Jack LaLanne, the fitness guru and television personality, has died.He was 96.The cause of death was respiratory failure due to pneumonia.LaLanne was a legendary proponent of exercise and healthy living whose workout program, “The Jack LaLanne Show,” ran from 1951 to 1985.LaLanne was ahead of his time when it came to fitness, particularly with weight-training. Now the government recommends strength-training for everyone — including kids and the elderly. But as the NYT reports, LaLanne said when he first began recommending weights in the 1930s, physicians opposed his advice. “They said that working out with weights would give people heart attacks and they would lose their sex drive,” the NYT quotes him as saying.Jack LaLanne touted the value of exercise and nutrition long before it became fashionable. Many people thought he was a charlatan and a nut. When he encouraged the elderly to lift weights, doctors said this was terrible advice. They said it was a good way for the elderly to break bones.
But now, of course, we know that weight-bearing exercise is precisely what 
is needed to build bone strength and prevent elderly bones from breaking. He was among the first to advocate weight training for women. Doctors said women who tried it would not be able to beHe died of complications from pneumonia at his California home Sunday. He was 96. But his agent said he exercised right up until the end.Long before fitness and healthy eating were fashionable, LaLanne led by example. "The only way you can hurt the body is not use it," he said. "Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late.
is needed to build bone strength and prevent elderly bones from breaking. He was among the first to advocate weight training for women. Doctors said women who tried it would not be able to beHe died of complications from pneumonia at his California home Sunday. He was 96. But his agent said he exercised right up until the end.Long before fitness and healthy eating were fashionable, LaLanne led by example. "The only way you can hurt the body is not use it," he said. "Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late."In 2004, NPR's Tom Goldman checked in with LaLanne just before his 90th birthday. Before Goldman knew it, LaLanne was leading him through a simple yet demanding workout using a chair. Goldman remembers that meeting and LaLanne's full life here.ar children. Now we know that regular exercise is one of the best preparations for childbirth. Over the years, he's been vindicated a thousandfold.
His television programs have brought his ideas to hundreds of millions of people and helped change the way we all view health and fitness.To commemorate his birthday, he’d perform stunts such as towing a weight-filled boat on an ocean swim — while handcuffed. According to USA Today, the final Jack LaLanne blog post, on Jan. 20, reminds people to keep up with their New Year’s fitness and health resolutions.
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