Daily Lessons from Life 24 January 2011 - Fitness Guru Died at 96

"Mon, Jan 24, 2011 - Reuters: Fitness guru Jack LaLanne dies at 96 in California

LOS ANGELES - Jack LaLanne, a one-time sugar-holic who became a television fitness guru preaching exercise and healthy diet to a generation of American housewives, died on Sunday at age 96, his daughter said.

LaLanne, who became US television fixture in his close-fitting jumpsuit starting in 1959 and came to be regarded as the father of the modern fitness movement, succumbed to pneumonia following a brief illness at his home in Morro Bay, along the California's central coast.

"He was surrounded by his family and passed very peacefully and in no distress ... and with the football game on Sunday, so everything was normal," Yvonne LaLanne, 66, told Reuters."

This gentleman is a legend alright. I watched his show when I was a little boy and barely able to listen to English or American language.

It seems he stiil exercises 2 hours a day until recently. Truly a symbol of clean and healthy living.

Lessons for me are:

1. you only need to be good at one thing to be famous and living happily!;

2. you can ony be good at one thing and be famous and be so productive for so long if you do what you preached faithfully and with lots of discipline! Of course a bit of flair and imagination helpled as he apparently changed his exercise routine every 30 days! Smart idea!;

3. being optimistic and being surrounded by happy and loving people helped too. He died in peace and with no distress. Even had time for his favourite football match on TV. It is a blessing indeed.

He is an inspiration of a generation or two of health conscious people in the USA and around the world.

May he be where he belong and longed to be!!