Why commit to fitness? Because Jack LaLanne says so
Senior Focus News
January 2002
 Jack Lalanne. |
No matter how old or out of shape you think you are, Jack LaLanne has a message for you: think again. The fast-talking, free-speaking advocate of exercise doesn't want to hear your excuses — not that you could get a word in edgewise once he gets going.
“Everybody thinks of age, age, age,” said the 87-year-old LaLanne. “What's the difference if you're 10 or 110? You still have to take care of yourself. I'm not the happiest camper in the world when I speak to some of these senior groups. They're half asleep so I have to yell. I really give 'em hell to keep them awake.”
LaLanne, famous because of his syndicated TV program, takes his high-energy lifestyle on the road to deliver a simple message: eat well, exercise and enjoy life. No matter how old you are, he says, the time to start is now.
“It's never too late. Test after test shows that even people in their 90s who begin a weight training program can double their strength and endurance in 6-8 weeks. You don't inherit this stuff. You've got to do it.”
For those who think a new diet and fitness program is too ambitious, LaLanne counters that being well is actually fairly easy. Fitness begins “between the ears,” he said, so making up your mind is the first step to taking care of your body.
“Sure, you'll have to change, but it's not drastic,” he said. “Why can't you eat whole wheat bread instead of white bread? How about 4-5 raw vegetables per day — is that asking too much? You don't need cakes and sugars. And knock off those butter creams and cheeses. You're not a suckling calf, you know.”
Although LaLanne continues to astound with his feats of fitness — a few hundred chin-ups, anyone? — he's not asking for much when it comes to exercise.
“I don't want seniors working out 2-3 hours a day,” he said. “That's ridiculous. If you walk from 12-17 minutes three times a week, that's all you need for cardiovascular fitness.”
Despite a lifelong commitment to daily exercise, LaLanne also believes in having a little fun. One of the rewards of living well is being able to enjoy life, he says.
“What the heck is the good of going through life if you can't have a few pleasures?” he said. “If you want to have a little hamburger now and then, that's OK. And I don't tell people never to drink alcohol. It's what you do every day that matters.”