Live Young Forever: 12 Steps to Optimum Health, Fitness and Longevity

I got this book because Jack LaLanne is a legend in fitness industry, if you want to read what the Man who brought fitness industry and bodybuilding to millions this book is an interesting read for anyone. I have been working out for over thirty years and I do feel there is useful information in this book if nothing else I am going to buy another Jucing machine again and get back to making my own fruit and vegetables drinks again !!!

Jack Lalanne was way ahead of his time developing the first gyms and fitness and health mentality. He was the founder of the modern fitness industry. If you ever watched his show, you'll easily hear his voice come through this personal retelling of his story. Nostalgic and still it remains pragmatic and inspiring.

This book is a summation of Jack Lalanne's philosophy of healthy living. Lalanne was an outspoken proponent of exercise and diet as a means of promoting physical and mental well being. In this book, he sums up his personal approach to fitness that provided him with 96 years of health. The main chapters of the book are presented as a 12-step outline, covering such topics as motivation, avoiding "killer" habits, personal care, diet, posture, hydration, stretching, energy, work outs, relationship, staying engaged with life, and eating fresh fruits and vegetables. The book is amply illustrated with photographs from Lalanne's entire lifespan. Reference sections include suggested stretches and weight routines, and nutritional information about common fruits and vegetables.I found the book very much a personal statement of Lalanne's belief's on fitness and health. The man was a genius, eschewing donuts and TV dinners way back when no one else found anything wrong with them. And he invented health clubs, exercise programs on broadcast TV, and even jumping jacks. The photos included in this book are a remarkable and integral part of Lalanne's message, for they demonstrate how a careful diet and exercise regime can enable a person to maintain a vibrant, healthy lifestyle from a young age until far past the usual retirement years. Nevertheless, the book has a few weaknesses, when Lalanne shares more his personal attitudes towards such topics as dining out or personal care without research results to back up his claims. The nutritional section on fruits and vegetables is particularly weak--it doesn't appear to have been proofread very well, with items such as iceberg lettuce being described as having high vitamin K content, yet in the accompany table, vitamin K is listed as non-detect. In general, this section might better have presented with information about each nutrient, and overall charts allowing easy comparison of foods. But this wouldn't have allowed the visual presentation of the individual fruits and vegetables, and visual is what this book is all about. In any case, the flaws are minor, and the book is an excellent motivational guide to fitness by a remarkable person.

I have been into physical fitness all my life. One of the many people I have always admired is the late Jack LaLanne. He was considered “the Godfather of fitness” and passed away on January 23, 2011. He was 96 years old.This 288 page soft cover book (Live Young Forever: 12 steps to optimum health, fitness and longevity by Jack LaLanne) was the last one he wrote before he died. I purchased this book for a bargain price on Amazon and found this text to be fantastic. It covers the personal total fitness program he has followed all his life. It is also filled with great photographs of Jack LaLanne and I love the clear drawings of the numerous exercises shown in this book. This text is organized into sixteen chapters. There is a foreword by Robert Kennedy and a brief introduction.The sixteen chapters cover the following areas: (1) “Early craziness” details his life and how he changed his life style and became a fitness expert. (2) “His plan for you” is explained in this section. (3) He tells how we all are “far from perfect” in this chapter. The remaining chapters cover: Motivation, step away from killer habits, personal care, eating clean, maintain perfect posture, stay well-hydrated, stretching, find some energy, be in a solid relationship, work out, never retire, consume plenty of fruits and vegetables and my wish for you.The information in this text is timeless. The program is simple and easy to follow if you are into physical fitness and healthy eating. If you are seeking a practical and effective approach to total health and fitness you should check out this book.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Tactical Principles of the most effective combative systems).

