Why People With a Strong Sense of Purpose Live Longer

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Today’s Health Upgrade

• What is your purpose? (And why it influences your health)

• How your strength protects you from type 2 diabetes

• You asked, we listened

• Now and then

Longevity
The Curious Connection Between Purpose And Lifespan

We often think of diet, exercise, and sleep as the building blocks of longevity. But new research suggests something less tangible might be just as powerful.

Having a strong sense of purpose can dramatically reduce your risk of early death.

Researchers tracked more than 13,000 adults aged 50 and above for eight years. They found that only 15 percent of people with the highest sense of purpose died during the study period, compared to 36 percent of those with the lowest sense of purpose. That’s more than double the survival rate, independent of health status, income, or depression.

The protective effect was observed across all groups studied, regardless of age, race, or background. And while the benefit was universal, there were some differences by gender: men with the highest purpose had a 20 percent lower risk of death, while women enjoyed a 34 percent lower risk. 

And it's not the first time scientists have observed a connection between meaning and lifespan. Purpose has been linked to healthier behaviors (like exercise and screenings), lower inflammation, better physical function, and resilience against chronic disease. 

In short, believing your life has meaning appears to help you take better care of yourself, and your body responds accordingly.

The good news is that purpose isn’t fixed. Studies show you can build it by volunteering, setting meaningful goals, reflecting on your values, or even helping others in small daily ways.

So if you want to live longer and healthier, don’t just count your steps or calories. Ask yourself: What gives my life direction? What am I working toward? Strengthening that sense of purpose might be one of the most powerful longevity tools you have.

Health
How Muscle Quality Protects You From Diabetes

If you’re doing the same old three sets of 10 reps and not increasing the weight, there might be more at stake than a lack of changes in what you see in the mirror.

We often think about muscle in terms of size and show, but new research suggests it’s the quality of your muscle — how strong it is for its size — that could make a big difference for your long-term health.

People with the strongest muscle quality had up to 91 percent lower odds of type 2 diabetes compared to those with the weakest muscle quality.

In this study, researchers measured muscle mass with Dexa scans, tested grip strength, and calculated a “muscle quality index” (strength relative to muscle size). After adjusting for age, body weight, activity, and diet, the findings were clear: individuals in the top tier of muscle quality were 78 percent less likely to exhibit signs of insulin resistance, and thus significantly less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Muscle is one of the body’s main glucose “sponges,” helping clear sugar from your blood. Higher-quality muscle — stronger relative to its size — means better glucose uptake, improved insulin sensitivity, and healthier metabolism. Researchers believe this strength advantage provides a protective buffer against diabetes and related conditions.

Because the study can’t prove cause and effect, diabetes may weaken muscle quality rather than the other way around. But the strong associations and the biological explanation suggest that focusing on muscle quality is a smart bet.

Consider this another reminder that resistance training is not just for packing on muscle size; it also helps protect your body against disease and decline. 

If you’re doing the same routine and not getting stronger, it’s probably time for a change. You don’t want random programs and workouts designed to leave you exhausted and sore; you want a proven approach that will get you stronger over time, without causing you to burn out. 

Progressive resistance training, where you gradually increase weight or intensity over time, builds higher-quality muscle. And this isn’t about packing on size; even modest improvements in strength relative to your body size may pay big metabolic dividends.

Together With NOBULL 
You Asked, We Listened

Many of you loved our recent Special Report about training shoes. But we also received two common questions: 

1) How do you test products?

2) Can the discount come back? (because many people read the guide after the special offer expired)

Here’s the truth: you can’t buy your way into being in Arnold’s Pump Club. We purchase, request, and test every product we feature. 

We’ve turned down dozens of brands. As we shared previously, we even said no to a 7-figure offer because the product didn’t meet our standards. 

Our only goal is finding tools that can make your life better every day. And it’s why we often make recommendations for products before there is any partnership deal. At the same time, we love extending extra benefits and discounts.

So when it came to recommending hybrid shoes, we tested them ourselves during the activities that matter, including lifting, rucking, running, sled pushes, and sprints. The clear winner for hybrid training was the NOBULL Drive Ripstop.

The reason was everything we shared in the guide: Research on footwear biomechanics shows that midsole hardness directly affects energy transfer. If it is too soft, you lose force under load; if it is too hard, you increase impact forces in dynamic tasks. Cross-trainers or hybrid shoes aim for the sweet spot. 

And that’s where the Drive Ripstop won out. It’s stable enough for squats and deadlifts. Cushioned enough for sprints and jumps. Locked-in support for cuts and pivots. Durable enough to survive all of it. Instead of juggling three pairs of shoes, this one did it all.

We asked NOBULL to bring the deal back — and they agreed for a limited time. 

Use code ARNOLDPC50 to get $50 OFF the Drive Ripstop. But hurry: this extended offer is live for 48 hours only.

Adam’s Corner
The Distance Between Then and Now

A few weeks ago, I found an old email I had sent to myself when I was in college.

The subject line was all-caps: GET YOUR SH*T TOGETHER.

The message was short. Angry. Desperate.

“You’re falling behind. Everyone is going to pass you. You can’t afford to feel this way. Fix it. Train harder. Work more. Figure it out.”

