Jack LaLanne
Jack LaLanne
Francois Henri "Jack" LaLannewas an American fitness, exercise, and nutritional expert and motivational speaker who is sometimes called "the godfather of fitness" and the "first fitness superhero." He described himself as being a "sugarholic" and a "junk food junkie" until he was age 15. He also had behavioral problems, but "turned his life around" after listening to a public lecture about the benefits of good nutrition by health food pioneer Paul Bragg. During his career, he came to believe that...
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Date of Birth26 September 1914
CitySan Francisco, CA
My workout is my obligation to life. It's my tranquilizer. It's part of the way I tell the truth--and telling the truth is what's kept me going all these years.
That's what I wanted! I wanted to be an athlete , I wanted the girls to like me, and I wanted to be able to get good grades in school, and this man said I could do all that.
The crusade is never off my mind -- the exercise I do, the food I eat, the thought I think -- all this and how I can help make my profession better-respected. To me, this one thing -- physical culture and nutrition -- is the salvation of America.
You only live once, why be miserable? Fat people are miserable -- you are carrying 50 lbs on your shoulders all day, you get a disease called "pooped-out itis". Don't tell me that they are happy with the way they look and feel. I have to be honest, that is all I have.
I can't die. It would ruin my image.
If you're tired and pooped out all the time, do you have love and compassion in your heart for your fellow man? You don't even like yourself!
I want to move well and comfortably, and enjoy the world around me.
If it tastes good, spit it out!
Sometimes people - especially people over 40 - underestimate what they really are capable of. They believe they're not capable of doing something great. I tell people who are over 40, "I don't want your best. I want better than that. I want better than what you perceive your best is."
Do you know how many calories are in butter and cheese and ice cream? Would you get your dog up in the morning for a cup of coffee and a donut?
You don't have to call it God or Jesus. That's religious humbug to a lot of people, but you've gotta believe that nature and spiritual things surround us. That is what put us here! I thank the universe for that every day of my life.
You put junk in, junk comes out. You put good in, good comes out.
There are so many health food nuts out there that eat nothing but natural foods but they don't exercise and they look terrible.
Exercise is your king, and nutrition is your queen. Together they create your fitness kingdom.