The other day I was at a rest home with Ernst. He has conducted a Bible study at this particular rest home for over 10 years. He has two objectives - give them comfort and try to stir their memories. Monday he was asking everyone - Who in history was a really strong man? The first man to pop in my head that could stir some memories in older folks was exercise guru Jack LaLanne. And it did. And then it stirred some memories in my head as well.
I vividly remember being home alone with my mom when all the other kids were off to school. I would have been four or five, because it was at our old house. My mom and I would do the exercises from the Jack LaLanne show together. I specifically recall doing the various exercises involving a simple kitchen chair. And I remember his dog Happy. Don't know what the dog did, but he was on the show living up to his name.
After Googling Jack LaLanne, I discovered some interesting facts.
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| Jack LaLanne and his dog Happy. |
I vividly remember being home alone with my mom when all the other kids were off to school. I would have been four or five, because it was at our old house. My mom and I would do the exercises from the Jack LaLanne show together. I specifically recall doing the various exercises involving a simple kitchen chair. And I remember his dog Happy. Don't know what the dog did, but he was on the show living up to his name.
After Googling Jack LaLanne, I discovered some interesting facts.
- He was an unhealthy, unhappy and at times violent young man until he gave up junky, sugary foods at the age of 15.
- He had a degree in Chiropractics.
- The day before he died at the age of 96 of pneumonia, he was still doing his exercises.
- He ate a diet of egg whites, fish, and lots of fruits and vegetables. He ate 10 raw vegetables a day. He ate oatmeal with soy milk, broth, and fruit for breakfast.
- The prevailing attitude at the time of his TV show was that women could become infertile with exercise. His show ran from 1953 in the heart of the Baby Boom and ended in 1985.
- He woke up every day at 4 am to work out. He changed that to 5 am when he was much older.
- He believed in two big meals a day, a big breakfast and a big dinner.
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| Real men work out in ballet slippers. |
Two quotes from Jack LaLanne made us laugh.
"if man made it, don't eat it" and "if it tastes good, spit it out"
The second quote is the exact same one we used while cleaning up our diet a few years back. Of course, it's not true, because healthy food does taste really good and your taste changes when you eat cleaner. But at first, that is exactly what it feels like.
Can I eat this cookie with butter and sugar?
Does it taste good?
Yep, it sure does!
No, you can't have it, spit it out!
And spit out that cheeseburger too!
Here is your unsalted, no cheese, no meat, plant-strong vegan bean and brown rice burrito on a whole grain tortilla that is too stiff to fold up with all that kale sticking out of it.
Now make like Jack LaLanne's dog and be Happy!
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| Jack LaLanne towed 70 boats for one mile on his 70th birthday. In shackles, not ballet slippers. |
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| Been eating about 10 raw vegetables and/or fruits a day. OK, I plodded along for 30 minutes yesterday. Even our dog was Happy. |
