Why A Few Cups Of Coffee Can Keep You Stronger As You Age

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• Number you won’t forget

• The coffee-longevity connection

• Weekly wisdom

• The confidence mistake

Health
Number You Won’t Forget: 88%

You might exercise to look or feel better now, but science shows it could also be protecting your mind decades later.

Improving cardiovascular fitness in your midlife could make you 88 percent less likely to develop dementia later in life. 

Researchers followed nearly 200 women for 44 years. At the start, the participants completed a cycling test to measure their cardiovascular fitness. Those with better fitness in midlife were nearly nine times less likely to develop dementia compared to women with moderate fitness, and those who couldn’t complete the test had the highest dementia rates of all.

Even after accounting for lifestyle factors such as smoking, blood pressure, and cholesterol, the association persisted.

But it wasn’t just an increased likelihood of disease. Those who were in better shape stayed mentally sharp for 10 years longer than those in worse condition. And prior research even found that the parts of your brain involved in learning and memory are larger in fit individuals than in sedentary individuals. 

Consider the study the ultimate reminder that what you do for your health when you’re younger impacts your brain later. 

While it’s never too late to improve or upgrade your health, your 30s, 40s, and 50s appear to be a critical window to build what scientists call “brain reserve,” which is the ability to withstand age-related changes without losing cognitive function.

If you can sustain vigorous exercise (breathing hard but still able to talk in short bursts) for 5 to 10 minutes, you’re likely in the “high fitness” zone identified in this study. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of intense activity each week, and include at least one workout that challenges your endurance.

Together With Cometeer 
How Coffee Improves Your Resilience

Coffee might do a lot more than give you energy to start your day.  

Scientists found that drinking coffee and tea could help you stay physically stronger as you age.

In a study of more than 12,000 individuals, researchers tracked the impact of midlife caffeine consumption on frailty over 10 years. The scientists analyzed participants in their mid-40s up to their mid-70s and monitored their strength, endurance, and physiological function.

You’ve probably heard that “correlation does not mean causation,” but the study design suggests this is more than a coincidence. And the connection wasn’t just about healthier people drinking more coffee. 

Those who consumed 4 or more cups of coffee per day had a 40% lower risk of developing frailty than non-coffee drinkers. And they also had more muscle mass. 

Tea drinkers also saw a protective benefit, though slightly less pronounced. Even moderate coffee consumption (1–3 cups daily) reduced frailty risk by about 25 percent. 

They also used objective measures of strength and mobility (such as grip strength and walking tests), rather than relying solely on self-reported data, thereby making the results more reliable.

Coffee contains compounds that support muscle health in several ways. Caffeine activates energy pathways in your muscles (including AMPK and PGC-1α), which are involved in mitochondrial function, the same processes that exercise triggers. Meanwhile, the antioxidants and polyphenols in both drinks help reduce inflammation and protect against chronic diseases that can accelerate frailty. And the added caffeine helps provide the energy needed to move more often and hit the gym.  

This isn’t proof that coffee alone prevents aging, but the evidence is strong that your daily brew supports long-term physical resilience.

If you’re looking for a cup that locks in all the health benefits of coffee and gives you access to some of the best beans in the world, we recommend Cometeer. 

We’ve been drinking Cometeer for more than three years, and are excited to share it with the village. Cometeer uses a process backed by Stanford scientists to lock in the flavor of your favorite roasters and maximize the nutrition. Each cup of Cometeer coffee is precision-brewed and contains between 100 mg and 180mg of caffeine, plus more antioxidants than a handful of blueberries. It’s pure coffee that enhances performance instead of fighting against it, without sugar or filters.

As an APC reader, enjoy $30 off (15 cups free!) on your first subscription order.

This isn't just better coffee; it's coffee that uses science to bring even more flavor and enjoyment to that habit that helps power your day. 

Mindset
Weekly Wisdom

Most people think change is a long, dramatic process that it takes months of planning, a new year, or a rock-bottom moment. But Alan Watts reminds us that transformation doesn’t require ceremony. It only requires permission.

We often stay stuck not because change is impossible, but because we’ve built our lives around the stories we tell about who we are: I’m not a morning person. I’m bad with money. I always quit when things get hard. 

These aren’t truths; they’re memories we’ve mistaken for facts. The more we repeat them, the more they harden into identity, and the harder it feels to choose differently.

But your identity is draft. You can edit it at any moment. You can let go of an old version of yourself and start acting like the person you want to become.

Every choice, every response, every breath is an opportunity to reinvent.

Turn Wisdom Into Action:
When you catch yourself saying, “That’s just the way I am,” stop and question it. What if that was just the way you were? What would the next version of you do instead?

Write down one small behavior — waking up ten minutes earlier, pausing before reacting, taking the walk you’ve been avoiding — and do it now. Prove to yourself that change doesn’t take time. It takes a decision.

Better Questions, Better Solutions 
The Confidence Mistake That Slows Progress

Old Question: How do I become more confident?
Better Question: What proof am I ignoring that shows I’m already making progress?

Most people think confidence is something you earn after success. But it’s actually what allows success to happen. 

Confidence isn’t a personality trait. You develop it based on the feedback you provide. Every time you recognize progress, no matter how small, you send a signal to your brain: I can do this. Ignore that signal, and the loop breaks.

Confidence does not require perfection; it comes from evidence. And you already have plenty.

When you take action, even imperfectly, your brain collects data that says, “I can handle this.” Over time, that evidence rewires how you see yourself.

In one study, research tracking nearly 12,000 daily entries from 238 workers found that people who experienced and recognized small daily wins reported significantly higher motivation, more positive emotions, and better sustained performance compared to days without progress.

Another experiment found that people who celebrated progress (even partial progress) were more likely to persevere on challenging goals than those waiting for major milestones.

Your brain builds confidence the same way it builds muscle: through consistent reps of noticing what’s already working.

When you fixate on what’s missing or how far you have to go, you train your brain to ignore the proof that you’re capable. You move the goalposts faster than you move forward. 

But when you deliberately notice progress, you activate a bias known as the self-perception effect: you begin to see yourself as the kind of person who follows through. That belief fuels the next action, and the loop continues.

Over time, you’ll have undeniable evidence of your capability.

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