A remarkable man, Jack LaLanne, left the planet recently at age 96 in the way
we’d all like to do – healthy and active right up to the end.

It reminded me of a central theme in Dr. Terry Grossman’s lectures. Terry
Grossman is an MD specializing in longevity medicine. He and futurist Ray
Kurzweil co-authored the book, “Transcend,” a comprehensive guide to
staying healthy and living life to the fullest.

Dr. Grossman says we can live a healthy, active, sexy life right up to the
end and he calls it ‘squaring the curve.’

He’s referring to the downward curve on most health graphs that begins
about age 30, when the average person begins to lose some degree of strength,
stamina, flexibility and energy.

Most such graphs show a steady line that begins to curve down and continues
that way for decades until death. But Dr. Grossman says we can work on
squaring the curve and keep that line level until the time when we die and it
makes a sudden turn downward.

That’s exactly what Jack LaLanne did. Known as the ‘Godfather of
Fitness,’ LaLanne squared the curve just like we’d all like to do. He
lived a healthy, active life and then died a month ago of pneumonia at the
age of 96 after a brief illness.

LaLanne had said more than once, “People don’t die of old age. They die
of inactivity.” And the wonderful thing about his legacy is that he lived
true to his beliefs and convictions, and never stopped living a full and
active life. He continued to exercise daily well into his 90s.

Some of us who are old enough remember his TV show that began in the ‘50s
and aired until 1985.

We also remember his trademark tight-fitting jumpsuit and his enthusiasm for
exercise and fitness. I can still picture him doing jumping jacks – on
black and white TV.

His determination to become fit grew out of a desperate attempt to curtail

his addiction to sugar and relieve the suffering from terrible headaches,
mood swings and depression.

After hearing a lecture by Paul Bragg about the health benefits of exercise
and eating unprocessed foods, the young LaLanne swore off white flour, sugar
and most fat and began eating more fruits and vegetables. By age 15, he had
built a backyard gym of climbing ropes, chin-up bars, sit-up machines and
weights.

Even if you’ve never heard of LaLanne, his ground-breaking work in
body-building and strength training for extended health, as well as his
nutritional guidelines, influenced the entire health and wellness awareness
of the past 60 years.

Jack was definitely a trail-blazer way ahead of his time in the area of
health and fitness. We’ve all benefited from his commitment to helping
others build positive habits and live long, healthy and happy lives.

Yes, Jack LaLanne squared the curve and you can too. Think about it! Why
waste away when you can use body, mind and spirit action steps to stay vital,
interested and active until it’s time to go?

I’ve spent the past 7 years discovering and practicing these steps and have
completely turned my life around. I can honestly say at age 74 that I have
the stamina, energy and enthusiasm I had in my 20s and 30s! A major part of
my daily exercise routine is the Five Tibetan Rites. You can watch a
demonstration on how to do them at
http://www.howtogrowyounger.com/p/tror.html

I send a grateful salute to Jack LaLanne for paving the way to health
consciousness since the 1930s – and want to honor him for showing us how to
live with strength and vigor until it’s time to leave. Growing younger
isn’t about living forever – it’s about living and leaving like Jack
LaLanne.