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| Jack LaLanne and wife, Elaine |
We lost a true inspiration in the health world this weekend. Jack LaLanne, the “Godfather of Fitness” passed away on Sunday at the age of 96. If you don’t know his name, chances are he still made an impact on your life. If you’ve ever used cables to lift weights, bought a snack at the snack bar at your health club, bought a juicer or vitamins on TV, or said “a moment on the lips a lifetime on the hips”, you’ve been influenced by Jack LaLanne. Jack fervently believed every human being can attain maximum body health and fitness if they practice moderation, eat the most natural foods, and exercise on a regular basis. During Jack’s childhood, he was addicted to sugar and junk foods. At age 15, young Jack became motivated to focus on his diet and exercise habits. He was truly a pioneer because he concentrated on weightlifting, something virtually unheard of in his day. In 1936, Jack opened his own health club and dedicated his life to encouraging people to better themselves through exercise and nutrition. He even continued to exercise daily – swimming and lifting weights – into his 90’s. In a recent interview he said “The only way you can damage your body is to not use it.” To me, this is proof that it doesn’t take a magic formula to live a healthy life. What worked in 1930 still works today. My philosophy on staying healthy is much like Jack’s – eat well, move often, and respect your body.
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| Tony Horton |
Many of today’s most successful health heroes share the same vision. Have you ever heard of Tony Horton? If not, chances are you’ve heard the buzz about P90X. Tony is the creator and front man for P90X. He has made millions of dollars on his fitness program and is living proof that it works. He is a 52-year-old former standup comedian. He lacks a college degree and, surprisingly, any type of fitness credentials. However, he is a hero because he gets people inspired by showing them that being active and challenging your body works.
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| Jane Fonda |
Another fitness hero is Jane Fonda. Jane started as a young model/actress and fought battles with eating disorders and body image issues. She used exercise as her therapy. She was a women’s fitness pioneer in leg warmers. She is now 73 and has a new line of fitness DVD’s for women in their prime. She is fit and spry and recently chased and pushed a bear out of her New Mexico ranch to save her grandson.
It is evident by these three champions of health that they are motivated by the “internals” and not the “externals”. By this I mean that they care about living a long, high-quality life. They are less focused on vanity (being thin, having huge biceps, etc) and more on how they feel (have more energy, sleep better, less tired). This simply leads to happiness. They struggled early on with their own health, found what worked, and used it to change themselves and so many others. I completely agree with their philosophies and am now teach people how to eat well, move often, and gain respect for their bodies. I could only hope to one day inspire a fraction of the people that the aforementioned health heroes have. The question is: Are you ready to be inspired and live the life you are capable of? I promise to help find the fitness and nutrition that works for you and together we will add to depth and breadth of your life.
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