Jack Lalanne: The Man Who Defied His Age

 He was handcuffed, shackled, and fighting strong winds and currents, as he towed 70 rowboats, (one with several people) off the coast of Long Beach, California for a distance of 1 mile; all this at age 70!

The man’s name was Jack Lalanne. I remember seeing Jack Lalanne when I was growing up in Canada in the 1950‘s in the days of black and white TV. He was the first person to have an exercise program for women in the mornings and was considered the father of fitness.

What was truly amazing were his physical feats over numerous decades. Here are just some examples of them:

• Age 41 – He swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco while handcuffed.

• Age 42 – In 23 minutes on live TV, he set a world record of 1,033 push-ups.

• Age 43 – He swam the Golden Gate channel while towing an 1,100 kg cabin cruise in strong currents which turned a 1.6km swim into a 10.5 km swim.

• Age 60 – He again swam from Alcatraz to SanFrancisco, handcuffed, while towing a 450 kg boat.

• Age 65 – This time he towed 65 boats in Lake Ashinoko, Japan again while handcuffed (the boats were filled with 2,900 kg of Pacific wood pulp).

Jack Lalanne was originally a chiropractor (graduated in 1931). He then went on to become a bodybuilder, opened numerous gyms in the USA and became a proponent of health and fitness. He became being a natural health food expert, advocating juicing and exercising 2 hours daily until his death at age 96; namely weights and swimming. In case you think it was all due to genetics – his father died at age 50.

Obviously, Jack Lalanne took responsibility for his health and wellbeing rather than abusing his body, and leaving it up to doctors to try and fix him. Even into his 90’s, he and his wife had a regular television show educating people on healthy living which included a positive mental attitude and even advocating a sexually active life. It was inspiring to see this vibrant couple in their 90’s stating that they still enjoyed sex.

One of the best kept secrets is that an active sex life actually enhances longevity and there is research to support this. Dr Daniel Amen, a neuropsychiatrist has found that maintaining our sexuality even into our later years, helps prevent heart disease, improves immune function and even memory.

Ultimately it seems that the basis for sound health and wellbeing starts with what is between your ears. If you believe you are old – you are. If you are young at heart then you will do the healthful things that will sustain your health and wellbeing.

We can’t all be Jack Lalances, but we can live life to our fullest potential. If we seek out what is inspiring to us, even after we have “retired”, we can continue to live a fulfilling and adventurous life until the day we die.

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.