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Today’s Health Upgrade
Do bands really build muscle?
Let’s talk about your drinking history
Why your brain loves game night
Fitness
Can You Build Muscle With Resistance Bands?
When we surveyed our readers about why they don’t exercise as much as they feel they should, we got many answers. But two, in particular, stand out: I’m too old, and I don’t have access to weights.
A new study suggests that neither of those barriers should stop you.
A 16-week study found that resistance band training improved muscle mass, upper-body strength, and body composition in untrained adults over 50. And, adding a small daily dose of creatine amplified those results further.
Researchers recruited untrained adults aged 50 and older and split them into three groups: one took 5 grams of creatine monohydrate daily, another took 3 grams, and a third took a placebo. All three groups followed the same high-repetition resistance band protocol for 16 weeks.
The training itself was effective across the board. Whether or not they took creatine, everyone following the resistance band program saw results.
But the creatine groups showed additional improvements that the placebo group didn't: 3 grams per day increased upper-body strength and reduced subcutaneous fat, and 5 grams further improved overall muscle mass and muscle mass in the lower body.
Creatine speeds up energy production in muscle cells, which lets you sustain higher effort during training. Over 16 weeks, that edge accumulates. Creatine also supports muscle protein synthesis through pathways that become less efficient with age, which is precisely when you need the extra push.
The bigger picture is that regardless of age or equipment, your muscles will respond if you challenge them.
If you're over 50 and not training, resistance bands are a legitimate place to start. They're inexpensive, joint-friendly, and effective enough to drive real adaptation when used consistently. Here are our favorite bands, ranging from very light to heavy.
Health
Your Drinking History Matters More Than You Think
Most health coverage on alcohol focuses on what you're drinking right now. But some health conditions take decades to develop, which means the question most research has been asking might be the wrong one.
A 20-year study of nearly 90,000 adults found that heavy, sustained drinking over a lifetime was linked to significantly higher colorectal cancer risk.
Researchers used data to reconstruct drinking histories across four life stages beginning at age 18. Most prior research captured only current intake. This design captured the cumulative picture.
Among current drinkers averaging 14 or more drinks per week over their lifetime, colorectal cancer risk was 25% higher than in very light drinkers. People who drank heavily and consistently throughout adulthood had 91% higher risk than consistent light drinkers. Rectal cancer showed the sharpest signal, with heavy lifetime drinkers facing nearly double the risk.
Researchers believe long-term alcohol exposure appears to disrupt DNA repair and folate metabolism in the colon and rectum. Because colorectal cancer develops slowly, often over 10 to 20 years from the first cellular changes to a diagnosable tumor, the slow accumulation is why a lifetime lens tells a different story than a single snapshot in time.
But here’s the hopeful part: Former drinkers showed no elevated cancer risk and had meaningfully lower odds of developing non-advanced adenomas, the benign polyps that can, over the years, become cancerous. In other words, your past influences your future, but your body also responds to change.
The study was based on observational data, so it identifies an association rather than a cause. And the elevated risk was concentrated in heavy, sustained drinking over decades. Occasional and moderate consumption wasn't meaningfully linked to increased risk in this dataset.
If you've carried a long history of heavy drinking, this research isn't a verdict. It's a reason to act. Cutting back, quitting, or simply getting a colorectal screening conversation on the calendar, any of those moves puts you on the right side of what the data is showing. Your body is still paying attention to what you do next.
Instant Health Boost
Why Your Brain Loves Game Night
There might be a fun reason why some older people are mentally sharper than those half their age. It’s not just genetics. How you spend you entertain yourself without technology could influence the aging process.
A 20-year study found that people who regularly played board games showed significantly slower cognitive decline and a 15% lower risk of developing depression compared to non-players.
Researchers from one of the world's longest-running population-based aging studies tracked older adults over two decades. At the start of the study, roughly one in three participants reported playing board games at least once a week. That included card games, chess, and other group games. Over 20 years, researchers tracked changes in cognitive function and rates of depression and dementia.
