JACK LA LANNE: FIT FOR LIFE

Saturday Evening Post, Nov, 2000, by Patrick Perry

Decades before high-tech training devices and space-age gyms, the godfather of physical fitness began spreading the gospel of exercise and nutrition.

At 86, Jack La Lanne has dipped, chinned, pushed, pulled, and lifted more often than anyone in recorded history. His present training regimen is tailor-made for only superheroes. While many of his contemporaries are content to sit on the sidelines, La Lanne rises at 5:00 a.m. every day, heads to his gym, and logs in a vigorous two-hour workout. These workouts help him to maintain that signature La Lanne "look"--the triangular torso, trim waist, and beefy biceps--that is familiar to TV audiences.

Today, La Lanne is revered by top professionals in the fitness world, which has finally given him credit for his pioneering contributions. Exercise physiologists, the medical community, bodybuilders, and fitness professionals alike applaud him as a true innovator.

"Jack La Lanne was 30 years ahead of his time," Arnold Schwarzenegger writes in tribute about La Lanne's book Revitalize Your Life After 50. "He is truly the terminator of unhealthy living."

La Lanne's rise to prominence and respect gives new meaning to the popular phrase "no pain, no gain." When he began championing the virtues of sound nutrition and regular exercise in the 1930s and '40s, people thought of him as a "charlatan and a nut," he says. He was the butt of countless jokes and public ridicule. But the criticism only fueled La Lanne's desire to make Americans healthier. He persevered with evangelical fervor in his belief that weight training, nutrition, and exercise was the path to well-being for all ages and both sexes. And his tenacious belief in his principles gradually won out. Talk with La Lanne, and you immediately recognize he is still on a mission, throwing what he terms "a life preserver" to a nation struggling with a growing trend of obesity. His message is simple: "Anything in life is possible if you make it happen."

La Lanne started his fitness career literally in his own back yard, introducing a small group of individuals to his well-studied principles. But his big break came in television when "The Jack La Lanne Show" debuted, introducing an unfamiliar 1950s audience to the importance of fitness. Each day, millions of American homemakers and their kids (including this writer) tuned in to watch the exercise guru in the trademark jumpsuit as he encouraged individuals to take care of their greatest asset--personal health. His philosophy was simple: "Get Up, Exercise, and Feel Good."

Fifty years later, La Lanne is still on the fast track to fitness, undaunted by the clock. "I can't die," he says. "It would spoil my image."

The Post spoke with La Lanne at his home in Morro Bay, California. I asked him to share some fitness tips for busy executives and soon found myself pacing through a La Lanne workout while clasping the phone with one hand. A series of delt stretches, deep-knee bends, and ab extensions left little doubt about La Lanne's mighty power of persuasion. After five minutes, La Lanne eased up, allowing me to catch my breath (and check my heart rate). Although physically fit and one-half his age, I found that keeping up with Jack La Lanne is no easy assignment. The body is a tool, according to La Lanne. Make it work for you. At the core of his philosophy is the belief that each of us can achieve the body we desire. All it takes is a contract with yourself to be the best that you possibly can be.

Q: Is this the best time of your life?

A: No doubt about that. My life is perfect.

Q: How's your health?

A: Wonderful. I work out two hours every day. This morning, I was in the gym from 5:30 until 7:30. The whole truth is that I believe so strongly in what I do, and now it is so widely accepted.

Q: That must be very vindicating and rewarding for you.

A: No doubt about it. If the critics had not beaten me down, I would be six foot five. When you are the first in something, people think it a bunch of hype. It's terrible.

Q: You certainly are living proof that fitness and lifestyle make a difference. To what do you attribute your health and longevity?

A: My fitness routine and believing in what I do. I work at living. The simplest thing to do is dying. Do you know how many people work at dying? Would you get your dog up in the morning and give him a cup of coffee, a cigarette, and a doughnut? But how many millions of Americans got up this morning with that kind of breakfast? And they wonder why they are sick, tired, and unable to live out their life span. They are working at dying. They are putting the wrong fuel in this human machine.

Q: Do you work out every day?

A: Seven days a week.

Q: Do you ever miss a workout?

A: Never, even on the road. A person doesn't have to work out seven days a week to stay in shape, but I want to see how long I can keep this regimen up, using myself as a guinea pig. It's my little experiment. Leaving a hot bed and a hot woman and going into a cold gym at five or six in the morning takes dedication. But I'd rather take a beating. You get out of the bed in the morning tired with aches and pains, but this body works for me. It's my slave. I take care of it. I just kick my butt and get it out of bed, and the next thing I know a couple of hours have passed, and I look in the mirror and say, "Jack, you've done it again!" The whole thing is getting started.

