The Late Great Jack Lalanne, Godfather of Modern Fitness“That Jack Lelanne’s an

The Late Great Jack Lalanne, Godfather of Modern Fitness“That Jack Lelanne’s an animal!”–Arnold SchwarzeneggerToday our culture is saturated with fitness gurus, men and women who made themselves into superstars with special workout programs and nutrition regimes.  All are standing on the muscular and very well toned giant named Jack Lalanne, the original fitness guru.  In addition, none can compare to him, not even Chuck Norris, because Jack Lalanne was no ordinary man, he was a superhuman, a beast among men.Jack Lalanne was not always a human beast.  In his teenage years, he described himself as a “sugarholic” and “junk food junkie”, riddled with health problems and emotional issues.  Then one day, he decided to turn his life around, learning about exercise and nutrition, strengthening not only his body but his mind as well. In 1936 he opened the first health and fitness club in the United States where he would teach people proper nutrition and workout routines. Early on, Lalanne was heavily criticized by physicians, even discouraging people from joining his club.  As Lalanne himself commented,“People thought I was a charlatan and a nut. The doctors were against me‍—‌they said that working out with weights would give people heart attacks and they would lose their sex drive.”Lalanne’s health club was extremely successful, and he became more successful inventing exercise machines and equipment. Then in 1951, he hit the big time.  Lalanne’s goal was to spread his message of health, happiness, and strength to the entire country.  The new technology of television gave him a nationwide audience. Between 1951 and 1985, he hosted The Jack Lalanne Show, in which he would give health and fitness advice, exercise routines, life advice, and warn of the dangers of sugar and junk food. If you ever have a chance to watch an old episode, please do so, because he is extremely charismatic, and man of energy, passion, and vitality.  It’s a shame that he lived to see the country’s health collectively go downhill, with rising rates of obesity and chronic disease, all according to his predictions.While Lalanne was doing his show, he performed several feats that showed people that he not only talked the talk, but walked the walk.  Just to name a few,-He swam from Alcatraz Island, while shackled and handcuffed, towing a 1,000lb boat.-Swam 6.5miles while towing a cabin cruiser.-He did 1,000 jumping jacks and 1,000 chin-ups on live TV.-Swam several miles, while shackled and handcuffed, towing rowboats full of 70 people. He was 70 at the time.As Jack Lalanne aged, he did not slow down.  In fact every birthday he didn’t get a year older, he got a year tougher. He wrote several books on exercise and nutrition, giving tips on how to live to an old age and encouraging the elderly to exercise in order to prevent chronic disease, improve quality of life, and extend lifespan.  Even in his 90’s, he was still a human beast, lifting and working out everyday until he died at the rife old age of 96. The pictures below were taken shortly before his death.Currently, Jack Lalanne resides in Valhalla, working as personal trainer to the gods. -- source link

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