A belated farewell to one of my long time heroes,Jack LaLanne.
Fitness Guru dies at 96.
One of my heroes, American fitness icon Jack LaLanne died at age 96 on January 23rd. Jack spent decades talking about the healthful benefits of exercise, fitness, and and good nutition– and was a pioneer in the industry.
He started to study bodybuilding and weight-lifting by the time he was in his late teens. From the 1950s through the 1980s, Jack performed multiple feats of strength and endurance. His first such stunt in 1954 was an underwater swim the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, loaded with 140 pounds of extra weight.
He went on to stage many attention-getting events, including completing over a thousand pushups in a little over 20 minutes, and physically towing 65 boats filled with thousands of pounds of wood pulp in Japan.
LaLanne had his own workout TV program, “The Jack LaLanne Show.” First broadcast nationally in 1959, the show went on to run for 30 years.
In his later years, he was easily recognized because of his late-night infomercials on the benefits of juicing. It wasn’t simply Jack’s physical abilities that were so impressive. BabyBoomers and Seniors alike were encouraged by Jack because he just kept on going and going and going.
Jack definitely “walked the walk.” Every time I saw him interviewed he always had an uplifting message, “that if YOU don’t take care of yourself–Who Else Will Do It?”
It always inspired to me take care of my own health and body and to do my best to inspire others to do the same.
