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| Jack LaLanne, 96, R.I.P. |
Jack practiced what he preached nearly till the end of his life: exercising daily, eating healthy food and getting plenty of fresh ocean air.
The son of poor French immigrants, he was born in 1914 and grew up to become a sugar addict, he said. The turning point occurred one night when he heard a lecture by pioneering nutritionist Paul Bragg, who advocated the benefits of brown rice, whole wheat and a vegetarian diet. Paul Bragg told him "'Jack, you're a walking garbage can.”
Jack LaLanne credited fitness with transforming his life as a teen and he worked over the next eight decades to transform others' lives, too. Jack LaLanne hosted a popular workout show for several decades, opened a chain of gyms, and created a popular line of fruit juicers.
He was the original fitness guru who inspired television viewers to trim down, eat well and pump iron for decades before diet and exercise became a national obsession. He was a TV icon of fitness in the 1950s and 1960s, with regular shows featuring stretching, lifting, aerobics and more.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, two sons and a daughter
Favorite quotes by Jack LaLanne:
"The only way you can hurt the body is not use it. Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late."
"It's a lifestyle, it's something you do the rest of your life. How long are you going to keep breathing? How long do you keep eating? You just do it."
