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Today’s Health Upgrade
Number you won’t forget
Are you betting on yourself?
Weekly wisdom
Why “what will go wrong?” can help your plans go right
Arnold's most popular column of 2025
Longevity
Number You Won’t Forget: 70 Percent
The Trait That Adds Years to Your Life (And Has Nothing To Do With Diet or Exercise)
One of the most powerful longevity tools we have doesn’t live in the gym or the kitchen — it lives in your mindset.
A study of more than 70,000 adults found that the most optimistic people tend to live longer, and it could be a key ingredient to becoming a super-ager.
All week, we’ve been supporting you with research that suggests the benefits behind Arnold’s Zero Negativity Diet. As we come to the end of the week, this research shows why reducing pessimism isn’t just about feeling better today; it may literally change how long you’re here tomorrow.
Researchers from Harvard and Boston University followed nearly 72,000 people for up to 30 years. They measured optimism and then tracked mortality, causes of death, and key lifestyle factors over multiple decades.
The most optimistic participants lived up to 15 percent longer than the least optimistic. They were also nearly 70% more likely to reach age 85, a threshold longevity scientists consider “exceptional aging.” And these results held even after controlling for diet, smoking, exercise, education, and baseline health. Optimism didn’t just correlate with longevity; it appeared to protect it.
If negativity shortens lifespan and optimism extends it, the Zero Negativity Diet isn’t just a mental reset. It’s training for a longer, healthier life.
And before you say you’re not an optimist, it’s a skill that can be learned. Simple practices like visualization, reframing negative thoughts, and daily gratitude reps help shift your default outlook over time. ‘
Better Every Day
It’s January 1. Are You Betting On Yourself?
Right now, you’re setting goals, making resolutions, and creating a plan for 2026. The question is not whether you start today, tomorrow, or Monday. It’s whether that choice will still be working in February and beyond.
Because you know how resolutions go.
Today, you’re loaded with motivation. But you need a system designed to survive real life.
That’s the real enemy: plans that look great on January 1 and collapse the first week you miss a workout or eat off-plan.
The Pump Club app was built for those moments, not perfection.
The Pump Club removes guesswork, is adaptable when you need it, and keeps you moving even on weeks when life wins. It works because it surrounds you with everything you need: coaching, structure, and accountability — training, nutrition, and mindset — working together instead of fighting each other.
And because we know trust comes from proof, not promises, we stacked the odds in your favor.
When you complete the 12-week Foundation on an annual plan, we’ll pay back 50%. Not for buying. For following through. For doing what you say you want to do today.
Picture yourself weeks from now — stronger, consistent, calm, healthier, happier — knowing this time you chose the right system. And then get paid back because you committed.
Make this the year your effort finally compounds. Bet on yourself. Because we are betting on you, too.
Mindset
Weekly Wisdom
Most people don’t get stuck because they don’t know enough.
They get stuck because they’re convinced they already know.
They’ve tried the diet before. They’ve followed a program once. They “know” what works for them, even if it hasn’t worked in years.
That illusion of certainty is comforting. It protects your ego.
But it quietly blocks progress.
The most powerful move at the start of a new year isn’t doubling down on what you think you know. It’s loosening your grip on old assumptions long enough to ask for help.
Because growth requires friction, feedback, and a fresh perspective.
Every meaningful breakthrough — in training, nutrition, health, or life — starts the same way:
“Maybe there’s something I don’t see yet.”
That’s not ignorance. That’s wisdom knocking.
Turn Wisdom Into Action
This week, identify at least one belief you’ve been clinging to about your health or goals that hasn’t delivered results and do the opposite of protecting it: ask a question. Get feedback. Invite guidance.
Progress doesn’t come from knowing more; it comes from being willing to learn again.
Adam’s Corner
Fresh Ice: Why the Best Plans Prepare for Things to Go Wrong
The calendar flipped yesterday, and I was still staring at a blank page.
Writing a New Year’s column always feels a little more complicated because people want clarity at the moment when everything is aligned for a fresh start. We want a formula that guarantees progress. Something tidy enough to follow, rigid enough to trust. And every year I hesitate, because I know how this story usually ends.
So each year, I’m left wrestling the question: What do people actually need right now?
This year, I went back to the people I’ve worked with closely who’ve shaped how I think about change.
There’s Arnold, who doesn’t do resolutions at all. He believes in vision, not vows. You don’t swear allegiance to a perfect year. You decide who you’re becoming, you build habits, and then you show up — over and over again — until it becomes a routine.
