Jack LaLanne
Jack LaLanne
Francois Henri "Jack" LaLannewas an American fitness, exercise, and nutritional expert and motivational speaker who is sometimes called "the godfather of fitness" and the "first fitness superhero." He described himself as being a "sugarholic" and a "junk food junkie" until he was age 15. He also had behavioral problems, but "turned his life around" after listening to a public lecture about the benefits of good nutrition by health food pioneer Paul Bragg. During his career, he came to believe that...
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Date of Birth26 September 1914
CitySan Francisco, CA
I was the worst, most sickly kid of all -- 30 pounds underweight. The girls used to beat me up. Actually I was a mean kid, early on because I had no self-esteem.
When I first started out, I was considered a crackpot. The doctors used to say, "Don't go to that Jack LaLanne, you'll get hemorrhoids, you won't get an erection, you women will look like men, you athletes will get muscle-bound -- this is what I had to go through.
If you're tired and pooped out all the time, do you have love and compassion in your heart for your fellow man? You don't even like yourself!
I see a sea of millions of people going down with their own negative thoughts, going down for the third time in this big sea of iniquity and negativity.
You can take them in a wheelchair and put them in a pool, so they can move their arms and legs. In a pool disabled people can do things that they can't normally do otherwise.
Sex has to do with imagination, so the sky is the limit. If you're not doing bodily harm, why shouldn't you do what turns you on?
If you take steroids, you have to pay the price. They can kill you; there are no shortcuts. It's like going to bed with a rattlesnake, it's got to get you.
My wife is my protector. Without her, I'm nothing. She wants to please me, and I want to please her. We've been together over 53 years.
Muscle cells strengthen in response to intense exercise - whether you're 18 or 88. But the intensity is what's lacking in most people's workouts. And there are doctors who'll give you the advice, "Well, don't push it."
Progress is made where progress is measured.
Never, ever get satisfied; keep the carrot in front of the horse.
You've got to appeal to the pride in people. When a woman is flabby and soft, she's unattractive. When you married a beautiful girl and all of a sudden you start seeing her tits down and her breath stinks and she's not clean anymore and has no pride in herself, you can't love her. You may bullshit yourself, but you can't. Energy makes people beautiful. That's what charisma is.
I've never been satisfied with myself, ever. But I feel good about myself, because I'm truthful. I don't corrupt myself. I'm also a perfectionist. I'm very impatient. I've got energy and drive and I can't stand inefficiency in people. And I can't stand dumb people. Why surround yourself with people who are going to tie you down? I don't suffer fools.
Be an example of what you teach. [As a personal trainer], delve into your student's life, know everything about him. Be interested.