Jack LaLanne is often referred to as “The Godfather of Fitness” and is a true fitness pioneer, studying the Henry Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body and concentrating on bodybuilding, chiropractic medicine, and weightlifting, something virtually unheard of in the 1930s.

In 1936 LaLanne opened his own health spa in Oakland, CA, and dedicated his life to encouraging people to better themselves through exercise and fitness. LaLanne designed the world’s first leg extension machines, pulley machines using cables, weight selectors, and the widely used Smith machine. Breaking the gender barrier, LaLanne was the first fitness expert to encourage women to lift weights, contrary to the popular belief of the time, which was that weights made women masculine and unattractive. By the 1980s there were more than 200 Jack LaLanne health clubs that were eventually sold to the Bally Company, which later became Bally Total Fitness.

The Jack LaLanne TV Show is the longest running health and fitness show in history, airing from 1951 to 1985. Critics said the show would be off the air in six weeks, but it lasted over 34 years.

At the young age of 95, Jack LaLanne continues to work out every morning for two hours, spending 1 ½ hours in the weight room and ½ hour swimming. Let’s face it…he and his wife Elaine look great, a living specimen of the benefits of healthy eating and a physically active life.