Actor and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger has been using an online bodybuilding forum to joke around with his fans – but when one user asked for help dealing with his depression, the Terminator did not hesitate to offer up some sincere motivation.
The exchange began on a video that Schwarzenegger posted to the bodybuilding page of Reddit this week.
One user commented on the video, saying: “I know this is pandering but, I’ve been depressed for months and haven’t hit the gym during that time. Mr. Schwarzenegger can you please tell me to get off my lazy a** and hit the gym? I swear to everything I hold dear that I will snap out of it and go.”
The very same day, Schwarzenegger responded.
“I’m not going to be that hard on you,” wrote the celebrity. “Please don’t be that hard on yourself. We all go through challenges, we all go through failure. Sometimes life is a workout. But the key thing is you get up. Just move a little. Roll out of bed and do some pushups or go for a walk. Just do something. One step at a time, I hope you feel better and get back to the gym. But don’t beat yourself up, because that’s just useless talk. It doesn’t get you closer to the gym. And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Good luck.”
Not surprisingly, the advice definitely helped. Upon the kind note from his movie star hero, the user later wrote back to say that he was getting back on his feet.
“I’m not kidding, I just jumped out of bed when I received this notification. Arnold, thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to reply,” wrote the Redditor. “I’m getting dressed and heading to the gym, I’ll be doing a 5×5 routine (squats, overhead press, deadlift) to get the rust off and will snap out of it. THANK YOU!!!!!!!
“I wish everybody reading this comment could know how good it feels to have Arnold Schwarzenegger personally give you encouragement, I feel overwhelmed (in a good way) and as cliché as it sounds, I do have tears of joy in my eyes,” he added. “Off to the gym!!”
Touched by the exchange, Schwarzenegger even followed up with the guy the next day to check up on his progress. Seeing that the depressed man was using the advice to motivate other discouraged internet users, the Terminator then recorded a video for the guy to thank him for paying the kindness forward.
This article originally appeared on Good News Network.