Monday, January 24, 2011

The Good Old Days are Now

The title of this post was one of the key points Jack LaLanne made during an interview on ESPN recently.  He said that people often talk about what they used to do during the "good ole days".  However, LaLanne adamantly stated that the good old days are today, you just have to choose to make them so.

Unfortunately, it is one of the last messages people will hear from him.  LaLanne passed away on Sunday night at the age of 96.


LaLanne was known for many things: he once swam from Alcatraz to the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco while being handcuffed; did 1,033 pushups in 23 minutes on national TV; swam the length of the Golden Gate bridge while pulling a 1,000 pound boat, again while being handcuffed; wrote several books; ran a country-wide chain of gyms; had his own TV show; and achieved success through careers as a bodybuilder and chiropractor.

However, to me, LaLanne will always be known for his efforts to inspire others to eat well and exercise.  He was one of the first (if not the first) to get seniors to lift weights, and he strength trained throughout his life while continuing to enjoy other activities that he loved, such as swimming.   His television interviews featured him imploring others to make positive changes in their diets and exercise regimens, and to make those changes instantly (you can see a lot of his famous quotes here and here).  LaLanne is one of few people that I call a hero and I'm grateful for all of his contributions to the fields of exercise and nutrition.  Hopefully others will continue to follow in his footsteps with the same passion in promoting the messages of eating well and exercising. 

Thanks Jack.  Rest in peace.

1 comment:

Dr. Sean Preuss said...

Here's a good article that discusses some of LaLanne's life:

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-obit-jacklalanne