50's Era Excercise and Nutrition

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spiralstares
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50's Era Excercise and Nutrition

Post by spiralstares » Thu Sep 15, 2005 3:45 pm

I was born in the seventies but I have a nostalgic yearning for the fifties. Actually, in a lot of ways I enjoy mid-century art and entertainment and style despite the fact I didn’t live through it.

If anyone else has any admiration for that time period I have a recommendation for you. Every morning at 5:30 (at least on the east coast it’s at 5:30) ESPN Classic shows the Jack Lalanne show. The show is about 45 or 50 years old and I’ve watched it religiously for about the past 6 weeks.

Here are some the great things about:

1. He calls the exercises “Trimnastics.”
2. His dog Happy who he uses to get kids interested in the show and then he asks the kids to go get their parents to join them in the exercises.
3. There is a live musical accompaniment on organ.
4. The exercises aren’t too difficult.
5. Although occasionally you’ll get some strange exercise that you would never see on a fitness program today, like where you’ll be sprawled on your back across a chair and doing scissor sit-ups.
6. He occasionally does exercises for the face (he calls them face-a-tonics).
7. The commercials on ESPN Classic during the show are mostly for Jack Lalanne’s own books and DVDs. Apparently he made special commercials with a Christmas theme last Christmas and they haven’t bothered to change them throughout the year.
8. Jack is very inspirational and encouraging.
9. You get a lot of solid fitness advice and you realize that the stuff that really works to help you lose weight and get in shape is the stuff that has withstood the test of time.
10. Occasionally you’ll get some strange nutrition advice that you don’t hear too much of anymore. “Eat more brains and kidneys!” Jack declared the other day.
11. At the end of every episode Jack sings:

It’s time to leave you
Let’s say goodbye
These precious moments
Just seem to fly

Now here’s my wish for you
Made the good lord bless
And keep you too

cvmom
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Post by cvmom » Thu Sep 15, 2005 3:56 pm

Spiral:

I was born in the 60's and I can remember my mom "working out" to Jack in front of the old TV set. I don't remember the dog but I do remember thinking he wore pretty weird outfits.

Come to think of it, my grandmother used to watch Jack too.

I agree that he was totally before his time. I'll have to check out the show.

Thanks,

Dru

P.S. My favorite thing about the 50's are the cars. They just don't make cars like that anymore...

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peetie
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Post by peetie » Thu Sep 15, 2005 4:08 pm

Okay, as a senior member of this board, I used to watch Jack LaLanne when I was in elementary school and loved him then and love him now. He doesn't just talk the talk....he lives it. Up until a few years ago when his wife put her foot down, he used to do Herculean stunts on his birthday, like drag a boat load of people to Catalina with his teeth on a rope! I kid you not.

I saw him on an interview awhile back and he invented a lot of the equipment you see in gyms today, but never got patents on them. So, even tho he is quite comfortable, the poor guy didn't get his financial due.

Peetie

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spiralstares
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Post by spiralstares » Thu Sep 15, 2005 4:25 pm

Yes, he invented a lot of the gym equipment we're familiar with and I believe he was the first to use those rubber band type things to excercise with (he calls them Glamour Stretchers on the show).

He turns 91 in a couple of weeks and he's going to be on the weekend edition of the Today show Saturday the 24th.

Here's a good interview with the man:

http://www.shareguide.com/LaLanne.html

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ClickBeetle
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Post by ClickBeetle » Thu Sep 15, 2005 5:47 pm

One of the nice things about people like Jack Lalanne and Richard Simmons is that they take the "approachable" approach to exercise - - really making it comfortable for people to get the idea that they would be interested and that fitness is not just for the Steroid People.

(I mean, I know a lot of people find Richard annoying, myself included, but he gave great advice and presented his fitness advice in a very humorous and accessible way -- plus physically he is not some kind of unrealistic Greek god that no one can hope to emulate.)
Chance favors the prepared. - Louis Pasteur

hlidskjalf
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Post by hlidskjalf » Thu Sep 15, 2005 7:16 pm

LaLanne was a Paul Bragg disciple.

http://bragg.com/

Bragg was good at sound bites.. "Your waistline is your lifeline." He also died in his 90s from a surfing accident. What he advocated though was a European style 2 meal day and that was vegan with a special fondness for apple cider vinegar and organic soy sauce. Walking Running and low impact LaLanne style exercise added the fitness component.
Burn all, burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean.

