The Secret to Longevity? Change Your Habits.

“Remember, your cells are continually dying and new ones are taking their place. If the new ones that come in are not healthy, then you can imagine what happens to your body: it starts deteriorating.”

Elaine LaLanne is a fitness inspiration to us all. At 91, the “First Lady of Physical Fitness” is still living well and aging gracefully. She was even recently inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame. In the spirit of keeping her husband Jack Lalanne’s legacy alive, Elaine shares with you the three things that she says have helped keep her going strong to this day.

ATTITUDE:  How do you look at life? If your attitude is “I can’t,” “that won’t help” or “I’ll never be able to,” then you’ve already lost! My attitude—no matter how dim the situation may be— is always positive.

Have you ever looked back on a situation that you thought was devastating and that you just couldn’t get through? Well, you made it, didn’t you? As my husband Jack used to say, “Life is like a battlefield. You have to keep forging ahead.”

Life is continually sending you situations that you think you can’t handle, but you can if you have the right attitude. I always like to keep a smile on my face.

CONSISTANCY AND MODERATION: Being consistent about maintaining a healthy body means not only eating foods in the natural state as much as possible, but being consistent in your exercise workouts as well.

Moderation is one of the keys I follow. Don’t go overboard on one thing and neglect another. Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand. You can’t expect to become enthusiastic about working out, or work out for a period of time and then quit.  You eat every day, you sleep every day and your body was made to move and do some form of exercise every day. Jack said it in one sentence: ”Exercise is King. Nutrition is Queen. Put them together and you have a Kingdom.” One of the first things I learned from him was to avoid extremes.. If you are consistent, then you will see the changes you desire.

RESISTANCE: Another key to help get your body in shape is resisting foods that are undermining your health.

When you put something in your mouth, ask yourself “What is this going to do for me?”

Resistance is also a tool to build and tone up the muscles in your body. Weight training gives you resistance. Jack was the one in the 1930s who devised many of the concepts that are used in gyms today, including the weight selector, the leg extension machine and the Smith Machine. In the 1950s, he came out with the resistance rubber band, called the Glamour Stretcher. Today, we are using stretch bands on the unit called Core Strength 1 powered by Jack Lalanne, a multi-functional, portable machine that incorporates stretch bands that are used in schools, spas, and fire and police departments.

Overall, if you want to contribute to your longevity, then change bad habits for good habits.  Remember: your cells are continually dying and new ones are taking their place. If the new ones that come in are not healthy, then you can imagine what happens to your body: it starts deteriorating. If you exercise and improve your eating habits, then those new cells should be superior to the old ones, thus helping to reverse the aging process.

This has long been my goal and I’m still working on it. I have great faith in life. I take the bitter with the sweet. And, I know the Almighty is watching over all of us; we just have to BELIEVE! May you be Forever Young!

 

For more information, please visit jacklalanne.com and elainelalanne.com

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