Jack LaLanne, the “Godfather of Fitness”, recently passed away at the ripe, old age of 96. Jack was an inspiration to several generations of Americans (including me) with his energetic advocacy for fitness and good nutrition on his long running television exercise show.
LaLanne’s personal story is a fascinating one. As a young child, he was sickly and addicted to sugar. He and his mother attended a Paul Bragg seminar that changed his life. Bragg described the importance of eating correctly and exercising, and from that moment forward LaLanne was hooked.
LaLanne became a student of diet and exercise. He built his own gym in his backyard in Berkeley, California and at age 21 opened the first modern gym in 1936, which included a juice bar, in Oakland, California. The rest is history.
circa 1950
LaLanne was amazingly far ahead of his time in espousing the principles of good health that many of us are just beginning to wake up to in the 21st century. He enthusiastically said that “Exercise is king, nutrition is queen and the two together make a kingdom.” He advocated for daily exercise that included stretching, weight lifting and cardiovascular exercises.
When it came to nutrition, LaLanne was a believer in wholesome organic fruits and vegetables and lean protein. He preferred to avoid processed foods that had been modified by man. In today’s world, LaLanne’s food selection would have consisted only of foods earning stars in the Guiding Stars nutrition rating system. Jack LaLanne was indeed a Guiding Stars kind of guy…
John Eldredge is the Director of Brand and Business Development for Guiding Stars Licensing Company. John’s 30 years of consumer products experience — ranging from General Mills to Earth’s Best organic baby food — have made him a believer in a healthy lifestyle and good-for-you products. He has enjoyed leading the charge in bringing the Guiding Stars program to a growing number of consumers and strategic partners. But call John during lunch and you’re likely to get his voicemail. He enjoys running or Nordic skiing most days at noon.