4 Things That Make Elaine LaLanne, the First Lady of Fitness, Feel Young at 97

• Elaine LaLanne and her husband Jack LaLanne built a fitness empire that began in the 1950s.
• At 97 years old, LaLanne is in excellent health and good spirits, and still exercises every day.
• She shared the four things she says have kept her young over the years with Insider.

At 97 years old, Elaine LaLanne is known as the first lady of fitness thanks to the empire she built with her husband Jack LaLanne has no plans to slow down. She has written several books in recent years, exercises every day and calls her office “home.”

The LaLannes pioneered fitness culture and healthy living in the U.S., first with the “Jack LaLanne Show,” which aired for 34 years from 1951, before moving into equipment, supplements and developing a chain of gyms. with more than 100 locations.

“Jack had the ideas, I would run with it,” LaLanne told Insider on a Zoom call from her home office in California. “We were a team, we did a lot of things together.”

Although factors beyond our control, such as genetics partially determine how long we will live, Jack LaLanne died at age 96 in 2011, and his wife is now also approaching her 100th birthday. What is their secret?

“Keep moving, keep your muscles moving, keep your arms moving, keep your legs moving, just keep your body moving and your brain moving,” LaLanne said. “It blows the cobwebs out of your brain!”

She shared the four things she believes have helped keep her young at age 97 with Insider.

Moving regularly

“You just have to move. And if you don’t move, you’ll stay still,” said LaLanne, who is a fan of the old sayings.

LaLanne likes to confuse her workout regimen so she uses different muscles, but typically gets 20 minutes of exercise daily.

She starts the day with knives, push ups against any surface she finds, such as the table or bathroom sink, and she also likes to exercise the muscles in her face and neck.

She said it’s important to do the movements smoothly and never “push” an exercise.

A recent study suggested that getting enough exercise is among the lifestyle choices that can help a person live up to 24 years longer.

Eat lots of fresh vegetables

LaLanne eats lots of fresh vegetables and whole foods, and her day typically starts with yogurt and berries, and a smoothie with protein powder.

For lunch, she sometimes eats tuna and baked potatoes, but as with her exercise routine, she doesn’t do the same thing every day. “Variety is the spice of life,” she said.

She is not a “steak lover” but eats chicken and fish. Her low-meat, heavily plant-based diet mirrors what many super-seniors eat in the world Blue Zones.

Although LaLanne eats “correctly” most of the time, she recounted the time she ate cake on her 80th birthday and how her husband told her, “It’s not what you do a few times that counts. time counts.”

Always having a project

LaLanne described herself as a workaholic and said that even now she is in her office “24/7.”

“I always had a project and I think that’s what helped me live to be 97,” she said.

Last year, LaLanne released a book titled “Pride and Discipline: The Legacy of Jack LaLanne” and is now working with Mark Wahlberg’s production company on a documentary and narrative film about her husband.

Insider previously reported that 101-Year-Old Neurologist Dr. Howard Tucker called retirement the “enemy of longevity” and research suggests that those who work past retirement age have a lower risk of dying and are less likely to have serious health problems.

Thinking positively

LaLanne said thinking positively is key and she has always tried to surround herself with positivity and laugh a lot.

“If you’re feeling negative, fight it,” she said. “Start thinking about something positive. Think about something wonderful in your life.”

She said in these situations she talks to herself for a while and thinks, “This isn’t right. I don’t want to feel like this,” before simply moving on to a new idea.

“Sometimes I just have fun with myself,” she said.

There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that being positive is good for your health, and a 2022 study even found that high levels of optimism were associated with longer life expectancy across a wide range of racial and ethnic groups. However, being excessively positive, to the point of repressing your true feelings, known as “toxic positivity”, can make you feel worse and is not recommended by therapists.