'Godfather of fitness' Jack LaLanne
He opened America's first health club, in Oakland, Calif., in 1936 - shocking many with his new fitness ideals, bulging muscles, and tight jumpsuits.
By 1951, Jack LaLanne had become a national daytime TV fixture. "The Jack LaLanne Show" aired for 34 years, with Mr. LaLanne preaching his endlessly gleeful gospel of health and fitness, often accompanied by his wife, Elaine, and dog, Happy.
LaLanne has celebrated his birthdays with Herculean feats. When he turned 40, he swam the treacherous waters beneath the Golden Gate Bridge.
At 60, handcuffed and shackled, he swam from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, towing a 1,000-pound boat.
At 70, he towed 70 people in 70 rowboats for a mile on California's coast.
The 5'6", 150-pound octogenarian still begins each day with a rigorous (some might call it "torturous," he admits) workout. He gives motivational speeches worldwide, and is the spokesman for a software/fitness company. His latest video, which is on chair exercises, debuts this month.
"I love inspiring people to be healthy, happy, stronger," he says from Morro Bay, Calif., where he lives with Elaine.
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