Denton County Living Well Magazine January/February 2020 | Page 11

As he explained to Men’s Health magazine, he want-
ed to “Democratize fitness.” In 1990, he became the
chair of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness,
and he continues with his health and wellness crusade
both by mentoring youngsters on healthy activities and
by way of his supplements company called Ladder.
Since exiting elective office in 2011, Schwarzenegger
has still committed great energy to politics and social
issues like climate change. He started the “R20
Regions of Climate Action” group to bring together
global resources and thought leaders to help stave
off global warming from human pollution.  
He also took up the cause of ending gerrymandering,
which is a fancy term for redistricting voting areas to
benefit a particular political party. In an interview with
The Atlantic, he passionately described gerrymandering
as “The evil of all evils,” because it leads to incumbents
getting reelected again and again, and isn’t a fair
representation of the political views in a given region. 
According to Variety, his films have grossed over $5 billion,
internationally. After a long and storied career of success
in film and athletics, with all his 13 championships, he
wanted to inspire others to be great—just as his heroes
like Eugene Sandow had inspired greatness in him. 
He succeeded in making California even more ambitiously
eco-friendly, in part through his Hydrogen Highway
and Million Solar Roofs Plan. In December of 2019, he
congratulated California for reaching its milestone one-
millionth solar roof, according to The Sacramento Bee. 
Schwarzenegger appeared at the CAA talent agency
in 2017, with Mayor Eric Garcetti, to discuss changing
the conversation around climate change. As reported
by Variety, he strategized, “If you talk about climate
change, it doesn’t really mean much to most people in
the world, and when you talk about icebergs melting,
they don’t care.” He went on to explain that climate
talk needs to focus on the impacts on people living
today, not what may happen decades from now. 
Back in his bodybuilding heyday, he was known as The
Austrian Oak. A man with such a sculpted physique he
looked as powerful as anyone ever had, with a million-dollar
smile, and a devilish sense of humor. He won the world over
with his playful arrogance that was forgiven because his
multiple championships earned him the right to be confident.
In Total Recall, Arnold describes his strict and austere up-
bringing in the Austrian countryside. As someone who grew
up with a strict, military father who made him do push-ups to
earn his breakfast, Schwarzenegger was born ready to push
further than most people in order to achieve his goals.  He
was taught that being the best was defined by winning
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