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Jammin' Jan
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Post by Jammin' Jan » Thu Sep 15, 2005 9:08 pm

I was born in 1951 and I have absolutely no nostalgia at all for the fifties and sixties. But, I used to watch that show almost every day, along with I Love Lucy, and really loved them. He's really into juicing and supplements now, I think. Really in good shape for his age. Heck, he's in good shape for anybody's age!
"Self-denial's a great sweetener of pleasure."
(Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner")

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spiralstares
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Post by spiralstares » Thu Sep 15, 2005 9:14 pm

Yes, who knows, maybe if I lived through the era I wouldn't have such a fondness for it. Lord knows I could do without the 80's completely.

cvmom
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Post by cvmom » Thu Sep 15, 2005 10:59 pm

Whoa Now Spiral:

The 80's is my era and a great one at that :!:

Besides, it was the only time my hair had any body. :wink:

Dru
(one of those annoying moms who makes her children listen Fred on XM...)

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Lethaltoenails
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Post by Lethaltoenails » Fri Sep 16, 2005 1:32 pm

I just learned that one of Jack LaLanne's daughters is a chiropractor, like me! I remember watching Jack early in the AM - I was one of those kids who liked Happy and tried to get my mom to come watch and do the exercises with me, but she was too busy smoking a Tareyton and having her first scotch and water of the day.

I checked out the Bragg site. I have tried the liquid aminos, but they taste yecchy to me, does anyone else out there like them and use them?

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:40 pm

If anyone else has any admiration for that time period I have a recommendation for you. Every morning at 5:30 (at least on the east coast it’s at 5:30) ESPN Classic shows the Jack Lalanne show. The show is about 45 or 50 years old and I’ve watched it religiously for about the past 6 weeks.
Baby girl has just started letting us sleep past 6, and we're taking advantage... sounds like fun though.

His excercise advice seems right on. I guess he would approve of shovelglove's schedulistically insignificant 14 minutes since:
Twelve to seventeen minutes is plenty on the treadmill--if it's done fast.
But with all due respect, I'm a little suspicious of some of the diet things he does -- cutting out dairy, taking "40 or 50" vitamin supplements, etc. Not that this necessarily hurts, except from a culinary and financial perspective, I'm just far from convinced that it helps, unless you have specific health problems. Though I guess you shouldn't knock placebo effect. My view is that nutrition is a simple problem: eat a variety of less processed foods, with emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I don't feel that it requires systematic intervention or absolute, categorical restrictions. On the no-s diet especially, with the spotlight of limited opportunity shining on each meal, that obvious big picture knowledge should be enough to nudge you into making good nutritional decisions enough of the time. But I'm just a kid. When I'm a buff, shovelgloving 91 year old, then maybe I can talk with a fraction of his authority. :-)

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peetie
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Post by peetie » Fri Sep 16, 2005 2:58 pm

Reinhard, I'm glad you said that. I really admire LaLanne and his enthusiasm but was surprised to see he is a vegetarian now. When I used to watch him a thousand years ago, he touted meat and dairy products. Who's to say that isn't part of why he's so strong and healthy today? These issues are just not cut and dry.

I think we have to be our own guinea pigs when it comes to nutrition or we will go nuts trying to figure out the gospel. Since it changes every ten minutes anyway.

I read in a very good source that all those soy products out there contain nitrites that develop during the processing of them....so the very products we are avoiding because of nitrites (hot dogs, bacon) are present in these copy cat versions. So, what's a poor lay person to do?

Moderation....variety.....what feels good in our bodies. So far, I haven't figured anything better. I'm always interested in the latest research or study, but have learned to take them with a grain of salt.

Peetie

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spiralstares
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Post by spiralstares » Fri Sep 16, 2005 3:08 pm

Reinhard,

His diet advice during the time of the show was much more standard (lean meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains).

That's why I prefer the 1950's Jack who is a bit less rabid about it all, but no less passionate.

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JWL
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Post by JWL » Fri Sep 16, 2005 3:24 pm

Someone asked about Bragg's. I use it, similarly to how I'd use soy sauce or tamari. I especially like the spray bottle; a few squirts sprayed over sauteeing tofu in the pan is yummy. It's also good on veggies.

I'll use it to make soup stock occasionally too.
JWL[.|@]Freakwitch[.]net

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Jammin' Jan
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Post by Jammin' Jan » Sun Sep 18, 2005 1:55 am

When I was doing the McDougall Program, there were a lot of people who were using Bragg's. They all seemed to use it like Freakwitch does.

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