Goodbye, Jack Lalanne, and thanks for all the healthy smiles (and pushups)

Monday, January 24, 2011 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: Jack LaLanne, fitness, health news

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(NaturalNews) Today NaturalNews honors Jack Lalanne, the fitness guru who motivated America to get off its lazy tush and start moving. Lalanne passed away last night at the age of 96, probably with a barbell in his hands.

In an age where celebrities are now dying in their 40s, 50s and 60s, for a man to live to the age of 96 is something of a rarity, it seems. It also indicates he was probably doing something right with his physical health. Lalanne was an avid exerciser, of course, but he also followed a relatively healthy diet composed primarily of unrefined, non-processed fresh food ingredients.

Jack Lalanne's television show was a morning broadcast hit from the 1950s through the 1970s. People all across America would wake up to take part in his exercise routines that usually required no special equipment and worked the body using body weight, a chair and a towel. At age 43, Lalanne performed more than 1,000 pushups in 23 minutes on live television.

LaLanne helped revolutionize the concept of weight training in America. Before his time, athletes were strictly forbidden from using weight machines to build strength -- it was believed that large muscles would "slow them down" and hurt athletic performance. Today, of course, strength training is a serious part of every athletic training program. For that, we have Jack Lalanne to thank in large part.

Lalanne was a follower of the dietary principles of Paul Bragg, a vegetarian diet advocate and fasting enthusiast. Paul Bragg, of course, was the founder of the Bragg's line of nutritional products available on store shelves today. Patricia Bragg remains a regular visitor to raw food events and health expos. Paul Bragg was a philosophical father to many of the raw foods enthusiasts actively speaking and teaching today.

NaturalNews wishes Jack LaLanne a loving journey and thanks him for all his valuable contributions to the world of health and fitness. The world is a better place because of Jack LaLanne's influence. May he rest in peace.

And if you hear thumping in the sky tonight, that's just Jack LaLanne doing pushups in heaven.