Board game players showed measurably slower decline on standard cognitive tests throughout the study period. They were also significantly less likely to develop depression, and that finding held even after accounting for baseline health differences between the groups.
The researchers point to two overlapping reasons: cognitive engagement keeps the brain actively problem-solving and pattern-recognizing, while the social component of most board games builds the kind of connection that protects against depression. When both are present simultaneously, the effect appears to compound. Think of it like cross-training: you're working multiple systems at once.
That said, the players were also somewhat healthier at the start of the study, which makes it hard to separate the habit from the person.
The prescription here is almost unreasonably easy: find a game, find some people, and play regularly. Just a reason to get together that your brain benefits from.
Better Today
Take any of these tips from today’s email and put them into action:
1. Resistance Bands Build Muscle in Adults Over 50 (And Creatine Enhances the Results Even More)
A 16-week study of untrained adults over 50 found that resistance band training alone improved muscle mass, upper-body strength, and body composition — and adding 5 grams of creatine monohydrate daily produced additional gains in skeletal muscle mass index and lower-body lean mass that the training-only group didn't see.
Creatine accelerates energy production in muscle cells and supports muscle protein synthesis through pathways that become progressively less efficient after 50, meaning the supplement delivers the most return when the body needs it most. If you're over 50 and not training because you think you're too old or don't have the right equipment, this study removes both excuses — resistance bands are inexpensive, joint-friendly, and demonstrably effective when used consistently.
2. A 20-Year Study of 90,000 Adults Found Lifetime Heavy Drinking Raises Colorectal Cancer Risk by 91% (But There’s Still Time To Change)
Scientists found that people who drank heavily and consistently throughout adulthood faced 91% higher colorectal cancer risk than consistent light drinkers — and those averaging 14 or more drinks per week over their lifetime had 25% higher risk, with rectal cancer showing the sharpest signal at nearly double the rate.
Long-term alcohol exposure appears to disrupt DNA repair and folate metabolism in the colon, a process that unfolds over 10 to 20 years before becoming a diagnosable tumor. The most actionable finding belongs to former drinkers, who showed no elevated cancer risk and lower odds of developing precancerous polyps, meaning the decision to reduce or stop drinking can change your future health risk.
3. A 20-Year Study Found Weekly Board Game Play Slows Cognitive Decline and Cuts Depression Risk by 15%
Older adults who played board games — including card games, chess, and group games — at least once a week showed measurably slower decline on standardized cognitive tests and a 15% lower risk of developing depression compared to non-players.
Cognitive engagement keeps the brain actively problem-solving and pattern-recognizing, while the social component of most board games independently protects against depression, and when both are operating simultaneously, the protective effect appears to amplify rather than simply add. A weekly card game or chess match is one of the most evidence-supported, lowest-effort longevity habits in the current literature — no prescription required.
The Positive Corner of The Internet
About Arnold’s Pump Club Editorial Standards
We do things a bit differently here, starting with transparency.
The Content: All APC emails are researched, written, and fact-checked by the APC editors (see bottom of the email), with written contributions from Arnold (noted with “Arnold’s Corner”). Links take you to original studies (not second-hand sources).
Does AI play a role? Not for the primary content, but it is used in two ways. The main items are original content written by the APC team. The summaries at the end are AI-generated based on the human-written content above. We also use an AI tool to review our interpretations of the research and ensure scientific accuracy. We don’t assume AI is right, but we use technology to hold ourselves accountable.
Yes, we have partners (all clearly noted). Why? Because it allows us to keep the APC emails free. We first test products, and then reach out to potential partners who offer ways to help you improve every day. The bar is set high, and to date, we have turned down millions in ad deals. (Example: we will not partner with any non-certified supplements or those without evidence in human trials). If we won’t buy the product, we won’t recommend it to you. And if there’s no evidence it works, then there’s no place for it here.
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
