Passing of a legend – Jack LaLanne

Today marked the passing of a fitness and nutrition legend and a personal inspiration of mine – Jack LaLanne. 96 years young and living life fully and strongly right up into ripe old age. 2 hours a day of weight lifting and an hour a day in the pool was his daily commitment. He focused on proper clean food and knew the importance of fruit and vegetables long before it was trendy. He was a true pioneer and will be missed. He will live on in spirit in us – the crusaders of continued health and wellness as a lifelong pursuit. Here are some of his greatest moments!

This is a great excerpt from his national TV show, the first fitness show of any kind!

www.mahalo.com/jack-lalanne/

Here is a list of some of his great athletic accomplishments:

1954 Age 40: Swam the length of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge underwater with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks – an undisputed world record.

1955 Age 41: Swam, handcuffed, from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, CA.

1956 Age 42: Set a world record of 1,033 pushups in 23 minutes on You Asked for It, a TV Show with Art Baker.

1957 Age 43: Swam the treacherous Golden Gate Channel, towing a 2,500-pound cabin cruiser. This involved fighting the cold, swift ocean currents that made the 1 mile swim a 6 ½ mile test of strength and endurance.

1958 Age 44: Maneuvered a paddleboard 30 miles, 9-½ hours non-stop from Farallon Islands to the San Francisco shore.

1959 Age 45: Completed 1,000 pushups and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hours and 22 minutes. Happy the dog is born and The Jack LaLanne Show goes nationwide

1974 Age 60: Swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat.

1975 Age 61: Swam the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat.

1976 Age 62: Commemorating the Spirit swam 1 mile in Long Beach Harbor, handcuffed, shackled and towing 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.

1979 Age 65: Towed 65 boats filled with 6,500-pounds of Lousiana Pacific wood pulp while handcuffed and shackled in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan.

1980 Age 66: Towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida filled with 77 people for over a mile in less than 1 hour.

1984 Age 70: Handcuffed, shackled and fighting strong winds and currents, towed 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen’s Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary, 1 ½ miles.

Jack LaLanne turned 93 in 2007. Who’s up for a rest day challenge of 1000 push-ups and 1000 pull-ups (Jack’s record was 1:22)

WHO INSPIRES YOU??!!

Habits Takes Time- Health is Lifelong!

Happy New Year to all! I can still say that officially until the end of January:)

I am so thrilled with the commitment from all of my steady clients and new ones too. January is always a busy time filled with a renewed sense of importance of one’s health, whether it be continued goals from last year or new ones. I think the single most important factor to seeing success, whether it health related or other, is in being specific with what your motivation for change is. Are you interested in something specific like leaning out or getting rid of that persistent sinusitus/allergies or all around vitality? Even for the most inline person, being engaged in your health and conscious if it at all times takes practice, patience and a little forgiveness.

“Established habits demand little conscious effort, but creating a new habit is hard work”, Scientific American Mind reports. Psychologist Phillippa Lally of University College London asked 96 undergraduates to form a habit in 12 weeks of repeating daily a healthy behaviour, such as drinking a bottle of water with lunch. Her results suggest that habits take mush longer to form than researchers previously though (an average of 9 and a half weeks and potentially as long as several months), but missing one or two days of repetition will not impede the process.

This is good news for those of us that get discouraged if we skip a workout or have a less than optimal meal. Stay the course and remember, it is where your motivation and heart is that is most important and what you do the majority of the time. Health is lifelong!