LaLanne wows fitness fans

Union Democrat - Sonora, CA, USA - The event was the annual 50-Plus Stride to Breakfast, but the 400 people crowded into Columbia Wednesday morning weren't there just to walk: They were there to see the man many consider to be the fitness founder himself — Jack LaLanne.

LaLanne, still active and promoting exercise at age 92, and his equally buff better half, Elaine LaLanne, were the stars of the show and preached to the largely older adult audience of the exercise they have long practiced.

"There are two words that sum it up, pride and discipline," LaLanne explained after he and his wife took center stage before a group walk that concluded the event. "Take pride in what you do, and be disciplined to do what you need to."

"You make it happen!" he cajoled. "You have got to put the right fuel in the human machine … and anything is possible in life if you make it happen."

The gathering, coinciding with National Senior Health and Fitness Day, is sponsored by Area 12 Agency on Aging and included breakfast, educational booths and three guided walks around Columbia State Historic Park.

But the real draw for most was LaLanne.

Free buses from Mariposa, Amador, and Calaveras counties brought many avid fans carrying books, tapes and T-shirts awaiting the moment they could lay eyes on the legend and have him sign their assorted keepsakes.

"I used to do his exercise program with him in the mornings," said Marilyn Evans, Queen of the Castlettes Chapter of the Red Hats in Ione. "Every housewife exercised with Jack LaLanne ... it was just how you started your day!"

LaLanne, most famous for his television exercise show that ran for 34 years, was an inspirational sight in his blue jumpsuit that showed off a set of bulging muscles.

"Just seeing him was exiting," said Sally Jeske of Mariposa, accompanied by her husband Ray. "Seeing how he looks at his age was really motivating in itself, and it makes me enthusiastic about exercising again."

LaLanne was born Sept. 26, 1914, in San Francisco, and claims he was addicted to sugar until he was about 15. Then he attended a seminar in Oakland by Paul C. Bragg, famous for Creator Health Food Stores and a Pioneer Life Extension Specialist. The event was life changing, he said.

"Paul said, ‘It matters not your present physical condition or age … if you obey nature's law, you can be born again, ' " LaLanne said during his talk. "It changed my life, and if something changed your life, wouldn't you be enthusiastic about it?"

LaLanne and wife Elaine, 80, went on to have crowd members laughing, jumping and exercising in their chairs.

"I just retired and wanted to get back into exercising," said 76-year-old Cathy Maxim of Sonora. "I just couldn't wait to see him, and he was absolutely wonderful. It has me motivated."

Among other things, LaLanne is known for developing the first models of exercise equipment, for being the first to bring nutrition into workouts, and in recent years for marketing a juice machine through TV infomercials.

"If man made it, don't eat it," LaLanne urged his fans. "If it tastes good, spit it out! Ten seconds on the lips, a lifetime on the hips."

Chimed in Elaine: "Jack once told me, ‘The only thing good about that doughnut is the hole in the middle … no calories!' "
LaLanne accomplished many feats as a young and groundbreaking fitness enthusiast and bodybuilder, and kept on going as he aged. He set world records for push-ups and chin-ups in an hour and once swam the 6 1/2-mile Golden Gate Channel in San Francisco Bay while towing a 2,500-pound cabin cruiser.

At age 70, he fought strong winds and currents as he swam 1 1/2 miles while towing 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen's Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary.

He received a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame at the age of 88.

LaLanne still works out two hours a day, eats fish seven days a week, and claims he has taken 30 to 40 supplements every day since he started working out.

When asked after their talk how they both stay motivated, the LaLannes said the people they meet inspire them everyday.

"Everyone we meet motivates us, and seeing people change," said Elaine. "Results, results, results!"

"I have never once hit a low point," said LaLanne. "It's not that I like working out, it's that I love the results. Dying is easy. I want to live and be disease free."

The LaLannes currently live in Morro Bay, a scenic coastal town near San Luis Obispo. But they were quick Wednesday to let crowd members know how fortunate they are to live in the Mother Lode.

"Do you know how lucky you are to live in a beautiful place like this?" said Jack with a big smile. "And you do it with such class … I am flattered and honored from the bottom of my bottom to be here!"

A long line of fans awaited the LaLannes after the show, and they gladly personalized every signature for every fan and posed gracefully for every picture.

"Promise me today that you will start taking pride in the way you feel and look," LaLanne requested of his fans. "Do you know how many people you can inspire and help by just doing this for yourself?"

Organizers of the 50-Plus Stride to Breakfast, now in it's third year, try to get an older motivational speaker who exemplifies senior fitness.

"We wanted to bring a senior celebrity that is a good example of health and fitness and has aged well," said event planner Debby Shally, manager of the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program in Sonora. "Jack was very open to coming to this ... he is really big on fitness."

Last year's guest speaker was 84-year-old actress Carol Channing, most famous for two roles — Lorelei Lee in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and Dolly Gallagher Levi in "Hello Dolly." She received a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award for her work on Broadway.

Still, for a few in Wednesday's crowd, LaLanne wasn't the only draw.

"We really came for the walking part of the event," said Joy Roberts of San Andreas, who attended with her neighbor Charlotte Wells. "We really love to walk."