day. And this is no exception.
Today is your chance to save up to 40 percent off on the brand new Momentous Lemon Creatine.
Creatine is one of the most researched supplements in the world—and one of the easiest ways to support your strength, recovery, and cognition.
Studies show that consistent daily use of creatine monohydrate can increase muscle performance, improve memory and mental sharpness, and even support long-term brain health and healthy aging.
But there’s a catch: consistency matters, and so does the quality of the creatine you use. That’s why we love the newest update from Momentous.
Their gold-standard Creapure® Creatine now comes in single-serve Lemon Travel Packs. The same pure, effective creatine trusted by professional athletes and Olympians, now in a naturally flavored, portable format that you can take anywhere. No fillers. No artificial stuff. Just pure performance support in your pocket.
That’s the backbone of “The Momentous Standard” — products tested to the highest standards, so you know exactly what is in the product: no heavy metals, no banned substances, and just the ingredients that help you achieve your health goals.
For today only (June 27th), you can save up to 40 percent when you start a new subscription using code FORLIFE.
Mindset
Weekly Wisdom
Turn Wisdom Into Action
Everything feels hard until you’re on the other side of it.
Doubt shows up before every breakthrough—but it’s not a stop sign, just a signal you’re doing something meaningful.
What feels overwhelming today will look obvious in hindsight once you take that first step. Progress shrinks fear. Keep moving, and soon the impossible becomes your new normal.
Mindset
Better Questions, Better Solutions
Old Question: How do I eliminate stress from my life?
Better Question: What kind of stress is breaking me—and what kind is building me?
Let’s be real: stress isn’t going anywhere. Trying to eliminate it is like trying to stop the tide.
But not all stress is bad. Some types of stress—when applied in the right dose—can make you stronger. The key is learning to distinguish between the chronic stress that wears you down and the acute stress that builds you up.
Once you do that, you can stop fighting every stressor and start using the right ones to your advantage.
Some short-term stressors (think exercise or cold exposure) can trigger a beneficial response in the body and brain.
This phenomenon, called hormesis, describes how low doses of stress can activate protective pathways that enhance immune function, cognitive performance, and cellular repair.
In contrast, chronic stress (like financial strain or constant overwork) is what you want to avoid. And, it’s just as important to recognize what stressors you control — and which ones are beyond your power. Because sometimes stress builds up simply from focusing on and investing time and energy into something you can’t change.
You can’t remove all stress. However, you can build stress resilience by incorporating small, manageable doses of beneficial stress—and eliminating the invisible overload that causes real damage.
And just as importantly, start pruning chronic stress where you can:
Set boundaries around work
Get enough sleep
Create transitions between tasks
Focus on things within your control
Stress isn’t the enemy. It’s your training partner—if you learn how to spar with it instead of getting knocked out.
Giving Back
Make a Difference
Today is the final day of the “Power of Play” fundraiser for After School All Stars, and we need your help.
Every dollar you give helps bring sports, movement, and mentorship to kids who need it most. These programs aren’t just about games—they’re about building confidence, coping with stress, and creating opportunity.
Even $5 can help a child discover their strength. This is your moment to act. No gift is too small.
If you’re one of our top 10 donors, you’ll receive a free year of The Pump app (or the chance to gift it). Let’s finish strong and play it forward.
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
