Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of those entities who love to lead a disciplined life. Born to an officer father and trained as a bodybuilder, his strict lifestyle was a given. Such was the case, that Arnie did not change his routine and continued to train even on his honeymoon. Which, obviously, greatly annoyed his now ex-wife Maria Shriver. However, after decades of living a strict lifestyle, Schwarzenegger changed a thing or two because of a Spanish friend. The friend in question is none other than the 53-year-old José Andrés.

Hailing from Spain, José Andrés is a Michelin star chef. Over the years, Andrés has contributed a lot to society through his food-relief camps and NGOs. As he recently joined hands with Schwarzenegger for a podcast episode, Arnie detailed how a gesture by Andrés impacted his life in particular.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger received a gift from his long-distance friend

On 2nd May 2023, Chef José Andrés shared a video featuring a conversation with former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the start of the video, Andrés thanked his 75-year-old friend for the goodies he sent for him all the way to Spain. In return, Schwarzenegger thanked him for sending him a bottle of Spanish wine. The Austrian Oak further revealed how the little gift has changed his routine.

Schwarzenegger said to Andrés, “But I also want to say thank you very much for sending me your wine. Spanish wine. I love that…Even though it’s eight o’clock in the morning, I’m going to have for the first time, before coffee and before breakfast, I’m going to have a little bit of wine.” Holding up their respective glasses, the two friends toasted, “Cheers, my friend. Cheers.”

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Liking the taste of the drink, Schwarzenegger exclaimed, “Good wine! Man, you Spanish people know exactly how to make wine, I tell you.” His morning routine isn’t the only thing that has changed for the bodybuilder in recent years. While Andrés may be the reason Schwarzenegger changed what he drinks, someone else urged him to change what he eats.

What caused the Austrian Oak to change his diet

Further in the joined episode of José’s Longer Tables podcast and Arnold’s Stammtisch, the 75-year-old revealed the reason behind his drastic change in his diet. It was because of the constant nagging from his doctors to cut down on his meat intake ever since he turned 50. They reasoned that his body might not be able to process the heavy food as easily as it did when he was young.

While Schwarzenegger was reluctant to comply at first, it all changed when he started to fight against environmental issues. It was during that time, the bodybuilder learned about how badly meat and livestock production contributes to pollution. The veteran has now cut down 70% of his meat consumption and only indulges himself on special occasions.

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As they say, change is the only constant in one’s life. From breaking his morning routine for a friend to changing his diet for his body and environment, Schwarzenegger keeps learning and growing every day.