Living The Healthy Life...

Pepper seemed disappointed in our squats today. Instead of squatting like our lives depended on it, people like myself tried to squirm out from the effort, and just kind-of rebounded off our legs, without getting full squats in there.

Pepper asked: "How many calories does a pound of fat have?" We had even fewer ideas about this subject than we had about squats. After a few hesitant numbers were offered, Pepper answered: "3,500!"

Then I remembered something I saw on the old "Jack LaLanne Show" when I was a kid. It made such a vivid impression then, I've never forgotten it.

Jack was sitting in a chair, facing the camera. On a little table beside him sat a package in a brown paper wrapper. "So, you tell me that you are just five pounds overweight. Just five pounds overweight. Today I went to the butcher and I got five pounds of fat. And this is what it looks like." LaLanne then ripped open the package and startling amount of blubber popped out, and spilled onto the floor. "So, you tell me that you are just five pounds overweight," Jack reiterated with a steely smile.

Pepper replied that he had once shared a stage with LaLanne. Jack did his trademark fingertip pushups. "Even though he was in his 80's, he didn't compromise his form in any way," Pepper said. "He is older now, and some things have changed. He doesn't have his white German Shepherd anymore, for example." "The dog wasn't living the life," I said. Pepper laughed....

Jack will be 94 years old in September....

Here's a video of Jack LaLanne persuading his audience to 'stop being so tired.'