Leave Jack Lalane Alone!
March 9th 2007 10:55
I saw yesterday that one of his fellow nonagenarians has challenged the great Jack Lalane to a fight-obviously a public fight-to establish,I would assume, supremacy in the pecking order of the most senior. My reaction to this is that this challenger should be willing to take on Lalane in something salutary. They could do push ups or tow boats across a bay, like Lalane did a few years ago. They could compete in a decathlon of exercises. Not a fight.
No one should be allowed to tarnish the legacy of the great Lalane with some greasy challenge,even if he is of parity with Jack in 90 year old physical fitness. Lalane is one of the heroes of fitness and his place in the pantheon of early fitness advocates should not be allowed to be impugned.
I remember Lalane in the early 60s. He appeared on my parent's tv in the morning. I watched him on summer vacation.I can vividly remember him on a minimalist set with some wooden straight backed chairs and two German shepherds wandering around the set. Lalane appeared like a demi-god in a one piece body suit-actually a black one and a white one as I remember it- leading the viewer in calisthenics He was straight and perfectly proportioned. He brimmed with healthy vigor.
He was truly a pioneer. I couldn't tune my tv across the spectrum today without running across any number of aerobics or pilates or yoga classes performed on lush sets or on some exotic beach. Every one of these shows owes something to Lalane. In fact we all do.
When Lalane was running gyms in the 50s, no one would have believed that a person like me could someday choose from 6 or 7 gyms at which to train and be less than 10 miles from his house. The ingenious machines that mimic every kind of kinetic nuance are a direct result of his efforts. He personally designed and somehow created some of our most popular machines. The training of body parts which we take for granted was impossible in Lalane's early days. Leg curls? You had to strap a weight to your feet! Lalane and others like Arther Jones started us on a track where we can train anything at any time.
Lalane also lived what he preached. In the post WWII period smoking and drinking were so common and glamorized that Lalane with his natural foods seemed pretty much a kook. Yet, now that all the chickens of smoking, drinking, and processed foods have come home to roost, Lalane can be seen in a different light. Where would we be if we and our parents had taken Jack's advice?
Jack Lalane is a phenomenon, a man who was ahead of his time and whose advice has helped millions and would have helped millions more, had they listened. Leave Jack Lalane alone! Your servant, as always.
VIsit the Jack Lalane Official Website for more on the fitness giant
No one should be allowed to tarnish the legacy of the great Lalane with some greasy challenge,even if he is of parity with Jack in 90 year old physical fitness. Lalane is one of the heroes of fitness and his place in the pantheon of early fitness advocates should not be allowed to be impugned.
I remember Lalane in the early 60s. He appeared on my parent's tv in the morning. I watched him on summer vacation.I can vividly remember him on a minimalist set with some wooden straight backed chairs and two German shepherds wandering around the set. Lalane appeared like a demi-god in a one piece body suit-actually a black one and a white one as I remember it- leading the viewer in calisthenics He was straight and perfectly proportioned. He brimmed with healthy vigor.
He was truly a pioneer. I couldn't tune my tv across the spectrum today without running across any number of aerobics or pilates or yoga classes performed on lush sets or on some exotic beach. Every one of these shows owes something to Lalane. In fact we all do.
When Lalane was running gyms in the 50s, no one would have believed that a person like me could someday choose from 6 or 7 gyms at which to train and be less than 10 miles from his house. The ingenious machines that mimic every kind of kinetic nuance are a direct result of his efforts. He personally designed and somehow created some of our most popular machines. The training of body parts which we take for granted was impossible in Lalane's early days. Leg curls? You had to strap a weight to your feet! Lalane and others like Arther Jones started us on a track where we can train anything at any time.
Lalane also lived what he preached. In the post WWII period smoking and drinking were so common and glamorized that Lalane with his natural foods seemed pretty much a kook. Yet, now that all the chickens of smoking, drinking, and processed foods have come home to roost, Lalane can be seen in a different light. Where would we be if we and our parents had taken Jack's advice?
Jack Lalane is a phenomenon, a man who was ahead of his time and whose advice has helped millions and would have helped millions more, had they listened. Leave Jack Lalane alone! Your servant, as always.
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