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Today’s Health Upgrade
Do the boys need to worry about soy?
Arnold Q and A
Weekend Challenge: We are visualizing
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The Truth About Soy
If you’ve read anything about soy, you’ve probably seen warnings about hormone disruption or anti-nutrients. And if you’re a man, you’re given every reason to avoid the commonly used plant-based protein.
But, a meta-analysis of 41 different studies failed to find any impact of soy products on male sex hormones. Even in studies where men were consuming very high amounts of soy, the researchers didn’t see a significant impact on hormone levels.
More importantly, for any gender, soy appears to be a good source of protein. Researchers found that a diet high in soy protein supported muscle growth and strength, similar to an omnivorous style of eating.
While raw soy does contain some anti-nutrients, those are significantly reduced (or almost completely removed) in most methods of food processing or cooking. Research even shows that some of those anti-nutrients are 98 percent reduced when they are ground or heated.
And if you’re worried about health impact, diets higher in soy are linked with nearly 20 percent less risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and coronary heart disease. Eating soy is a preference; if you enjoy it, feel free to include it. If not, there are plenty of other options. But there’s no need to fear it.
I know this is going to make some of you go ballistic. If it does, take a breath. You don’t have to eat soy. We are just here to share information because so much of diet is treated like religion, and we just want to share the latest studies without the hype. Eat what you want, or more importantly, whatever you can make into a healthy routine. We are here for you whether you’re vegan, keto, paleo, vegetarian, or whatever else there is.
Arnold Q&A
First of all, I want to thank you all for answering my questions last week. I read every single email. I loved hearing about your wins, and especially about how many of you are taking what you learn and spreading the word and recruiting friends and family. The most common notes we got were: more fitness tips (you know I am good at that), more studies, and more fitness advice geared toward women. First of all, I want to make clear that women can do absolutely any of the workouts we share here, but we heard you! You’re going to get what you want. This is the People’s Newsletter.
Weekend Challenge
On Monday, I talked again about vision. You might think I’m a broken record. But I won’t stop. It’s the key to everything I’ve ever done.
I said, “Take some time today to sit down for a few minutes, figure out what your vision is, and then visualize yourself doing whatever it is you dream of. Play it like a movie in your head.”
This weekend, your challenge is to make this movie. I can talk over and over about writing your vision down, but until I can get you actually to see it in your mind, it won’t totally click.
Here’s what I want you to do.
First, get outside. Go on a walk. I always tell you guys that I was lucky I didn’t have distractions, just the beautiful countryside in Thal. Try to replicate that. It doesn’t have to be a long walk, but you do have to leave your phone at home. Let your mind wander. Think about what your vision might be. It can be a few things! You might want to be a fantastic parent, the best (insert your job), AND stronger than you’ve ever been. You might want to be more present every day. You might want to be the type of person who spends more time learning than scrolling social media. I don’t know what your vision will be — that’s for you. Just let your mind wander and if you need help, think about the moments that you’ve been fired up and excited about life. What were you doing?
Next, when you get home, don’t pick up your phone. Pick up a pen and paper. Write down your vision or visions.
Finally, close your eyes. I want you to turn your vision into a visualization. You might feel crazy at first. If you wrote down that you want to be the strongest you’ve ever been, I want you to create a movie in your mind of you lifting more weight than you’ve ever lifted. If you wrote down that you want to be the best parent, I want you to see yourself playing with your kid, bringing your kid to school, walking your kid to graduation, being there at their wedding, and greeting your grandkids. If you wanted to be the best teacher, make that movie in your head, see yourself inspiring students, winning awards, and being thanked by the students when they’re successful!
I want you to really visualize whatever you wrote down. Just like you’re a character in a movie you’re directing with your eyes closed. Because I believe once you see it, it becomes real and reachable.
That’s your challenge this weekend. You can do it. Tell me how it goes on Twitter once you get back to your phone.
