I love it when someone beats the odds — it reminds me that as long as I’m breathing, I’ve got a fighting chance at achieving my dream…accomplishing my goal…getting what I want out of life.
Jack Lalanne is a great example, and an excellent source of inspiration. Jack lived to be 96 years old, and during his lifetime outdid everyone in the field of exercise and nutrition. Here are just a few examples:
- At age 41, Jack swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed.
- At age 42, Jack set a world record when he performed 1033 push-ups in 23 minutes — on television.
- At age 45, Jack performed 1,000 jumping jacks and 1,000 chin-ups in under an hour-and-a-half.
- At age 60, Jack swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf while handcuffed for the second time — only this time he did it while towing a 1,000 pound boat.
- At age 66, Jack swam over a mile in North Miami, Florida while towing 10 boats carrying 77 people in less than an hour.
- At age 70, while handcuffed, shackled, and fighting strong winds and currents, Jack towed 70 rowboats, one with several guests, from the Queen’s Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary: a distance of one mile. (Seventy boats! That’s nearly inconceivable!)
Up until about 16 years of age, Jack was a self-proclaimed “sugarholic”, or “junk food junkie”, but after hearing well-known nutritional speaker Paul Bragg discuss the benefits of eating right and staying active, Jack changed everything about his diet and lifestyle, and in return, everything changed for him…for the better.
For me, this gives hope that no matter where we find ourselves, there’s an opportunity for growth…for improvement…for taking yet one more step in whatever direction we’ve always wanted to travel.
-Tom
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