Arnold Schwarzenegger may be trudging forth on his fitness journey at 76, getting through heart surgeries and aging. Yet, he never backs down on lifting himself and others, encouraging those around him to get up and moving. His recent “Monday Motivation” was an extension of this message.
In his newsletter, he welcomed some of his new Pump App members to board their fitness goals and paths. The application is designed to not only push people to exercise but also to form a community and share experiences and thoughts. This time, when he greeted new people, he made sure to keep the energy high in his unique style.
The goal of the community was to keep it real and share the good, bad, and ugly, no matter what. That’s why Schwarzenegger felt that giving a realistic picture of one’s progress through fitness can encourage others not just to normalize flaws but also to celebrate the smaller wins.
Building a healthy routine and training regularly takes a lot of time and dedication, and having a helpful community to back one up could work wonders. Recalling the time when he was recovering from his pacemaker surgery, Schwarzenegger highlighted how hurdles were unavoidable, but how one navigates through them mattered the most.
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“You can see the power of accountability and sticking with a habit because my first day was around 4,000…Now, when I look at the chart, I’m averaging 9,000, and I have so many days with 10,000 steps and even a couple days with 15,000.”
Looking at the bigger picture to plan the steps ahead is always a good idea, but Schwarzenegger reminded people to remember the smaller milestones. The baby steps towards the goal will feel more fulfilling when celebrated along the way.
“In the gym, we learn that progress is incremental…We celebrate those wins because if we don’t, we risk you giving up before you see the power of progress.”
Schwarzenegger is a testament to resilience who has, time and again, proved how small progressive steps play a crucial role in success. He mentioned how he had limited activities he could pursue while recovering from his surgery. However, he also took the opportunity at the time to pose a challenge to his village to help them step up as well.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Challenges App Members to ‘get moving’
Even the most diligent gym-goer like Schwarzenegger could face hurdles blocking out their routine workout. In his case, it was his pacemaker surgery that took him quite some time to heal completely. Until then, he decided that since doctors allowed him to just walk around and not perform any other strenuous task, he’d keep a count of his steps.
He challenged his community to a similar task, where he wanted all of them to step out and count their daily steps. The task was to up the number goal by 1000 more steps the following day. This way, it got slightly competitive but fun and offered a less intense and equally effective alternative to keep the body moving.
