Denton County Living Well Magazine January/February 2020 | Page 10

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
SPOTLIGHT
Arnold
Schwarzenegger
By Sondra Barr
The king of muscle
heads into the future with ambitious plans.
H
e is the undisputed king of muscle who became the
king of hustle. Driven by a seemingly insatiable
furnace of ambition, Arnold Schwarzenegger
speeds along from one project to another like
a locomotive on steroids (pun intended). 
At 72 years of age, Arnold is still working out, still appearing in films (like
2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate) and still inspiring future athletes, politicians, ac-
tors, and activists across the globe with half a dozen new initiatives. 
A former tank driver for the Austrian military, Schwarzenegger’s new aspiration was to become
a human tank. Built like an iron-muscled war machine, with an equally unbreakable spirit, he
won 13 bodybuilding competitions. This was in an era before fitness had become fully immersed
in popular culture, before Crossfit or Planet Fitness or 6-Minute Abs. He was the primary figure
that ushered fitness into the cultural Zeitgeist, leading to a multi-billion dollar global industry. 
In the beginning, friends and mentors worried that no one would ever be able to pronounce his name
or look past his thick Austrian accent. Now, Schwarzenegger has been a household name for over 40
years. His accent is beloved, and he is a quadruple threat (and counting), having become a superstar
in at least four arenas of public life, while continuing to build fame and credibility in other sectors.
He is globally famous for bodybuilding, Hollywood blockbuster films, entrepreneurship, philan-
thropy, activism, writing best-selling books on bodybuilding (and his autobiography, Total Recall,
named for one of his famous sci-fi thrillers). Not to mention, he served as California’s 38th gov-
ernor. He even playfully embraced the moniker of “The Governator” to the delight of some, and
to the chagrin of more serious-minded public servants. In short, Schwarzenegger transcended
being a mere sports icon to become one of the most famous people of this century and last. 
He credits his resolve to a drive to keep moving forward at any cost. Schwarzenegger says he is never
satisfied with standing still. “When people tell me I can’t do something, because no one has ever done
it, I love that, because it means I get to be the first to do it,” he said in his autobiography Total Recall.
Schwarzenegger has long served as a champion for youth and those with special needs. His
biography details his years of support for the Special Olympics and the continual dedication of
time raising awareness and funds about the importance of after-school youth programs. As the
founder and honorary chair of After-School All Stars, he helped raise over $12 million for af-
ter-school programs for underprivileged youth across America, reports Haute Living Magazine. 
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DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020