Good Bye Jack LaLanne, I Will Miss You

Remember Jack LaLanne? He was the exercise guy that a lot of us and our mother's (or grandmothers) exercised along with in our living rooms. His television exercise show would come on and out would come the chair to exercise on. He had that show for many years and I remember mom exercising along with him. As a kid I remember thinking that the outfit he wore to exercise in was kind of strange, I mean, it WAS a jumpsuit and ballet slippers but hey, I was a sheltered kid and no one we knew ever wore anything even remotely comparable to it so it was quite a novelty.

Yes, I just read the article over at AOL News about Jack LaLanne dying today at his home in Morro Bay California. I'm not sure why I am so surprised that he died because the man was 96 years old after all, but still, I am surprised. Yes, I am surprised that he died NOT because he was 96 years old but from respiratory failure due to pneumonia. Who knows how long he would have lived if he hadn't gotten pneumonia?

I remember being utterly amazed when Jack LaLanne swam in the ocean for long distances on his birthday. He swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco and then again in the Long Beach Harbor. And it's not like he did it by JUST swimming alone either, he was towing a boat full of people at the time! It was amazing and I thought just a bit kooky. But somehow, it was really cool too. Plus, those were among some of the first times that I ever really noticed Jack LaLanne when I was an adult and not just as a kid watching my mother watch him.

It seems as though Jack LaLanne was a part of our lives forever since he came into our living rooms for so many years. I believe that I am going to miss Jack LaLanne being in this world and inspiring us to live, eat, exercise and try to be as healthy as we can be.

Yes, I think Jack LaLanne was one super cool dude and I am just the tiniest bit embarrassed that I am no where near as healthy as he was for most of his life. He left behind one amazing example of healthy living for all of us to follow and I know that I would like to live as long and be as healthy as he was.

Good bye to you Jack LaLanne, thank you for blazing a healthy trail that any of us would be fortunate to be able to follow even half as well as you did.