So Jack LaLanne passed away on January 23 2011 at the age of 96. A good age and a long life for anyone. But he was a special man, an apostle for aerobics, he wrote the epistle on exercise and he practiced what he preached. A rare quality for anyone. I’ve known Jack for a couple of decades already. Not personally, but through my own journey towards health, exercise and longevity. He and I shared a great mentor. The great Paul Bragg.
Paul Bragg is perhaps best known for his Bragg’s liquid aminos. I love liquid aminos and use them on most of my food when I need a soy sauce replacement. If you want to check them out, you can click here to take a look. They have a fraction of the sodium in them as compared to soy sauce, so they’re healthier. But damn they taste pretty similar to soy sauce.
Anyway, Paul Bragg, so the story goes, as alluded to by Jack LaLanne himself saved LaLannes life, as Jack was a sickly child until about the age of 15 when he met Paul at a health seminar that Paul had put on. He claimed that speech and hearing to Paul talk about health and nutrition turned his life around. Jack has said that he was a “sugarholic” and lived on junk food. No wonder his health was poor.
Now Paul Bragg is somewhat of a controversial figure as it has been suggested he died at the age of 95 when in fact the best public records indicate he diet at 81 of heart failure or a heart attack. Although it has been suggested that his health deteriorated because of a surfing accident. In any event, who knows the real truth. Regardless, I think the bulk of his (Paul Bragg’s) message is sound though I certainly don’t prescribe to it all.
Anyway, I think that any memorial to Jack LaLanne should also cite Paul Bragg as an influence in the health movement from its inception. It was Jack who founded one of the first gyms in Oakland, California and his long running 35 years, exercise show was instrumental in getting exercise and fitness into the mainstream. He is also credited with inventing the first leg extension machine as well as the first Smith Machine prototype and also several weight machines that use the pulley system and weight selectors still popular in many gyms.
He was a shrewd business and terrific self promoter and his Jack LaLanne line of juicers are still good sellers to this day. You can click here to check them out. I commend him for his feats of strength and health excellence and showing us that the human body can serve us well and long into the future if you give it the proper “fuel”. Clean, whole foods. Some of his quotes are worth repeating.
“Your health account is your wealth account”
“Your waistline is your lifeline”
“Don’t exceed the feed limit”
Jack will be missed. He left an indelible mark on the American psyche. And not only the American psyche. I tip my hat to this great man who cajoled us into taking care of our own health. And for that I am ever grateful. You can find our more about Jack LaLanne as this website by clicking here.
He was a vegan once, though in his last years he took to eating eggs and fish. God knows why. It just goes to show you that even the greatest amongst us are not better than us. Even the greatest amongst us have Achilles’ heels. So friends, take the message from the messenger and distill it through your own critical faculties and use the best and discard the rest. Whether it comes from me, Jack or Bruce Lee. But always remember to remain vegan 😉 Verily I say unto you, vegan is the truth and the light and the lessened suffering. And that is my thrust. My spear, my assegai. The world I want to see.
Jason