Old age is something everybody eventually has to deal with, and turns out Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger is no different. With a certain age comes certain differences in your body, and although some seem content with it, others struggle to accept those changes.
Interestingly, one of Hollywood’s most iconic action heroes, Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of them. It certainly could be a matter of him being in the absolute best shape all his life, and winning not only people’s hearts with his movies but also his Olympia victories.
As a result, not being able to do what he could have a few years ago, or the inevitable changes his physique went through, took a toll on him for a while. It is interesting because even at 75 years old, he is astonishingly chiseled and fitter than anybody his age. But a look at the mirror at times, seemed to have rendered all those facts to dust and left him wondering what exactly went wrong.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s struggle to accept old-age
Arnold Schwarzenegger once admitted in an interview that his old age made him extremely self-conscious. In fact, he could not even stand to look at himself in the mirror at one point. The 7 time Olympia champion claimed that although he is in terrific achievements and extremely glad about where he is in his life, he feels, “s***ty when I look at myself in the mirror.”
And while his career might no longer require him, “ripping off my shirt and trying to sell the body,” he struggled to accept the changes his age brought about. As he said,
“But when I stand in front of the mirror and really look, I wonder: What the f*** happened here? Jesus Christ. What a beating!”
He also agreed that his past records might be the reason why it was harder for him to adjust, although he might be in a lot better shape than any other 70-something-year-old. He noted recalling his golden days,
“I was Mr. Universe, Mr. Olympia, and at any given time could bench-press 500 pounds or do squats with 500 pounds and lift 700, and then all of a sudden you see your body no longer in shape.”
As a result, for him, “Old age sucks.” However, thankfully, he did come out of that mental space with some adjustments to his thinking and routines.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s path to accepting the inevitable
According to him, it took a lot of adjustments, both in diet and workout routines for him to fully accept himself once again. Especially as old age makes people more prone to injuries, and other problems that spark up from time to time. He noted,
“You get injuries easily. Then all of a sudden everyone has their little health problems. My vulnerability has always been my heart, so I have to watch that very carefully. I enjoy bicycling down to Gold’s Gym every morning and working out.”
As a result, these days he tries to focus more on machine workouts than the weight lifting he was used to. However, as he claimed to be addicted to working out he must start his day with a gym session. But thankfully, he elaborated, “I’ve chosen to adapt to my age, make my workouts a little bit different, and focused on staying lean, and avoiding injury.” And so,
“Today, even though my body won’t react the way it did 50 years ago, I can maintain as much as I can and it brings me great joy.”
This seems quite amazing from a fitness point of view as the main focus should always be on being healthy and keeping your mind happy. Thankfully, his acceptance of himself and his new routine seems to have gone a long way to achieve that.
Source: Showbiz CheatSheet
