Jack LaLanne-An Inspiration You Need to Know About

Jack LaLanne was born September 26, 1914, so he is approaching his 94th birthday.

He is best known as the physical fitness and nutrition pioneer, former operator of over 200 health clubs which became Bally Total Fitness in the 1980s, and perhaps the king of juicing.

He has been known to say that it is better to wear out than rust out. He claims that the human body was designed and built to last one hundred and forty years, if properly taken care of and says that history provides some examples of such people.

At age forty-two he set the world's record of 1,033 push-ups in twenty-three minutes.

He says "I eat sensibly, exercise vigorously, take no drugs or alcohol, think positively, and look and feel as young as ever." "The food you eat, the exercise you do, and the thoughts you think all manifest themselves in the way you walk, talk, look and feel" (based on an interview he had with Shelby Loosch; 1988 Globe International, Inc.).

Jack LaLanne says he hasn't been sick since 1936 and says that it is because he gets up at 4 am every morning to lift weights and swim for two hours.

Regarding his eating habits, he says that if man makes it, don't eat it. He says he eats no processed foods, no sugar, consumes no white flour, and no red meats. He says he eats three meals a day but never eats between meals.

Jack LaLanne says he strongly believes in a positive outlook on life. He believes that anything in life is possible if you want it badly enough, and has said so many times. He keeps making new challenges and goals for himself and claims that is what keeps him going. He has said that with proper diet, exercise, and attitude, you can live life to the fullest. He has also said that he can't afford to die because that would ruin his image.

LaLanne tells people that if they want to live longer, look better and feel better they must earn the right to do so, not look back to the good-old-days and to do something now. He tells people not sit on their backsides but instead do 15-20 minutes of exercise 3-4 days each week, as well as to eat right.

On his 70th birthday, he celebrated by swimming a mile in Long Beach harbor with both hands and feet tied, towing seventy boats behind him filled with guests.

In a June 2007 interview, he claimed that for his 95th birthday, he'd like to swim to Santa Catalina Island from the coast of California, a distance of approximately 20 miles. ("A Fitness Icon Keeps His Juices Flowing" by Sally Squires as published in The Washington Post.com on Tuesday, June 12, 2007).

He has been married for 54 years to his wife Elaine (age 81). He has been honored with the lifetime achievement award from the President's Council for Physical Fitness and Sports. On May 28th of 2008, he was inducted into the California Hall of Fame.

May you live as long as Jack!