Personal mastery

September 20th, 2007

The Wall Street Journal (9/18/07) has a great article on fitness legend Jack LaLanne, who built a chain of gyms and developed several kinds of weightlifting machines. (You must be a subscriber to read the article).

The article is a great example of the following Exercise for Life:

When the lack of focus, initiative, persistence or success of others around you annoys you, take this as a signal that you need to improve your own self-mastery through concentration on some specific, personal goal.

LaLanne’s life is one of personal self-mastery: waking a 4 am to workout for two hours each day, never missing a workout, controlling his diet, and accomplishing great deeds at an advanced age. Here’s some quotes from the article:

“”Everything nature’s way.…If man makes it, don’t eat it.…If it tastes good, spit it out.…The food you eat today you’re wearing tomorrow. Before I eat something I ask ‘What is it doing for me, the most important person on Earth?’ ”
His 11 a.m. meal consists of three to four hard-boiled egg whites, a cup of broth-type soup, oatmeal with soy milk, raisins and a plate of seasonal fruit.
“Every restaurant we frequent has the ‘Jack LaLanne salad’ which is ten raw vegetables and four egg whites hardboiled,” he says. “I make them throw the fat and cholesterol in the yolk away and you’re left with the best protein known to man. Four egg whites have the same amount of protein as one pound of steak but only 60 calories compared to 1,000 calories.” Mr. LaLanne eats fish nearly every night at dinner. The only other meat he eats is roast turkey. He doesn’t snack between meals.”

Entry Filed under: Health, Goals