Q: For many people getting started is tough.

A: Sure, it is tough. It's tough for me, too. It's tough for everyone. But you have to set certain priorities in your life. You have to ask yourself what is important. If you want to live, feel good, and be disease-free, you have to work at these things. Many people say that it's genetics. I can't control my genetics, but I can control what Jack La Lanne does.

Q: Genetics wouldn't explain much of your longevity. Didn't your father die rather early?

A: Yes, very early.

Q: What about your mother?

A: She lived into her 90s. But she was in a sanitarium when I became Mr. Fitness at around 15. When she got out, I got her interested in nutrition, vitamins, and working out. My dad wouldn't listen, but my mother saw this tremendous change in me from a whimpering, disease-ridden, fouled-up, psychotic kid and witnessed my life turn around 180 degrees. She said that there has to be something there, so she went along with the concepts.

Q: What is your daily routine?

A: I get up between five and six and work out for two hours. I constantly change my program. The secret is change. In 1931, I had my first gym when I was still in high school, and in 1936, I had my first commercial big gym in Oakland, California--the first modern health club in the whole world. Even then, I changed each client's program every 30 days.

Q: Why change so often?

A: One reason is that change breaks the monotony. If you had to eat carrots every day prepared the same way for the rest of your life, you would be so bored and malnourished. How many runners have knee and back problems by doing the same thing day after day after day? What does your body know? Zero. It's your mind that tells the muscles what to do and how to react. So write out your 30-day program and tell yourself exactly what you are going to do--how many reps, how many sets--and stick to it. After 30 days, change the routine completely. The minute that muscles get used to something, they don't respond. But when you change, they respond right away. Your muscles are saying, "What's happening? I got to get stronger." And they respond.

Q: Do you split your routine throughout the week?

A: I work out my legs, back, waist, biceps, and triceps one day. The next day, I work out my delts, lats, and pecs. I could take a day or two rest in between. I tell people that if you work out 30 minutes, three or four times a week, that that is plenty for the average person. You can get in great shape if you make that one-half hour vigorous.

Q: People are really listening to your message.

A: I was on the Larry King show recently. We got thousands and thousands of responses. Our fax machine finally broke. All of these people wrote, "Jack, I am going to start watching what I eat and begin exercising tomorrow. You hit it right on the head." People want to know, but many are confused.

Q: Why is that? There is more information than ever before, yet many seem more confused than ever before.

A: Look around. Dr. Atkins has a book, and Dr. Ornish has a book, yet they are complete opposites. One advises carbohydrates, starches, and no protein, while the other advises high protein, no fruits or vegetables. You have to maintain a balance between protein, carbohydrates, and your fruits and vegetables--an acid and alkaline balance. If you eat too much protein, pretty soon you get bad breath, body odor, uric acid and cholesterol build-up in your system, and aches and pains.

Every one of these diets is predicated on losing weight. How do you lose weight? If you take in 1,000 calories and only burn up 800, you are going to gain weight. It's all arithmetic. That is what people need to know. Count calories. If you are taking in 2,000 calories, you should get three, four, or five servings of vegetables every day and a certain amount of fresh fruit every day. All the grains that you eat should be natural whole grains. Stay away from the fats and sugars. In other words, balance your diet. The key is diversity. The more diverse the diet and the more satisfied your taste palate is, then the better nourished you are going to be. On the other hand, you can eat all the ideal foods, vitamins, and minerals in the world, but if you don't exercise, you can't get by. How do you get old? How do you lose your youth? It's not with age. It's with inactivity!

Q: Inactivity is also a problem facing America's youth. Do you think our young people are facing a health crisis today?

A: It's terrible, especially mentally, morally, and spiritually. We are bankrupt in many facets of our lives. Today, kids sit around, overeat all this junk food, and get no exercise. I've never seen so many fat kids in my life as there are today. Well, fat everybody, for that matter.

Q: How can we change this situation?

A: We need more people to get out and talk about it. When I lecture, people listen. Why? Because I am 86. They say, "Look at that guy. Look how good he looks, what he can do, and his energy and vitality. He has something going." People know that I have been doing this professionally for 70 years. That is why they listen.

Life is so fantastic. It's tough and has its ups and downs. In a way, it's much like being an athlete. The more energy you have and the more vitality that you have, the better that you are going to be at that sport. Life takes energy, vitality, and strength. I tell people, even those in their 90s, that they can double their strength and endurance in six to eight weeks. These are facts; test after test has been done to prove this. If I can double your strength and endurance, don't you think that you will have more energy and vitality to do the things that you want at the end of the day?

