Salsa Classes Improved Mood. The Dancing Probably Wasn't Why.

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Today’s Health Upgrade

Instant Health Boost
Why "Salsa Boosts Mood" Is The Wrong Headline

There's a new study floating around suggesting that salsa dancing helps depression. That's not technically wrong. But the takeaway from the study is much better if you were born with two left feet.

The study did not prove that "salsa cures depression." Instead, it suggests that social activities, learning new skills, and having something scheduled are all different ways to lift low mood.

This might not feel groundbreaking, but it's a good reminder for how simple it can be to lift your mood.

Researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial in which they compared the mood of people who took eight weeks of salsa with that of those on a wait list. The dancers' depression scores dropped more than the waitlist group's. They also reported bigger reductions in social anxiety and an increase in daily happiness.

The interesting part is that after the classes ended, the gap between the dance group and the waitlist group was smaller. But when researchers followed up 4 weeks after the classes ended, the mood gap was even larger for people who took salsa. 

So whatever was working didn't stop when the music did, which suggests we can't credit the salsa alone.

This isn't a knock on the study, but an honest look at what might be causing the changes, so you can apply them in other ways outside of salsa.

Moving your body, listening to music, being around people, learning a new skill, having hobbies scheduled, and feeling accomplished are all tied to a better mood on their own. A salsa class just happens to bundle all of them together. And that’s the most likely reason it led to positive results.

On Our Radar
The Calorie Math That Doesn’t Add Up For Women

If you're a woman in your 40s or in perimenopause and feel like you're doing everything "right" but the progress has stalled, a new study hints that part of the problem might not be your effort. 

It might be your reliance on the wrong technology and misleading math.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina compared calorie-burn estimates from popular predictive equations — the same formulas used by most fitness apps and online calculators — against indirect calorimetry, the gold-standard lab method for measuring how many calories your body actually burns at rest. 

In midlife women, the equations tended to overpredict calorie burn.

And the reliance on today’s technology might explain part of the friction and frustration women experience.

Research suggests that your metabolism doesn’t slow down until after you hit 60, but you start seeing your body change dramatically in your 40s and 50s because of changes in your exercise habits, sleep, and diet. 

While hormones undeniably change, these changes affect your cravings, mood, and energy levels. So, it makes it harder to stay active and manage what you eat, but that does not mean your metabolism turns its back on you.

Menopause can affect your appetite and how you feel, making you eat more and exercise less. However, according to research and leading experts, changes in metabolism don’t happen because of menopause; they occur because peri-menopause and menopause cause shifts in behavior that result in less lean mass (muscle) and more fat. 

This is a normal but very frustrating shift. And it’s why many researchers and experts recommend strength training for women as they age to help offset the behavioral changes. 

But here’s where the research adds a new layer. 

If wearable tech tells you your body burns more at rest than it truly does, a "deficit" built on that number isn't much of a deficit at all. 

That gap between what the tech says and what really happens in your body could explain a frustrating plateau. The kind that too often gets blamed on hormones or a broken body when it's really a measurement mismatch.

This isn't a story about a broken metabolism. The researchers discussed that your muscle is a key piece of the puzzle. Muscle is metabolically active, and protecting and building it is one of the most reliable levers you have. 

It’s why thousands of women — people like April and Peggy, in their 50s and 60s — are now in the best shape of their lives, don’t stress trackers, and aren’t forced to overthink. They just use the Pump Club app, lean on the community of women, and focus on what works while ignoring the rest of the noise. 

So keep lifting, prioritize protein, and consider relying less on the calorie burn number on your tracker.

Better Questions, Better Solutions
Whose Starting Line Are You Using?

Your day was fine, and then you started scrolling. 

A few minutes later, you’re making comparisons that didn’t exist a few moments prior. Someone's lifting what you're still working toward, posting the body you've wanted, running the pace you'd kill for. 

For some people, that’s motivating. A spark. Something that pushes you. 

For others, it’s demoralizing and a reason to quit.

If you’re looking at your own progress and feeling worse about yourself, there’s no reason to be down, especially if you’ve been consistent, are putting in the effort, and trying to make the changes that matter to you. 

Old question: Why is everyone else so far ahead of me?
Better question: What would I think of my progress if I'd never seen anyone else's?

It’s easy to say, “don’t compare yourself to anyone.” But it still happens. And that’s when the better question helps you focus on what matters. 

It’s not you vs. anyone else. It’s you vs. you. And the only measurement that matters is effort, consistency, and progress of any type.  

When you put your energy into comparison, it can be distracting. It’s a measurement error. 

The moments you see from others hide so much you can’t know. The timeline, the years of work, the genetics. And even where they began. 

Everyone has their own story. But you set someone else’s moments against your own and call the distance a personal failure, then you're grading yourself against a starting line that was never yours.

In one study, people browsed their own social media and rated how each post affected them. 

Upward comparisons (the folks who seemed better off) vastly outnumbered the downward ones, and the effect was overwhelmingly negative: a small dip after each post that added up to measurable drops in self-esteem, mood, and life satisfaction. 

It wasn’t just one post that did the damage. It was a bunch that added up. And that’s why it’s important to be aware of what happens.

That's the trap: never feeling too bothered by any one post. A single scroll won’t feel like damage. Until it adds up and starts affecting your actions, mindset, and behaviors.

Before you judge where you are, write down where you started. 

One number, one photo, one honest sentence about the version of you from whenever you started working towards your current goal. And then keep that as a reference for when you need it. 

This can help if you get distracted by others. And it can help if you realize you’re stuck and need to make a change. But in this situation, the inspiration doesn’t come from someone else. It comes from within, and that’s much more likely to lead to a change that sticks.  

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Publisher: Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Editors-in-chief: Adam Bornstein and Daniel Ketchell