Jack LaLanne got his start as a sickly teen. He attended a lecture by Paul Bragg, the Health guru from the early 1900’s about health and fitness. It changed his life and he became a powerful advocate and evangelist for health and fitness, exercise and proper nutrition.
Some of you might remember his pioneering Fitness and Exercise TV show in the early days of television. From 1951 until 1985, his television show carried his message to the world. Until that time, the idea of health and fitness for the “masses” was not well received. Jack LaLanne changed the complexion of fitness for everyone. He lived until age 96, and was still spry and actively on the road promoting himself and his message until his death. His wife Elaine will turn 92 in March and is still actively promoting the LaLanne message.
He exercised daily until his death in 2011 at age 96. I’ve mentioned Jack LaLanne several times in these pages.
Many don’t realize that he was also a dynamic and sought after public speaker. In a talk to an IDEA Personal Trainer Institute Conference during the 1980s, he had a few things to say about fitness and his goals for older people. In an excellent four minute video of part of his presentation, he said: “You are the sum total of your habits: What you think; what you put in your body – what you eat; The exercise you do.” (Click here to see this 4 minute clip).
Because of the way he changed his sickly body and attitude as a teen, he would say: “So what does it cost to change from death’s door — from Hell to Heaven. That’s the transition— from Hell to Heaven.”
He went on: “I just changed a few bad habits to good habits and the whole life changed. Just like that. That’s when it started. I got caught up in physical fitness — I wanted to get the old people to get back that youthful vigor — so they can get some pep in their step — so they can be ‘doing things’. I want to get old people off their butts and up doing things and dancing, and . . . “
Jack LaLanne wanted older people to experience the feeling of “being alive”.
He said: “Exercise is King, food is Queen. Put them together and you have a kingdom.” He went on, “What we know about nutrition, what we know about exercise, what we know about vitamins, what we know about the mind and its relation to the body — there’s no reason for anyone to be fat or skinny — no reason to be old prematurely. 90% of the diseases we face today are self-inflicted — you make it happen.” Hmm, sound familiar?
Those are some powerful words that were said in the 80’s. That’s a long time ago yet the same holds true today. Maybe we don’t have a Jack LaLanne today to be a symbol for all of us as we get older, but we are more apt today, to be carrying the message inside us, knowing its truth.
The point is that after all these years, the message of health and fitness is the same. Sure, we have a lot more viewpoints on diet and exercise, some valid, some not so valid. But the basic principles of health and fitness remain — many as a legacy to Jack LaLanne.
Thank you for reading.