If an automobile, for example, has to pull a ton of weight and has only 200 horsepower, it's going to strain. If you increase that horsepower to 400, the job would be easy. It works the same way in life. The more energy and vitality and the less aches and pain you have, the better you are going to enjoy life.

I lecture often to big corporations. Just recently, I lectured to a group of key executives and said, "Look! You guys are making millions and millions of dollars and exert a great deal of influence, but you neglect the most important person in the world--you. If you don't have the energy, know-how, and enthusiasm for what you are doing, you are not going to attract people. You have to set the example. What good are all these millions of dollars if you end up at 40 or 50 with arthritis, impotence, and get no fun out of life? You have to take care of the most important person in the world--you." You have to be selfish about it. But if you take care of yourself, you will have more energy to do your job, help your family, and accomplish what you want to do. That is the key. We have to get this message across to people.

Q: You have been preaching the message of fitness for people of all ages for over 50 years. What is the response of people when you lecture today?

A: Do you know what group really "digs" Jack La Lanne today? It's young people 25 or 30 years old. They really listen. Many older people complain that they are too old to exercise or they really like to eat. They have so many excuses. They are thinking about the good old days. Poop on the good old days. They are gone. The good old days are today. I tell these young people that through lifestyle changes, they will have more fun, have better sex lives, be disease-free, and make more money because they have more energy and vitality. When you exercise and eat right, you are building up your health account in much the same way as you would your bank account. I help older people as well, but young people are eventually going to run this country.

Q: As a child, were you healthy?

A: My whole life was sugar. I was always an irritable kid, and my mother appeased me with candy, ice cream, or cake. I became hooked on sugar. By the time I was 15, I was 30 pounds underweight--just skin and bones. I got failing grades in school, and they kicked me out when I was 14 because I was a troublemaker. During this time, I attended a health lecture by nutritionist Paul Bragg, who told the audience that it did not matter what your present age is or your physical condition, if you obey nature's laws, you can be born again. It sunk into my little brain. I wanted to be born again. I wanted girls to like me, become an athlete, and build a strong and terrific body. Hearing those words did it.

Q: How did you change your diet?

A: I actually prayed that night. I said, "Dear God, I need help. I need help to restrain from eating these foods that are killing me." I became a strict vegetarian for seven years and joined a Berkeley, California, YMCA. I went back to school, and people--including my mother, father, and brother--couldn't believe the change that came over me. The rest is history.

Q: What is your daily diet philosophy?

A: If man makes it, don't eat it! Right now, man has tampered with the air we breathe and water we drink. Practically every fruit and vegetable, man has done something to with sprays, insecticides, or artificial fertilizers. Most grains that we consume are stored or cooked. That is why people have to take extra vitamins and minerals, in addition to making sure that they eat the best that they possibly can at our disposal.

Q: Do you then consume whole grains?

A: Natural grains, yes. Until just the last few years, the medical profession has not talked about the benefits of whole grains. And have you ever heard the medical profession talk about the benefits of lifting weights and building muscles when you are 80 years old? But today, they are waking up. Thank God.

Q: Haven't you been a big proponent of alternative medicine for a number of years?

A: Absolutely. The medical profession performs miracles today. I am an example. I was in a terrible car accident and had both my knees repaired with artificial replacements, like football players. Today, I walk like nothing ever happened. That is a miracle to me. But there are many things that doctors can't do, so we need alternatives. We need osteopathic physicians, yoga, and other alternatives. In other words, we need to use what is at our disposal to help us have a better life.

Q: But hasn't prevention been a cornerstone of your message from the beginning?

A: Absolutely. Prevention is the key. Every time you eat natural foods in their natural state, every time you exercise, you are preventing other things from happening.

I feel sorry for obese people. Have you ever had a problem controlling yourself from eating foods that you liked so much--cakes, pies, and steaks--things that you crave? Do you know how many millions of people have this problem? There is nothing worse (including sex when one is aroused and not able to fulfill) than when you are hungry and your appetite is up, and you try not to eat. It takes a lot of willpower. That is why obese people need help.

When I eat a food, I always ask, "What is this food doing for Jack La Lanne? Is it going to help me live longer; boost my vitality or energy; help my hair, skin, or internal cleanliness? Is it going to help me sleep better at night?"

If I visualize what it is doing for me, I create a liking for the food. But if I have a food that is going to take away my sex drive or make me fat, I create a dislike for that food.

Q: What are some good basic exercises for older or overweight or sedentary people who want to start exercising?

