Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted he still has to deal with his body image as a 76-year-old man.
During an interview on The Howard Stern Show, the actor and former governor of California revealed that he feels like “damaged goods” and admitted that it “sucks” to see signs of aging.
The actor shared that he struggles with the body he now sees in the mirror after spending most of his life in tip-top shape as a bodybuilding champion and Hollywood action hero.
“I kind of just smile because every day I look in a mirror and say, ‘Yeah, you suck. Look at this body. Look at those pecs that used to be tight and strong and really powerful and had striation in them. “Now they’re just hanging there.”
“I mean, what the hell is going on here?” he told Stern while promoting his new self-help book, “Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life.”
‘It sucks’: Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted he’s still coming to terms with aging and his body image as a 76-year-old man after being ‘celebrated as this supreme body for years’
While the seven-time Mr. Olympia champion knows that most people struggle with the same body image crisis, he argued that most people don’t know what it feels like to go from the idealized “Superman” body to the average man.
“Most people have never been in shape.” So what does it mean to be out of shape? They always looked at a shitty body. So it gets worse over time,” he explained.
“It’s just like, when you’ve been celebrated for years as having this amazing body, you have the definition and you see the veins running down your abs, and you see the veins at the top of your chest, and now you turn the clock 50 years and you stand there and you don’t see it anymore,” he said of his changing body.
Although the Terminator star made it clear that he looks better than the “majority” of people his age, he’s still not satisfied.
“When I was 30 or 40 years old, I never thought about it [was] “That’s what’s going to happen,” he added. “It just sucks.”
The Thai native then turned the topic of conversation back to the host, praising him for staying slim.
“I’m always amazed at how slim you’ve remained.” “You haven’t gained any weight,” the father of five told Stern. “But that’s smart.” “Only those who are slim can live longer and healthier lives.”
He further revealed that as part of his strategy to stay slim and in shape, he only eats two meals a day: breakfast and dinner.
Harsh reality: “I kind of just smile because every day I look in a mirror and say, “Yeah, you suck. Look at this body. Look at those pecs that used to be tight and strong and really strong with a striation.” “In there. Now they’re just hanging there,” revealed actor and former politician Howard Stern
Conclusion: Although the Terminator star made it clear that he looks better than the “majority” of people his age, he is still not happy with his body at 76 years old
High praise: “I am always amazed at how slim you have remained.” “You haven’t gained any weight,” the father of five said to Stern. “But that’s smart.” Only those who are slim can live longer and healthier lives.
Insight: Schwarzenegger revealed that everything changed for him after he underwent open-heart surgery at age 50, leaving him feeling like “damaged goods” for the first time
The “Predator” actor says everything changed for him after he underwent open-heart surgery at age 50 and left him feeling like “damaged goods” for the first time.
“That was the first time I felt kind of vulnerable,” the fitness guru said.
“Where the doctor suddenly says, “You shouldn’t lift so heavy anymore.” Or just pay attention when you breathe. When you practice exhaling, be careful not to keep the air inside pressed because that puts too much strain on the valves in your heart.
Schwarzenegger further shared that he doesn’t think life is the same as it was when he was 30 or 40, “where you could do anything and never have to think about anything.”
“Now all of a sudden you have to start thinking about these things, to warm up to this and that.” But am I upset about that? No, because there’s nothing I can do about it.’
He’s trying to cope with aging, and that includes facing the challenges that come his way
“It’s the only choice we have,” he said, adding: “The bottom line is that I’m 76 years old.” I’m full of energy. I am full of enthusiasm. “I’m just as enthusiastic and excited as I was when I was 30.”
Legendary: The Thai native initially gained recognition as a bodybuilding champion, which also includes seven Mr. Olympia titles
Action hero status: Schwarzenegger used his toned body to pursue a highly successful film career, initially as an action hero
Promo Mode: Schwarzenegger is currently promoting his new self-help book, “Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life,” which is expected to be available on October 24th
Schwarzenegger then went deeper into his mindset and revealed how he takes each day as it comes.
“I just see mountains to climb,” he said. “And as long as I see these mountains, I keep my enthusiasm and my excitement and the fire in my belly to keep climbing and climbing, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Schwarzenegger’s upcoming new book, Be Useful: Seven Tools For Life, is scheduled to be available on October 24th.
In it, he shares his seven rules you must follow to “discover your true purpose in life” by discussing his own journey of ceaseless reinvention and extraordinary achievements, which includes once in his life the was the greatest bodybuilder in the world; the highest paid movie star in the world; and as governor of California from 2003 to 2011, the leader of the world’s sixth largest economy.