There’s Tim Ferriss, who I worked with for many years, who treats the end of the year like an honest audit. What worked? What didn’t? What drained you? What moved you forward? No romance. No guilt. Just reflection that creates leverage.
And then there’s Frank Blake, former CEO of The Home Depot, one of the most grounded leaders I’ve ever met. Frank once told me that what he missed most about Home Depot wasn’t the scale or the strategy. It was the people. The daily encounters. The moments you couldn’t optimize or predict.
He shared a story that has stayed with me. He was eating with a group of associates, including a young man from Maine. Frank asked him what he enjoyed most about working at Home Depot.
“I love skating and hockey,” the man said. “The best thing about skating is when you step onto new ice, and it is clean and fresh. It’s fresh ice” And he related that to meeting people and interacting. The lesson: Connecting with people is fresh ice.
It’s a beautiful idea. And for a long time, I thought that was the lesson: connection renews us. New conversations. New faces. New energy.
But the longer I sat with it, the more I realized something else.
Meeting people isn’t the only fresh ice.
If you’re looking for direction in the new year, here’s something I’ve learned. It took years, and more than a few failed Januarys, to understand:
There is no single right way to plan a year.
Just like there’s no single diet.
No single workout.
No perfect habit, routine, or morning ritual.
There is a method to finding what works for you. And yes, that can feel maddening. But it’s also deeply freeing. It means you’re not broken because someone else’s system didn’t work. It means you don’t have to take another person’s path to make progress.
Which brings me to the one idea that’s helped me more than any resolution, vision board, or goal-setting worksheet.
Inversion.
Inversion is the practice of working backward. Instead of asking, “What do I want to achieve?” you start with a harder, more honest question:
“What do I want to avoid?”
Charlie Munger popularized the framework by turning goal-setting on its head. By asking "What would cause this to fail?" instead of "How do I succeed?" you start to look at things differently.
Inversion isn’t just about avoiding bad outcomes. It’s about planning for things to go wrong because they will. It’s about being honest in ways we usually aren’t. And that honesty leads to the breakthroughs you desire.
Inversion means asking thing like:
When you set a diet, when are you most likely to fall apart?
When you commit to working out, what will get in the way?
When you say you want to save money, where do you tend to overspend?
This is the part most plans skip. Not because it’s unimportant, but because it’s uncomfortable.
At first glance, inversion can look pessimistic. Like you’re assuming failure before you begin. But I see it differently. I think it’s the most optimistic viewpoint there is because it acknowledges your human side.
It recognizes that willpower isn’t infinite. That stress shows up unannounced. That motivation fades. That life doesn’t ask for permission before it interrupts your plans. And it taps into a simple truth we don’t say out loud often enough: we all need help.
There’s real wisdom in being self-aware enough to say, “Here’s where I struggle.”
Not as a confession. Not as a flaw. But as information.
Because once you can name the moment things usually fall apart, you can stop letting the same mistake pull you down every time.
This is the shift that changes everything.
Confidence doesn’t come from believing nothing will go wrong.
It comes from knowing what you’ll do when it does.
Here’s how to turn inversion into something practical, something that builds belief, not just hope.
First: write the failure story.
Not dramatically. Honestly.
“If this plan goes sideways, what’s the most likely reason?”
Late nights. Travel. Social pressure. Boredom. Perfectionism. All of it counts.
Second: design a response, not a rescue.
You don’t need a perfect solution. You need a realistic one.
If workouts get skipped when life gets busy, what’s the minimum you’ll do?
If eating well collapses under stress, what’s your fallback meal?
If motivation disappears, who — or what — do you default to?
Third: borrow clarity from someone who knows you.
If you’re not sure where you’ll screw this up, ask a close friend.
Not for advice. For honesty.
Say: “Here’s what I want to do. Where do you think I’ll get in my own way?”
That question alone can save you months of frustration.
And this is where Frank Blake’s fresh ice takes on new meaning.
Fresh ice isn’t just meeting people.
Fresh ice is breaking a pattern that’s held you back.
Fresh ice is building a plan that fits your real life.
Fresh ice is adjusting without quitting.
Fresh ice is realizing that resilience — not perfection — is the skill that carries you forward.
The New Year doesn’t need a flawless blueprint.
It needs honesty, flexibility, and a plan that survives contact with reality.
So maybe this year isn’t about becoming someone new.
Maybe it’s about meeting yourself where you actually are and stepping forward anyway with a better plan designed for the ebb and flow of life.