A: There are so many things that one can do. If you have the money to get a personal trainer and go to a gym, great. That's good. Or you can make a gym at home. Also, get dumbbells from 5 pounds to up to about 30 or 40 pounds. There are also many good exercise videotapes, as well as good books on nutrition and exercise. But most people can just start out with walking. If you can exercise with vigorous walking for ten minutes during the day, do that three times a day. That breaks the monotony.

Q: What about swimming?

A: Swimming is one of the best exercises. Swimming is part of my exercise regimen. Even when I change my program, I always do something in the pool. To me, it is number one--if you swim vigorously. The buoyancy of the water, however, makes you feel good, and you begin to get relaxed. But if, for example, you are going to swim ten laps, time it. If today it takes you ten minutes to complete ten laps, try to knock a couple of seconds off of that time the next time. Intensity is the key. That is how you double your strength and endurance.

You have to put demands on the body beyond what it is used to doing. The exercise should be done to as close to failure as you can. People over 25 or 30 should first get a physical. Make haste slowly. Start out easy and then change your program every 30 days. In the pool, for example, I tie myself in place, then I butterfly for one hour against an immovable object. During another 30 days, I do laps. On another occasion, I may do sprints for 25 yards as hard as I can, then I will rest for 10 or 15 seconds and do another 25 yards. That way you are mixing things up, and your body is not used to that. That is when the body responds.

Q: Isn't this similar to the principles behind the sport of weightlifting, using progressive resistance?

A: Yes, that is exactly right. You can do that with free-hand exercises. Another great thing that you can do is to run in place. Get those knees as high as you can, then sprint for 25 or 30 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, then sprint again for 30 seconds. Another great exercise that you can do sitting down is to push your hands up high and pretend that you are punching a hole through the ceiling. Do it fast, keeping the arms straight. You can do exercise in your home, and the exercise hits your triceps, trapezius, and deltoids. And there are many exercises you can do while sitting in a chair. For example, you can scoot down to the edge of a chair and--pretending that you have a book between your knees--pull your knees into your chest and try to touch your knees to your shoulders. Bring them in, then push them out to about an inch off the floor and, during the exercise, make sure to tense the abdominal muscles.

Another simple exercise can be performed by scooting down to the edge of your chair, grabbing its sides, and pretending that you are riding your bicycle. Pump hard. Bring your knees all the way into your chest; stretch them all the way out. Pump hard like you are riding a big bike and pretend someone is chasing you. Pump as hard as you can and try to get away from them. During the exercise, inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth.

Those are just a few of the exercises that anyone can do. But again, the key is intensity: you have to feel it. You have to go beyond what you are used to doing, then the body responds.

Q: In addition to exercise, do you take supplements?

A: Are you kidding? I take everything from A to Z. I take at least 40 supplements a day. I take herbs, minerals, and the whole bit.

Q: What about glucosamine for your joints?

A: Absolutely--and also MSM.

Q: What about folic acid and B vitamins for your heart?

A: I take all of it. So many vitamins and minerals are water soluble, and when we cook or boil foods, what do we do? We don't drink the cooking water. We pour it down the sink, so people have healthy sinks. And many of our store-bought vegetables have not reached maturity, because they are picked green. This is due to the economy. If picked when ripe, vegetables and fruits will spoil in a couple of days.

Q: Were you ridiculed when you first started preaching the message of prevention and fitness?

A: It was so tough. You wouldn't believe it. When I was in high school, I was captain of the football team, a champion wrestler, and a champion baseball player. I was making up for lost time. But I was a strict vegetarian. Can you believe there was someone in high school who wouldn't drink a coke or eat sweets? To them, I was a nut and a crackpot. They admired my athletic prowess, but not my eating and workout habits.

Q: What was the public's attitude toward people who were preaching about the benefits of a preventive healthy lifestyle?

A: When I started my business, word got around. Newspapers would write that Jack La Lanne, the muscle guy and the athlete and vegetarian, is opening a gym to get money from people to exercise and that he'd never make it. The doctors also got into the act. They said, "Jack La Lanne, you work out with weights? You won't be able to get an erection. You'll be musclebound and won't be able to get around or throw a ball."

In 1931, I was the first one in the world to have women working out with weights. Doctors would tell these women, "You will look just like men. You'll lose your femininity." Doctors back then would tell people working out with weights would cause a heart attack. You just can't believe what I went through. But the more people booed me and the more adverse publicity I got, the more I believed in what I was doing and the harder I worked at it. Even when I was in high school, I had Jack La Lanne products--whole-grain rice and honey--a few things that my mother made out of whole-grain pastries. I had about 15 or 20 of my buddies out selling, multi-level, when I was in high school.

