Archived News of the Week

The Longevity Chronicles: Part 11:

Jack LaLanne: In Memoriam

I thought that he would never die. And here he is, disappointing me, dead at 96 of "the old man's friend," pneumonia. Couldn't he have had the courtesy to wait just a short 4 years so he could reach his 100th birthday? Then maybe 60 Minutes and you and I could have watched him pull a rowboat by his teeth from San Francisco to Alcatraz on his 100th birthday. What happened, Jack? Couldn't you have taken better care of yourself?

Dr. Oz said, "... he was the father of the biggest health movement in the world and he walked the walk" What does "walking the walk" mean exactly? It means that he exercised for 2 hours first thing in the morning. "Inactivity is the killer... and remember, it's never too late." He juiced and even invented his own juicer. He didn't eat sweets and eschewed caffeine. "Your waistline is your lifeline!"

What was his exercise routine, even into his 90's? "I hit the gym around 5 in the morning. I work out for two hours a day, seven days a week. I hate to work out! I'd rathe 'Jack, you've done it again.' I change my program every 30 days otherwise the muscles get bored. I lift weights, swim, do fast walking on my treadmill. I can still do chins, push-ups, parallels. I can't do them like when I was 21, but I do them pretty well."

What was his food routine? "The food you eat today, you're wearing tomorrow. Junk in, junk out. Ten seconds on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. Now, [for protein] I only eat fish and scrambled egg whites. I have 10 servings of raw vegetables every day and 5 pieces of fresh fruit and whole grains. I never eat between meals. I take a lot of vitamins and minerals. People ask me why do I need them when I eat all these perfect foods. I say, - Just in case - that's my insurance policy.'"

What's his advice to someone over 50 who wants to start an exercise program? "It's never too late. Living is an athletic event. You've got to work at it. People in their 80's who are put on a program of exercise and weight training can double their strength in two weeks. I have older people sit in their chairs and stand up and sit down as fast as they can. Then scoot back and pump your legs like you're riding a bicycle. Punch your arm toward the ceiling as fast as you can. You can do this while you're watching the commercials on TV. There are 12 minutes of commercials in an hour and that's practically all the time you need. You don't need equipment. You need only a chair."

Jack LaLanne was one of a kind, and I was grateful to have had him in my life for ... well, most of my life. I remember as a kid watching him on our small TV (the one with the tiny screen and the great big wooden console) - young, mouthy, opinionated and passionate about health. He was one of my early health gurus.

Then there is Jay Kordich, "The Juice Man. He is in his late 80's now - 87 to be exact. He looks great with a thick head of white hair, John L. Lewis eyebrows and Regis Philbin blindingly white teeth. His voice is strong, his attitude positive and he looks more like an extremely virile 60 year old. Kordich claims that his secret is juicing. 'As long as I get my 8 glasses of freshly juiced juices every day, I know I am home free." Apparently. He claims that he was diagnosed with bladder cancer at age 22 and that juicing saved his life.

I own his cookbook, called Live Foods - Live Bodies which is nice to have as it contains lots of good recipes for salads, raw foods, and juices. I consult it almost daily in the warmer months, but I have noticed this: Many of the famous long-lived octos, nonas and centenarians reside in sunny and warm places where their bodies will naturally invite lighter and colder foods such as salads and juices. When it's sub-zero outside in the deep of a Colorado winter, the last thing I am thinking about is a cold, raw salad for dinner!

Then there is Paul Bragg of cider vinegar fame. He was an early health guru who advocated deep breathing, exercise, juicing and vegetables. It is said that he was killed at age 95 in a surf boarding accident. However, other records show that he lied about his age and that he actually died at age 81 of ventricular fibrillation. I think the first reason, whether apocryphal or not, is so much more romantic, don't you?

I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from our favorite neurotic crankhead, Woody Allen:

"My relationship with death remains the same. I am very strongly against it... there's no advantage in getting older. I'm 74 now. You don't' get any wiser, you don't get more mellow... nothing good happens. Your back hurts more. You get more indigestion. Your eyesight isn't as good. You need a hearing aid. It's a bad business getting older, and I would advise you not to do it."

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