Although I agree with Jack that wealth cannot buy health, purchasing this book will certainly help to improve your health if you follow the recommended advice. (It's pointless buying the book if you don't!)I first heard of Jack Lalanne through a report of his death earlier this year on the BBC News website. I discovered that he pioneered gyms in America and read through a list of incredible feats that he had accomplished at ages when most people have retired. There is a Jack Lalanne Achievement Timeline at the end of the book and one example is in 1984 when at the age of 70 he swam the Queen Mary Mile towing 70 boats with one person in each boat for 1.5 miles in high winds. Impressive enough? he was also handcuffed and shackled! That is just one of many of his achievements.The book is well illustrated and comprises 16 chapters: Early Craziness; My Plan For You; Far From Perfect; Step 1: Motivation; Step 2: Step Away From Killer Habits; Step 3: Personal Care; Step 4: Eating Clean; Step 5: Maintain Perfect Posture; Step 6: Stay Well Hydrated; Step 7: Stretching; Step 8: Find Some Energy; Step 9: Be in a Solid Relationship; Step 10: Work Out; Step 11: Never Retire; Step 12: Consume Plenty of Fruits and Vegetables; and My Wish for You.Jack developed the first models of exercise equipment which is standard in gyms today and the term 'Jumping Jacks' is in reference to him. To quote Jack from page 34 of the book: 'The information I'm giving you is pure gold. It took me a lifetime to get it all down. Now in a single book you can learn it all...even if you are currently obese and can hardly make it up a flight of stairs, do me this one favor. Let my 95-year-old hand take yours and let you in on what I've learned.'The book is essentially all his years of wisdom and he practices what he preaches and has dedicated his whole life to health and fitness. As well as the advice being excellent, it was interesting to learn more about the man and his motivations. He was a Junk Food addict when he was a kid and by his own admission had girls beating him up; until he attended a nutritional seminar which changed his life forever. He was so inspired he bought 'Gray's Anatomy' and read it cover to cover!As other reviewers have pointed out, the book has a strong conversational tone and you almost feel like you are listening to a good friend's advice. There are also some great one liners in there such as 'ten seconds on the lips, and a lifetime on the hips.'The book is aimed at both men and women and as Jack points out in the book, it doesn't matter what size you are or how old you are or what level you are at; there is something in there for everyone. The 'Work Out' section is divided in to home training routines and gym training routines which I found paticularly useful as I do all my training at home bar running. (The only equipment you need for the home training routines in the book are an exercise bench and dumbells.)The section on fruit and vegetables is really useful as well. I already eat some fruit such as apples and bannanas but that is about as far as my healthy eating goes. I intend on changing my diet though and his guide to the different types of fruit and vegetables and their qualities is excellent.I've been doing physical training for quite some time now but I have still benefited from this book and I intend to incorporate some of the stretches/exercise routines in to my training session tomorrow. Amateurs or experts alike will find the inspiration they need.On a more sombre note, Jack states that the death of his father is the reason why he spent his life being a health crusader, inspiring millions of men and women through his television show and books. This particularly resonated with me as I am writing this review on the eve of the anniversary of my own father's death from a heart attack 9 years ago; which was largely due to smoking, drinking and a poor diet.This has made me more health conscious and reading Jack's book tonight has made me realise that a good diet is essential. I've fallen in to the trap of thinking because I exercise a lot, it's okay for me to eat what I want, but this is not the case. It's a difficult truth to accept because initially it involves change and sacrafice from a life time of unhealthy eating but it's a price worth paying for good health and being able to see my own kids grow up when I have them.Winston Churchill once said 'men occasionally stumble upon the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as though nothing ever happened' or words to that effect. I've often been guilty of that when it comes to reading advice on health and fitness but tonight will be a turning point for me, just as it was a turning point for Jack all those years ago when he sat in that lecture on nutrition.

While I do not agree with Jacks dietary suggestions 100%, his passion is still an inspiration to me and it jumps off the page. What a lovely book divided into simple chapters on stretching, workouts, food, posture, energy etc.I feel I have been reading overly complicated books for years discussing how to feel your best and be healthy. Jack had it all figured out, getting up early, working out, eating well, practising self care and enjoying his life.His ultimate message is to live a happy life, he exercised and ate clean for 80 years and was an inspiration to millions. I've even started working out myself thanks to this book. Its early days yet, he has inspired me to start, the rest is up to me.

Jack Lalanne. What an extraordinary guy. Full of insightful information on how to live life clean and healthy. And the man himself has proven that age is not the defining factor of illness. But non other than a lack of good decisions in clean eating and exercise.I'd give this a 5 star count. If not for the fact it was a quick and easy read. And A lot of the info sometimes seemed irrelevant (only to me) But sure enough can be indispensable for others depending on ones circumstances.Buy it. Enjoy it.

The last book by the Great Jack Lalanne. What is great about this book is that it is a combination of biography, how to exercise to be fit and strong, what to eat, and a great philosophy of life from a guy who lived by it for 96 years and got up early every morning and trained with weights and swimming for two hours. Do not worry he does not expect you to train at this level, but it shows what is possible in your nineties. One of the best training books I have read.

Das inspirierendste Buch, was ich je gelesen habe!In diesem Buch fasst Jack Lalanne seine Lebensphilosophie auf einer angenehmen und verständlichen Art und Weise zusammen.Alle Tipps werden mit Beispielen aus seinem ereignisreichen Leben belegt.Ich weiß nicht wie viele 95-jährige geistig und körperlich fit genug sind, um so ein tolles Buch zu schreiben, aber für mich war es etwas ganz besonderes über die Lebenserfahrungen eines 95-jährigen zu lesen. Das Buch ist außerdem mit vielen wunderschönen Bildern befüllt, die einen auf eine Zeitreise schicken. Ich kann schwer mit Worten beschreiben wie stark ich vom Buch und Jack Lalanne beeindruckt bin!Das Buch kann ich wirklich jedem weiterempfehlen, der mindestens ein Wenig Englisch kann, egal ob Mann oder Frau, es verdient meiner Meinung nach keine 5 sondern 10 Sterne!