DO YOU WANT TO LIVE BEYOND 90?
--- Some Tips on Living Longer

Reasons to live longer are many and varied. For me, the reason has always been to help more people, and enjoy life together with my soulmate. You might have other reasons, but I'm pretty sure it will most likely be similar.

I recently read this story that Jack LaLanne just celebrated his 90th birthday and has been making rounds, giving guest appearances and interviews on "The Today Show" and "The Tony Danza Show."

Who is Jack LaLanne? And why is he an exceptional 90-year-old?

Honestly, I also do not know him by name. But when I saw his picture, I recognized he was the man I saw on one of those TV adverts that sell products you do not see usually in department stores and supermarkets. I think he was advertising some sort of "power-juicer" when I saw him on TV. You know what I mean --- those TV adverts you see on lazy afternoons selling knives, exercise equipments, magic glues, screwdrivers, etc., etc. I can still here the voice: "And if you call within 10 minutes, we will slash off 50 percent of the total price!!!" I am sure you have seen one of these.

Long before there was this craze to exercise, diet, and lose weight by methods promoted by the famous names like Atkins, Ornish, Zone, Richard Simmons, Jenny Craig, or even the South Beach Diet, Jack LaLanne was already on the air promoting a healthy lifestyle. He has been seen on TV from 1951 to 1984, where he urged millions of viewers to get off the couch and do a few sit-ups. Check out his website here to see some of his methods to get fit.

From the Detroit Free Press, I got these excerpts on Jack LaLanne's tips on living loneger. The quotes are his:

1. Exercise vigorously --- at least twice a week with weights, plus water exercises.

"What helps you get out of a chair or go up and down stairs? It's muscles, right? These old people --- they quit doing things. They sit on their big fat butts, thinking about what they used to do, and pretty soon their muscles atrophy, they lose everything and they have problems getting out of bed or getting out of a chair."

2. Exercise during commercials if you have to.

"People say 'I don't have time.' What a lousy excuse! You can do all this stuff while you're in your chair during the commercials while you're watching television."

3. Change your exercise routine every 30 days.

"You've got 640 muscles. They all need their share of work."



4. Avoid indulging in bad habits.

"When you get your dog up, do you give him a cup of coffee, a doughnut and a cigarette? People think nothing of giving themselves that for breakfast, and they wonder why they don't feel good."

5. Always have goals and challenges.

"Never be satisfied --- ever. You know, I've won all these physique contests, and I've broken all kinds of world records and been very successful financially, but I've never been satisfied. The minute you get satisfied, you get complacent."

6. If man makes it, don't eat it.



"If you go into McDonald's to get a hamburger, some of these hamburgers are 1,200-1,300 calories. That's all the calories you need for the day. And how many people eat that, plus milkshakes and all the rest of the junk they eat, and they wonder why they're fat?"

7. Eat vegetables and fruits.

"You've got to get at least five or six raw vegetables every day of your life. You've got to get at least four or five pieces of fresh fruit every day of your life. And you've got to eat whole grains."

8. Don't eat between meals.

"Ten seconds to the lips, a lifetime to the hips."

9. Keep up on current events.

"Keep your mind active. I read everything from the Bible to the Enquirer."

Again, I would like to add one more: strive to be happy. Happiness has always been found to cause miracles in our bodies. Help other people become happy, too.

Looking forward to our 90th or 100th birthdays!