It took me back to the moment when I wrote an email in the middle of the night during my senior year. 

I had a dream where my father warned me about the danger of waiting for everything to be just right before taking chances. It was an Any Given Sunday style talk, the punch line amounting to the proverbial, “Every moment you’re not working, someone else is — and that’s why they get ahead. If you believe anything else, you’re lying to yourself.”

I stared at the words in the email for a while. I could feel the heat behind them. The panic. The need to do something — hell, anything — that might make the discomfort go away and help me elevate and avoid the warning of my father’s words. 

What I remember most from that time wasn’t the pressure to succeed. It was the fear of not becoming someone.

It was strange reading the words written by the earlier version of me. I recognized the voice. But it didn’t feel the same. Like hearing a song from high school that once spoke to you on a deeper level and realizing it no longer does.

The funny thing is, to an extent, I still believe in much of what my father said in the dream. Apathy and blame are a dangerous drug. Entitlement takes your edge. Denying the value of hard work is to ignore the potential that lives within us all. And maybe most importantly, success ultimately comes down to being relentless, not stopping just because things don’t go your way, and doing your best to control what you can and ignoring everything else. 

Today’s version of me still believes in accountability, but I no longer feel the same pressure, despite having much more at stake. The younger version of me — the one who sent the email — thought everything was urgent. I was battling time. And there was no room for failure or growth. Back then, struggles meant you were broken. That rest was for the weak. And that success would finally silence the noise.

That version of me wasn’t stupid. But he was scared.

Scared of being invisible. Scared of not measuring up. Scared of wasting potential. Scared that he might be too much — and not enough — all at once.

He measured his worth by how hard he worked and how much he could carry without asking for help. He was proud of his resilience, even as it was quietly wrecking him.

And for a long time, I thanked that version of me for pushing through it all.

Until I realized: he wasn’t pushing through. He was running.

Stop Running, Start Accepting

Last week, I celebrated my 14th wedding anniversary and my 43rd birthday. Age speaks to me differently. I think about what my dad was like when he was my age, and I think about what I expected life to be like. And because I lost my dad far too soon, I’m left wondering if there were anything he would’ve done differently. I asked him many times, but my dad’s way of tricking death into granting him more time was that he never acted like cancer would take him. That allowed him to live longer than doctors thought, and left me with selfish questions. But on my birthday, it hit me that I don’t need the answers.

I realize how little I knew back then and how little I still know now.

The difference is I’m finally figuring out how to be at peace with the uncertainty and welcome the beginner’s mindset at any stage of life.

To those who know me best (especially my wife), that might come as a surprise. I’m quietly confident. And there are many topics when I think I’m “right” or know what I’m talking about. And that characteristic means, at times, I can come across as if I have all the answers. 

But here’s the thing: I no longer believe that growth is about collecting answers or being right. And I don’t think I know everything or that I’m infallible. 

When I believe something, I lean into it and trust myself. At the same time, I keep an open mind, and when I’m wrong — and I’m wrong a lot — I’ll be the first to admit it and own it. 

I don’t see the point in fighting about being right when you learn and grow so much from being wrong. I tell my kids that their superpower is that no matter what happens, good or bad, they always have the ability to make something better. 

I feel the same way about the answers we seek. It’s OK to have strong opinions, but it’s not OK to have blind spots or cling to stubbornness as a way to create a scaffolding of self-confidence. 

Because confidence isn’t about being right. It’s about being OK with being wrong and not letting it shake the foundations of who you are and who you are meant to be. 

It’s on my long list of illusions that people tout as a badge of honor, but just serve as a facade of control.

I no longer feel the need to be right all the time. Or, pretending that I’ve outsmarted fear, or that I got my shit together once and for all. 

I’ve learned that the biggest transformations don’t show up on a resume or in the mirror. They don’t announce themselves with confetti. 

You notice strength, confidence, and grit in the quiet moments, like when someone needs you, and you don’t disappear. When plans fall apart, and you don’t. When you say “I don’t know” without shame. When you rest without guilt. When you love without keeping score. Show compassion without a gotcha. And can admit the lies you tell yourself. 

The younger me thought success meant never feeling lost again.

The older me knows: if you’re doing life right, you’ll feel lost again and again. But that’s not a problem as long as you keep learning, keep evolving, and keep finding joy in the things you have, rather than feeling angst and anger about the things you don’t. 

At 43, I’ve lost far more than I ever thought I would. By some measures, some parts have never felt emptier. And, at the same time, I’ve never been happier. Even five years ago, being able to admit both of those realities was something I didn’t think was possible.

I trust that confusion isn’t failure. That good doesn’t require perfection. And that feeling whole doesn’t require every part of life to meet your expectations. Because the greatest growth usually follows the heaviest friction.

So today, instead of sharing a list of 43 things I’ve learned, I’d rather deliver the one thing leading me forward:

What matters most isn’t how quickly you find clarity, but how gently you treat yourself while you search for it — even if it never all makes sense.

You’re not supposed to be who you were. And you’re not supposed to be done growing either.

The real question isn’t, “What have I learned in 43 years?” It’s: What am I finally ready to learn now?

And maybe the gift of getting older isn’t figuring out the answers. It’s the courage and patience to live into them. -AB

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell