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Jack and Elaine 30 years difference
Jack and Elaine 30 years difference
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©2006 Brian Smith ©2006 Brian Smith - All Rights Reserved
Fitness pioneer Jack La Lanne
Fitness pioneer Jack La Lanne, 92, and his wife Elaine photographed near his home in Morro Bay, California on October 18, 2006
By Vicky Waite
I can still remember back in the 60’s when my mother would watch Exercise with Gloria and The Jack Lalanne Show. Jack is well known for being the fitness guru. It was the first time I was introduced to exercising. At the time, I never knew how it would become a big part of my life. I found it kind of weird as a young girl. Even funny to watch. However, my mother would faithfully turn on the TV and follow what they were saying and tried to do the exercises. It really wasn’t until I was around twelve when I stopped growing that I realized you had to exercise and eat right to maintain weight.
Bill and I were talking one night and decided to see if we could get in touch with Jack Lalanne’s wife, Elaine LaLanne. Both Elaine and Jack ate right and were one great team. I knew “The First Lady of Physical Fitness” was still staying fit at 92. And, we wanted to find out what her secret to longevity was. I heard she was still doing push-ups, lecturing and writing books.
When I heard back from Elaine I was excited for the interview. She welcomed me to call her what many call her, “LaLa.” She is so easy to talk to; this interview went well over an hour. She said it was as if we were best friends. This spitfire was such a delight to talk to. She had me laughing when she told me she use to be a junk food junky and smoked. In fact, she use to blow smoke in Jack’s face. But that all changed when she turned 27 and Jack put her on the right path to diet and exercise.
Elaine is still sharp as a tack and so full of energy. She said she preaches that life is all about moving, if you want to live you have to move. She is currently working on a book with Jaime Brenkus, 57 year old fitness coach who coined the 8 minute workout, about putting the boom back in boomers. She has now been working out for 65 years and doing plenty of speeches and seminars. And, she will tell you that she feels that it’s the results that keep you motivated to keep in shape. She had a story about a woman who came to her back in the 50’s when she and Jack had a health food store below his gym. She was overweight and needed help but couldn’t stay motivated. LaLa told her to put a picture of herself on the refrigerator door so she would see every time she reached for the door. It worked, within six months she returned looking good.
Elaine’s diet consists of her husband Jack’s famous juices and lots of vegetables. She usually wakes up to juice from her power juicer, oatmeal, and a probiotic Kefir drink, plain or strawberry. Elaine stresses that researchers have found that our gut must be balanced. And for lunch she likes protein drinks made with Soy or Almond milk. A hard-boiled egg or two, Avocados and sometimes a sandwich. A typical dinner would be chicken, fish or ground round meat, vegetables, beans, lentils, rice or a baked potato. She sometimes grinds up the left-over vegetables with chicken or vegetable broth in a blender for soup the next day. She emphasizes that people do not realize how great beans, lentils and rice are for the body.
Elaine made it very clear that it’s not what you do some of the time but what you do most of the time that counts. So, a good diet and exercise program is something you want to have most of the time. It’s ok to Indulge occasionally. I asked her if there is any type of equipment that she and Jack sold that was the most popular and LaLa was quick to answer that it was Jack Lalanne’s Glamour Stretcher. The Glamour Stretcher was a single resistance band that worked the entire body from head to toe. Jack’s Glamour Stretcher Time Phonograph album became available in 1959 and was the first instructor led workout available on recorded media to achieve much wide acclaim. Today resistance bands are used worldwide by fitness trainers, spas, rehab centers and home use.
Elaine is coming out with a new book co-authored by Jaime Brenkus, titled “IF YOU WANT TO LIVE, MOVE! Putting the Boom Back in Boomers”, just about the time you are reading my article. I asked her prior to her new book did she have a favorite. While she said that she favors all of them and all offer something for each one’s personality, she did like to talk about her book about Fitness after 50 workout. It is sort of a head to toe work out program. And she really feels everyone should have Jack Lalanne’s last book, Live Young Forever. Jack was 95 when he wrote it. It goes into 12 steps to optimum health, fitness and Longevity.
Jack and Elaine’s company is called Befit Enterprises. The company sells everything from exercise books, DVD’s and more. Elaine LaLanne is the president and has been since day one. Jack had no interest to run it. They were a great team together with the sharp minded Elaine running the business while Jack planned his TV shows, lectured, and motivated people through his personal appearances. He just wanted to help people help themselves and he wouldn’t take on or endorse anything he didn’t believe in. The truth is, they could have made so much money by putting his name on other products, however, this caring couple didn’t care about the money as much as the people they helped.
Ending our conversation, I let LaLa know I will be calling her sometime in the new year. She said she would be looking forward to our next chat. I found myself a new buddy who is such an inspiration to me and everyone all over the world. These last few issues have been a cake walk for Bill. It’s back to the tool box for the winter issue. Be sure to check her Websites at www.jack lalanne.com, www.elainelalanne.com and www. shoplalanne.com.
And, as with any exercise program, always consult a physician before you begin.