Remembering LaLanne and “Trimnastics”

The web is abuzz today about the passing of Jack LaLanne at age 96. The guy was the human equivalent of the Energizer bunny, and he’s probably doing jumping jacks in his specially-modified jumpsuit (slits for angel wings, right?) as I type this.

In memory of the world’s first “fitness guru,” here’s a YouTube video of the first episode of his television show, which began in 1951 (one of the few things on the net that was broadcast before I was born, by the way).

Couple of things strike me about this broadcast. First, the ballet slippers; no “fitness trainers” or running shoes existed in those days. Second, the cool workout music: a Hammond organ played offstage. Did LaLanne also pioneer the use of music as a backdrop for exercise?

We may mock his fashion sense and manic sincerity, but the fact is that many of his ideas have stood the test of time and have been scientifically validated.