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Today’s Health Upgrade
You can't screw this up
How to outsmart calorie-counting
Why "sleeping-in" can backfire
Workout of the week
Want more stories from Arnold? Listen to Arnold's Pump Club podcast. It's like the daily newsletter, but with additional narration and thoughts from Arnold. You can subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
You Can't Screw This Up
Today is the day to show the power of the village. Adam’s new book, You Can’t Screw This Up, is out. In it, Adam shares the 5 tools for building healthier habits, why so many diets are designed to fail, and how to live your healthiest life while still eating takeout and enjoying dessert. Get your copy at any online book seller, or visit www.cantscrewthisup.com for a chance to win a trip to train with me at Gold's Gym.
How To Outsmart Calorie-Counting
If you hate counting calories but want to eat more and lose more, a study about nuts can help you understand how picking the right foods can simplify the weight loss equation.
In one study, participants were asked to eat approximately 1 serving of walnuts per day for three weeks, and then the researchers collected urine and feces to determine how the energy from the nuts were being absorbed. It seems pretty boring (and maybe a little gross), until you see what happened.
The nuts were 185 calories. But, people only absorbed about 145 of those calories. That means people burned approximately 20 percent of the caloric content, which is a perfect example of how all calories are not equal.
This wasn’t the first time researchers witnessed this phenomenon. High-fiber foods tend to require more energy. The same can be said for protein. Some research suggests that up to 30 percent of your calories you eat from protein will be burned during the digestive process. In other words, for every 100 calories of protein you eat, your body might only absorb 70 calories.
Add it up, and research suggests that protein and fiber are your best friends for controlling your hunger and calories.
When you eat protein and fiber, you'll absorb fewer calories, feel fuller for longer, and help your brain feel more satisfied, so you crave less food. That combination will help you manage your hunger and lose weight, without ever counting a calorie.
Why Sleeping-In Can Backfire
We’re not your parents, but you might benefit from setting a consistent bedtime. Researchers found that irregular sleep patterns are associated with a higher likelihood of atherosclerosis.
This is not about an ideal bed time or number of hours you must sleep (although we have shared that 7 to 9 hours is probably your best bet). It’s more about creating a consistent schedule that determines when you go to bed and how long to sleep.
In the study, people with greater sleep irregularity — which was defined as shifting the amount of hours of sleep and the time you go to bed — had more plaque buildup in their arteries. So, instead of going to bed one night at 10 pm and other nights at 1 am, it’s best to have a similar bedtime and get a similar number of hours each night.
If your job doesn’t let you sleep at the same time, the research provides some clues about how much variation you can have without causing help problems.
For your sleep duration, don’t alter the amount you sleep each night by more than 2 hours. For example, if you get 6 hours one night, it's best to get 8 hours the next night instead of overcompensating and sleeping for 10 hours. For sleep timing, try not to vary your bedtime by more than 60 minutes.
While your body will tolerate some variation, if your sleep time and duration are inconsistent every week, it could lead to health issues. Like Arnold says, build the habit, make it a routine, and do it consistently!
Fortune Feimster’s Healthy Habits
As promised, this week, I’m going to be sharing the routines and habits of my FUBAR co-stars (make sure to add the show your list). Today, I’m featuring Fortune Feimster, who plays a fellow CIA agent on the show. Fortune is hilarious, and she has two Netflix comedy specials, Sweet & Salty and Good Fortune.
What's something you recently added to your daily routine that keeps you healthy?
“We started walking our dog every night after dinner. He loves it and it makes me feel better after dinner. Plus, I go to bed feeling better.”
What's one thing you do every single day to strengthen your mental health?
“I'm a hugger. I hug everybody. Even strangers. I honestly think it can be very therapeutic and gives you a sense of calm. That's if you like hugs.”
In training for this role, did you learn any workout or strength/agility techniques you're going to continue to do forever?
“When I found out I’d be filming with Arnold, I was excited and then I panicked because I’m not exactly known for my health and fitness. I immediately started training with a friend of mine. She taught me how to work out using intervals where we'd go hard for five minutes, take a quick break, go hard, take a break, etc. So my whole routine is more high impact but for a shorter amount of time.”
Want more from Fortune? You can read about her best on-set Arnold memory.