If you can do that, I’m confident that fresh ice is waiting for you. -AB
Arnold’s Corner
Easy or Hard? It’s Time To Make The Right Choice
Arnold shared 51 Powerful Columns in 2025. This One Moved You The Most, And Could Make All The Difference As You Start A New Year.
In his script for King Conan, John Milius wrote one of the most powerful scenes I’ve read in any script.
Conan had become complacent after years on the throne. He no longer had the same hunger, and his sword had become an artifact on his wall instead of the instrument of action you remember from Conan the Barbarian. He was at that point in his life where he was content to relive his glory days instead of creating new ones.
Then, one night, he’s walking through the dark halls of his castle, and Death — the devil — confronts him.
The devil tells Conan he’s old and tired, and invites him to just come with him, where he can relax and rest in comfort.
It awakens something in Conan, and in his old Barbarian fashion, he tells the devil, “Fuck you,” and unsheaths his sword for the first time in ages to literally fight Death himself.
I won’t spoil the whole story in case someone ever decides we should finally make King Conan, but I think a lot of you, especially those of you who are aging, might see yourself in this scene.
And last week, when I went to visit John Milius, I had to use his own lines on the man himself, because he needed to hear it. You know John as the writer of some of the greatest movies of all time, like Apocalypse Now, and as the director of Conan and other amazing movies. He’s a friend and a mentor, and I owe my career to him, so as he is fighting cancer and other health challenges, I feel a duty to be there to pump him up.
Let’s be honest: aging can be a real pain in the ass, and seeing ourselves and our best friends get older can make us want to hide.
But that’s when we have to show up for ourselves and them.
John has been a real champion, fighting this cancer with courage. But I know it’s hard to go through chemo, and his nurse told me he needs to get up and walk more, so I asked him if he’s walking.
He told me he didn’t feel like it, and I reminded him of what he wrote about Conan.
I said:
“John, that’s not you who doesn’t want to walk. That’s the devil inside you. You know better than anyone he will play tricks on you. He will tell you to lie down, to just relax, to choose comfort. That’s because he wants you sooner. But you have to say “Fuck you!” like Conan. He can have you some day, but not today. This is a battle, and you are a gladiator. It goes from morning to night.”
I saw that famous Milius fire light up in his eyes, and he put out his hand for me. I helped him up, and we did a lap, and then another. His body was waking up and his mind was deciding to fight. He wanted to walk more, and I had to make him rest between sets of walking.
I’ll go back to keep pushing him, but I asked him if I could tell this story to all of you.
Because the reality is, that devil tries to play tricks on all of us. It will tell you that there is no point, that your best days are behind you, that you might as well be comfortable.
It is your job to fight back, every single day.
Yes, exercising might be uncomfortable.
Yes, eating good food might not be as tasty.
I get it. We all want easy. But that’s the devil talking, because the reality is that the “easy” life is a mirage.
People who choose easy end up living a much harder, less joyful life.
We know this from science, and from experience. They are more likely to have diabetes, heart problems, Alzheimer’s, aches and pains, low energy — you name an ailment that people complain about, and not exercising and eating crappy food makes it a certainty. That devil on your shoulder wants the best for him, which is the worst for you.
The great news is, like John and me, all of you have the power to fight.
All you need is the will. I have seen it over and over.
In The Pump app village, I’ve seen people decide after years of listening to the devil on their shoulder that they are going to battle. I’ve seen them lose 30, 75, even 150 pounds. I’ve seen them cut their resting heart rate in half and make their doctors say, “Whatever you’re doing, don’t stop” when they go to their physicals. I’ve seen them drop their cholesterol and pull out of pre-diabetes. I’ve heard them say their lives are much less painful.
These are not bodybuilders. These are normal people, many of them exercising for the first time. They are not all young. I’ve heard the same story from 20 year olds that I’ve heard from 80 year olds.
They’re men, women, young, old, advanced, beginner. All they have in common is that they have all decided to fight that devil.
You can do it, too. You deserve it. You owe it to yourself to fight.
Be like Conan. Tell Death, “Fuck you.”
Or, if you prefer more elegant language, as the famous Dylan Thomas poem says:
“Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
And that’s it for this week. Happy New Year to all our APC readers, both new and old. We’re thrilled that you’re a part of the positive corner of the internet, and we look forward to helping you have an incredible 2026. Enjoy your first weekend of the new year!
-Arnold, Adam, and Daniel
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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell
