Arnold Schwarzenegger, 76, confesses he struggles with his aging body and feels like ‘damaged goods’ in candid interview: ‘It just sucks’
Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted he’s still coming to terms with his body image as a 76-year-old man.
During the interview on The Howard Stern Show, The actor and former California governor revealed he feels like “damaged goods” and admitted that seeing signs of aging is “bullshit”.
The actor said he struggles with the body he now sees in the mirror after spending most of his life in rock-solid shape as a champion bodybuilder and Hollywood action hero.
“I just laugh because I look in the mirror every day and I’m like, ‘Yeah, shit.’ Look at this body. Look at those pectoral muscles that used to be firm and vibrant and really powerful with stripes inside. Now they just hang 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’s bullshit’: Arnold Schwarzenegger admits he’s still coming to terms with aging and his body image as a 76-year-old man after years of being ‘celebrated as this ultimate body’
Although the seven-time champion Mr. Olympia knows most people face the same body image crisis, he said most people don’t know what it feels like to go from the idealized ‘Superman’ physique to the average man.
“Most people have never been in shape.” So what does it mean to get out of shape? They always looked at the f***ing body. So it gets shittier as time goes on,” he explained.
“It’s just when you’ve been praised for years as this ultimate body, you have definition and you see the veins going down your abs, and you see the veins at the top of your chest and now you’ve been cutting and turning the clock for 50 years and you’re standing there and you don’t see it anymore,” he said. about his changing body.
Although the Terminator star explained that he looks better than “most” people his age, he’s still not satisfied.
“I never, ever, when I was in my 30s or 40s, I thought that this (would) happen,” he added. ‘It’s just bullshit.’
The Thai from Austria then turned the topic of conversation back to the host, praising him for staying thin.
“I’m always surprised at how long you guys have stayed.” You haven’t gained weight,” the father of five told Stern. “But this is smart. You can only live longer and healthier if you are slim.’
He further revealed that he only eats two meals a day: breakfast and dinner, in his strategy to try to stay slim and fit.
The harsh reality: “I just laugh because every day I look in the mirror and say, ‘Yeah, you’re bad.’ Look at this body. Look at those pectoral muscles that used to be firm and vibrant and really powerful with stripes there. Now they’re just hanging there,” the actor and former politician revealed to Howard Stern
Make up: Although the Terminator star explained he looks better than ‘most’ people his age, he’s still not happy with his body at 76
Big praise: “I’m always surprised at how much you stay. You haven’t gained weight,” the father of five told Stern. “But this is smart. You can only live longer and healthier if you are slim’
Realisation: Schwarzenegger revealed everything changed for him after he had open-heart surgery aged 50, leaving him feeling like ‘damaged goods’ for the first time
The Predator actor says everything changed for him after he had open-heart surgery aged 50, which left him feeling like ‘damaged goods’ for the first time.
“It was the first time I felt kind of vulnerable,” the exercise guru said.
“Where suddenly the doctor says: “You shouldn’t be lifting such a load anymore. Or just pay attention when you breathe. When you practice exhalation, don’t keep the air pressed in because that puts too much pressure on your valves. in my heart.
Schwarzenegger went on to say that he doesn’t think life is the same as when he was in his 30s or 40s “where you could do anything and you never had to think about anything.”
“Now all of a sudden you have to start thinking about those things to warm to this, and to warm to that.” But am I upset about it? No, because there’s nothing I can do about it.’
He tries to fully embrace aging, which includes accepting those challenges as they come
It’s the only choice we have,” he said, before adding: “The bottom line is I’m 76 years old. I am full of energy. I am full of enthusiasm. I’m as enthusiastic and excited as I was when I was 30.’
Legendary: Thai, Austria first gained recognition as a bodybuilding champion that includes seven Mr. titles. Olympia
Action Hero Status: Schwarzenegger used his ripped physique to thrive with a hugely successful film career, first as an action hero
Promo mode: Schwarzenegger is currently promoting his upcoming new self-help book Be Helpful: Seven Tools for Life, which is due out on October 24
Schwarzenegger then delved deeper into his mindset to reveal how he experiences each day as it comes.
“I just see mountains in front of me that I can climb,” he said. ‘And so as long as I see those mountains, I keep my enthusiasm and I keep my excitement and that 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 set to be available on October 24.
In it, he shares his seven rules to follow to ‘realize your true purpose in life’ by opening up about his own journey of constant reinvention and extraordinary achievement which includes being the world’s biggest bodybuilder at one point in his life; the highest paid movie star in the world; and leader of the world’s sixth largest economy as governor of California from 2003-2011.