Jack LaLanne was known as the "Godfather of Fitness" for opening one of the first gyms in the United States and promoting a lifestyle of exercise and clean eating. As a teenager, he had a poor diet and lifestyle until attending a lecture that inspired him to focus on nutrition, exercise, and personal health. He went on to open his own gym in 1936 and produce a popular television show in the 1950s and 1980s to teach viewers about fitness. Even in his 90s, LaLanne maintained a rigorous daily workout routine. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 96, having left a significant influence on the modern fitness industry.

2. Today you will learn about…

3. Jack LaLanne

4. Jack LaLanne
Jack Lalanne was known as the “Godfather of Fitness!”
He is known for opening one of the first gyms in the
United States. He believe in the life full of constant
physical activity, having a clean eating lifestyle and
always continuing to move forward in life. He was
admired by many people including fellow celebrity
fitness guru’s for his years of fitness perfection.
Despite his lifelong good health, Lalanne did not start
out this way.

5. Jack LaLanne
was born Francois Henri Lalanne on September 26, 1914 in San
Francisco, California to French immigrants who ran a sheep farm.

6. Jack LaLanne
Unfortunately all the sheep died of disease on the farm. As a result the
farm went bankrupt and the whole family moved to Oakland, CA.

7. Jack LaLanne
But good fortune did not follow the Lalanne family. Jack’s father
passed away at the age of 50. He suffered a massive heart attack

8. Jack LaLanne
When Jack Lalanne was 15 years old he was a skinny, up to no
good teenage kid. Instead of the healthy eating he was
doing in his later years of life, Jack would pig out on all
kinds of sugary junk food. He had no respect for himself
and just didn’t give a damn.

9. Jack LaLanne
Jack’s mother was in desperate need of
helping him out. So she took
him to a lecture by a nutritionist named
Braggs talked about how terrible red meat
& white sugar is to the body and how the
“miracle of minerals, vitamins and
exercise” are good for you. Jack took this
to heart & had a revelation!

10. Jack LaLanne
Lalanne recalled it was
like “somebody going to
a revival meeting and
giving himself to Christ!”
He felt like he was “born
again.”

11. Jack LaLanne
From this moment on Jack Lalanne decided to change his
ways. So he stop eating junk food, began to eat more fruits
and vegetables & at one point became a vegetarian. He
signed up for the YMCA. Eventually he was the star athlete
for his school. By the time he was 19 he had won a contest
for World’s Best Built Man.

12. Jack LaLanne
In 1936 he opened up one of the first prototypes for the
wave of gyms and fitness spas to come in the future. It
consisted of a gym, juice bar & health food store in an old
office building in Oakland. Lalanne provided personal
attention to each and every person that walked in. A place
like this was a very new concept so many people had doubts
in it. Even doctors would tell people to stay away from that
crazy Jack Lalanne. What Jack Lalanne taught was
considered unhealthy and just far fetched.
“People thought I was a charlatan and a nut!”
“The doctors were against me, they said that working out with weights
would give people heart attacks and they would lose their sex drives!”

13. Jack LaLanne
To promote his new venture Lalanne would go over to
Muscle Beach located in Los Angeles, CA
That’s Jack Lalanne!

14. Jack LaLanne
Unfortunately Muscle Beach closed down in
the late 1950s and did not open until
decades later. With Lalanne’s best way to
teach people healthy habits, he decided
that he needed to venture out & find new
ways to share his knowledge of how to have
a healthy life.

15. Jack LaLanne
In 1951 the “Jack Lalanne Show” made it’s debut.

16. Jack LaLanne
The show was broadcast locally in San Francisco.
It consisted of Lalanne going through his workout
movements and using the simplest items to work
out with such as a broom stick, a chair, and a
rubber cord. He really enjoyed doing what he was
doing and had a very personal connection to the
show.

17. Jack LaLanne
The “Jack Lalanne Show” was a huge hit! It was
such a success the show went on national
syndication in 1959 & continued to air until the
mid-1980s

18. Jack LaLanne
Lalanne continued to push forward in his life after the show ended.
At of age of 70 he pulled 70 boats, handcuffed on his 70th birthday.
He is most recognized by the famous infomercials for the
“Jack Lalanne Power Juicer” which is still being sold to this
day.
In 2008 the 93 year old Lalanne became the “brain fitness
Motivational coach” for Dakim Inc., Power Fitness Cognitive System,
joining the companies efforts to help seniors fight against dementia.

19. Jack LaLanne
Even in his 90s which were the last few years of his
life he still continued to move forward in his fitness goals.
At 95 years old his workout routine consisted of
1 ½ hours working out in the weight room and a half hour of swimming.
That same year he was given an honorary certified personal trainer
certification by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). He
was congratulated by famous fitness enthusiast such as
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno & Bruce Jenner.

20. Jack LaLanne
On Sunday January 23, 2011 Francois Henri Jack Lalanne passed away.
He was 96 years old.
The cause of his death was complications from pneumonia

21. Jack LaLanne
Jack LaLanne was an innovator in the fitness industry. He was one of
the most influential individuals who had one goal in mind. To bring
good health to everybody and to be positive influence to all. His
influence is very much the reason why we have so many successful
people working in health and fitness today. He is the reason why
celebrity trainers and able to do what they do. We should all take a
minute to say….thank you Jack Lalanne.

22. Thank you for watching.
NASM Awards Jack Lalanne Honorary Certified Personal Trainer Certification.” Cancer Weekly, 13 Oct. 2009 p 793.
Health Reference Center Academic, http://link.galegroup.com/app/doc/A209268677/HRCA?u=mcc_Glendale&sid=HRCA&xid=
Jack LaLanne; Obituaries; Unhealthy adolescent turned fitness fanatic who preached the gospel of exercise, vegetables and
clean living
Daily Telegraph (London, England). (Jan. 25, 2011): News: p29.
“Spotlight: Jack Lalanne” Star [Amman, Jordan], 31 Jan 2011. World History in Context, http://galegroup.com/apps/doc/
A248224637/WHICH?u=mcc_Glendale&sid=WHICH&xid=a807e4f2
"Physical Fitness 'Godfather' Jack LaLanne Turns to Brain Fitness, Becoming Ambassador for Dakim's [m]Power
System." Health & Medicine Week, 26 May 2008, p. 4379. Health Reference Center
Academic, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A181039019/HRCA?u=mcc_glendale&sid=HRCA&xid=50e40e8e.
GOLDSTEIN R. Jack LaLanne, 96, fitness's father, dies. New York Times (1923-Current file). Jan 24 2011:1.
Available from: http://libproxy.gc.maricopa.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1634262264?accountid=3139.