By: Shawn Perine
Forever Young:
Jack LaLanne's Amazing Feats And Greatest Tips
The following is an amazing listing of Jack LaLanne's incredible feats and his 15 guiding principles for longevity.
Jack was known not only for his TV show, but for amazing the world with feats of great physical prowess.
Jack's incredible feats as reported on Jack LaLanne's web site:
- 1954 (age 40): swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, underwater, with 140 pounds (64 kg; 10 st) of equipment, including two air tanks. A world record.
- 1955 (age 41): swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed. When interviewed afterwards he was quoted as saying that the worst thing about the ordeal was being handcuffed, which reduced his chance to Star Jump significantly.
- 1956 (age 42): set a world record of 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes on You Asked For It, a television program with Art Baker.
- 1957 (age 43): swam the Golden Gate channel while towing a 2,500-pound (1,100 kg; 180 st) cabin cruiser. The swift ocean currents turned this one-mile (1.6 km) swim into a swimming distance of 6.5 miles (10.5 km).
- 1958 (age 44): maneuvered a paddleboard nonstop from Farallon Islands to the San Francisco shore. The 30-mile (48 km) trip took 9.5 hours.
- 1959 (age 45): did 1,000 star jumps and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hour, 22 minutes and The Jack LaLanne Show went nationwide.
- 1974 (age 60): For the second time, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf. Again, he was handcuffed, but this time he was also shackled and towed a 1,000-pound (450 kg; 71 st) boat.
- 1975 (age 61): Repeating his performance of 21 years earlier, he again swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater and handcuffed, but this time he was shackled and towed a 1,000-pound (450 kg; 71 st) boat.
- 1976 (age 62): To commemorate the "Spirit of '76", United States Bicentennial, he swam one mile (1.6 km) in Long Beach Harbor. He was handcuffed and shackled, and he towed 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.
- 1979 (age 65): towed 65 boats in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan. He was handcuffed and shackled, and the boats were filled with 6,500 pounds (2,900 kg; 460 st) of Louisiana Pacific wood pulp.
- 1980 (age 66): towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida. The boats carried 77 people, and he towed them for over one mile (1.6 km) in less than one hour.
- 1984 (age 70): Handcuffed, shackled and fighting strong winds and currents, towed 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen's Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary, 1 mile.
Want to emulate the long and miraculously fit life of Jack LaLanne? Follow these 15 guiding principles, and you just might live to 96-or beyond-yourself:
- If man makes it, don't eat it.
- Eat natural foods whenever you can-six servings of raw vegetables and five pieces of fruit everyday!
- Use a juicer to get your daily dose of raw fruits and vegetables.
- You can eat out at restaurants-if you're careful. Just order brown rice, the right soups with no cream or butter, etc.
- The only way you can hurt your body is by not using it.
- Do high intensity cardiovascular exercise, and keep it short unless you're trying to lose weight and need to burn off extra calories.
- Change your fitness routine every 30 days. Do something different!
- For absolute beginners: start with weight training and exercising in a pool.
- Keep your rest periods between sets very short. Only take the minimum time you need to catch your breath.
- Everything in your body manifests through circulation-your memory, sex life, skin, hair, everything-and you can improve your circulation by exercising.
- Exercise makes you happy!
- Try supplements-get everything as natural as you can and start using herbs, enzymes, and more.
- Get a physical exam once a year-no matter what shape you're in, little things can happen and you should be aware.
- Three things make you tired: lack of exercise, empty calories, and nervous tension.
- Scales lie! Use a mirror and a tape measure to make sure you're making progress, toning and re-shaping your body.