Brain fitness on LaLanne’s mind

Before there were Jane Fonda, Arnold Schwarzenegger and a growing obesity epidemic despite gyms popping up on every corner, there was Jack LaLanne.

Remember him from the black-and-white days of TV? Muscular and Brylcreemed, energizing folks to get out of the recliner and do a few jumping jacks.

At nearly 94, Mr. LaLanne still is trying to get people to practice what he preaches. What he preaches is still basic - move more and eat better - and to hear it from a nonagenarian is hugely motivating.

“Dying is easy,” Mr. LaLanne says in a phone interview from his California office. “Living is an athletic event. Inactivity is a killer. A little exercise pays off such great dividends.”

These days, Mr. LaLanne is a brand and a businessman. He is still working the television world selling his Power Juicer, which can turn a stack of vegetables into a nutritious drink.

His latest venture is as a spokesman for [m]Power, a cognitive exercise media system. The system, which is being used in more than 100 senior living centers and is available for home use, uses video and sound clips, trivia games and brain teasers to give senior citizens’ brains a workout. The program comes in a self-contained monitor, so no keyboard or computer savvy is necessary.

Dan Michel, chief executive of Dakim, the company that manufactures the device, says a mental workout - like the physical workout Mr. LaLanne has been promoting all these years - can improve cognitive functioning and ward off signs of dementia.

“Scientists now believe that the brain is plastic until the end,” he says. “As aging occurs, we lose neurons or synapses over time. If we are constantly learning new things, we create new neurons and create a cognitive reserve. Our system works on long-term memory, short-term memory, language, spatial relations and critical thinking. It constantly self-adjusts the level of difficulty to stretch the mind.”

Similar to Mr. LaLanne’s recommendations of working out for 30 minutes on most days, Mr. Michel recommends using the [m] Power for 25 minutes, five days a week.

Mr. LaLanne, speaking in the motivational sound bites that have made him a fortune, says your bank account and “health account” work on the same principles.

“The more you put in, the more you will be able to take out,” he says. “That goes for your mind, too. What good is having Mr. America’s body if your brain doesn’t work?”

The health account has been Mr. LaLanne’s focus for more than 75 years. He says he was a weak, skinny, run-down sugar addict - “Little girls used to beat me up” - when he attended a health lecture at age 15. He subsequently quit eating sugar and discovered the weight room at the Berkeley, Calif., YMCA. Within weeks, his headaches disappeared and a life path was forged.

In 1936, Mr. LaLanne opened the first modern health club. By 1951, he was reaching millions through the new medium of television. His syndicated shows were produced until 1985.

Every couple of years, Mr. LaLanne challenged himself to do something spectacular. At age 40, he swam the length of the Golden Gate Bridge underwater with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks. He swam the same distance again at age 61, this time pulling a 1,000-pound boat. At 70, he swam 1.5 miles towing 70 boats and 70 people.

These days, Mr. LaLanne, who will be 94 in September, says he works out two hours daily - 90 minutes of weights and a 30-minute swim. He drinks carrot/celery/apple juice made with his juicer about four times a week.

“I just want to see how long I can keep it up,” he says. “For the average person, 30 minutes is plenty. Swimming is one of the best exercises people can do. Walking is good too, but you have to walk vigorously - like someone is chasing you.

“I can’t do the things I did at 20,” he says. “But I can do things that no 94-year-old man can do.”

In addition to juice (“It’s helping me go through life with energy and vitality - ZOOM!” he says) and exercise, optimism may be the other ingredient to Mr. LaLanne’s longevity.

“We’re living in the greatest country in the world,” he says. “Forget about the old days - and don’t make the same mistakes again. We should all count our blessings.”

Mr. LaLanne says his message is an old and simple one. If most people would follow his “LaLanneisms,” such as, “Your waistline is your lifeline,” obesity and its related complications wouldn’t be at an all-time high, he says.

“People are lazy,” he says. “They listen to what people tell them but don’t take time to say, ’Is it the truth?’ or, ’Am I doing the right thing?’ Athletes are selling their souls for a few bucks to sell cola and junk food. So what do you think the young kids are going to drink? I know this is a capitalist country, but why can’t they sell exercise and natural foods, things that are going to help people? There are more people working out than ever before, but they are still out of shape. Exercise is king, nutrition is queen. Put them together, and you’ve got a kingdom.”