Q: Weren't you the first to host a TV health show?

A: Yes, in 1951. I made the Guinness Book of Records for being on television for 34 years. It started when a friend of mine, who was manager of NBC in San Francisco, called and told me that a 90-year-old guy in California had a wafer that he attributed his longevity to. The guy wanted to advertise it on television. The network held national auditions for a spokesperson to host a television show to promote this wafer. Hundreds of people were vying for the job. But my friend asked me to come over and audition. I told him that I didn't know anything about television, but he told me to come over, anyway.

I had just taken 100 pounds off the woman who was running my women's department, so I sent her over. She was very glib and articulate. But they called back and said that they wanted me. They picked me up in a limousine and sent me down to Hollywood. I met with a guy in his office who asked me what I would do on television. He was sitting in a chair, so I gave him a demonstration, telling him to bring one knee into his chest, then the other, and breathe--then both legs together. I then asked him to stand up and sit down to exercise the thighs. In other words, I showed him exercises that he could do while sitting in the chair. When he asked what else I would do, I said that I would offer a health and nutritional tip of the day, and when I opened the program, I would tell viewers what we were going to do that day. The executive told his secretary to get someone on the phone, and when he did, he told the guy, "Stop all auditions; I have found our guy." It happened just like that.

Q: Didn't you meet your wife, Elaine, during the show?

A: Yes. She was a girl Friday on the popular "Les Malloy Show." Someone came to Elaine and told her to get this Jack La Lanne guy on the live variety show because he could do 1,000 push-ups during the show. She got me on the show, and I did 1,000 push-ups throughout the whole show. That is how we met. She thought I was just a musclehead. But I used to give an exercise class there at noon for the people at ABC. There was a beautiful girl there that took a shine to me, and I took a shine to her. I took her out to lunch, and Elaine says, "My God, if that girl can go out with him, maybe I can." The first night we went out, I sang to her. She didn't know that I sang. And we went to a club in San Francisco with a piano, and I sang to her "Because You're Mine" at the piano. And we have been dating ever since. We've been together since 1951. You know the secret? She's always right.

When I first met her, she was flat-breasted, about 20 pounds underweight, smoking cigarettes, and eating all kinds of candy and junk. But she just saw how I acted and lived, and she gradually went along with it and began working out. By gosh, she gained about 15 pounds, put three inches on her chest, reduced her waist, and changed her whole self around.

Q: Isn't she still very active?

A: Wherever I go, she goes. We're a team. I just love her. Everybody just loves her.

Q: What is your opinion of the current state of bodybuilding?

A: I think bodybuilding is terrific. It's the greatest sport, but the negative aspect is the steroid abuse. Guys have ended up in hospitals. And many are grotesque. When I was entering physique contests, the bodies were symmetrical and beautiful. Now, they have 30-inch thighs and all the veins are sticking out. It's terrible.

Q: At different landmarks--40, 45, 60, and 70--you demonstrated some amazing feats of strength and endurance. Why?

A: I did that to call attention to my philosophy. When I was 40, people said, "You're over the hill." If you were a bodybuilder or gymnast, people thought you were musclebound and therefore couldn't swim. So I put handcuffs on and swam from Alcatraz prison to the mainland. It got international publicity. Then, every two or three years, I would do something more difficult. I swam the length of the Golden Gate Bridge underwater towing a 2,000-pound boat. On one of my birthdays, I did 1,000 chins and 1,000 push-ups in one hour and 22 minutes. On another, I water-skied behind a helicopter for over 70 miles through rough waters. On my 70th birthday, I towed 70 boats with 70 people on board, handcuffed and shackled, a mile and one-half. On my next birthday, I want to swim from Catalina Island to Los Angeles underwater. It's 26 miles, and it will take me over 20 hours. But my wife says that if I do that, she'll divorce me. I said, "Promise?" But that would be a great feat that would take about two to three months' intensive training to do.

Q: I wish you luck. It's amazing, whatever you do.

A: Every time I did one of those feats, membership in gyms across America increased about 20 or 30 percent. People would say, "If that guy at that age can do that, I got to start working out." Set an example and prove to people that anything is possible. You set the limits. Nobody ever realizes their full potential.

Q: Thomas Edison once said, "If we did all the things that we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves."

A: That's right. We are all lazy. We all make excuses; we don't have the time, or we're tired. But if we can just get people eating and exercising right, we've got it made.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Saturday Evening Post Society in association with The Gale Group and LookSmart.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group

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