"Before there was power yoga and Tae-Bo, there was Jack LaLanne, who devoted his life to making Americans fit and healthy. LaLanne, who died Sunday at age 96, became the fitness conscience of the nation after his daily TV show on exercise and nutrition debuted in the 1950s. Although the show aired for more than three decades, he is a distant memory for many Americans, a quirky part of cultural history. But up to the end of his life — he died of respiratory failure from pneumonia at his home in Morro Bay, Calif. — he remained as dedicated as ever to getting the country in shape"
This is the first paragraph of today's NPR article that highlights the man and the mission.
I remember him well - first because I used to watch his TV show with my beloved Grandma as we held the backs of her kitchen chair to maintain balance as he barked commands out at us and we giggled. She, teasing me because I was so young - she, teasing herself because she was not so young anymore. Perhaps a memory like this (which surfaces for me again and again) helps to account for my 30-year career teaching people how to move their bodies and enjoy the process.
Second came the opportunity to see and hear him live as the closing keynote at a fitness convention in California...a spry old man who leaped upon the stage and inspired everyone in the room with his deeply authentic no-holds barred presence. 2,000 young, fit, sleek aerobic stars rose to their feet and gave the man the longest standing ovation I have ever witnessed anywhere - ever. It was awesome.
Today I salute this Hundredth Monkey.
He challenged an entire Nation to get fit and stay fit. He followed his muse. He shared the good news. He lived his truth. He made a huge difference.
May you all be inspired to follow your own, and to share who you are with the rest of us.
Blessings,
Gael
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