Social Workout

Newslinks

Richard Simmons and Soccer Alleviate Depression

• Richard Simmons, still teaches classes three times at week at Slimmons in L.A., reports the New York Times. Cost to attend, $12. 
• Also well worth a gander, the Times's "Fitness Gurus, Then and Now" slideshow. Father of Fitness, Jack LaLanne makes Tracy Anderson look a little lightweight. 
• New research shows that playing soccer fights depression, at least in men ages 18-40. And it's not just because it's exercise. Test subjects assigned to the soccer group were happier than subjects who got comparable exercise but exercised alone. Props for group fitness.
• The Shake Weight made it on to Yahoo's list of Top 2009 Fitness trends. But does it count as a fitness trend if no one actually used it to exercise, just to make funny videos?

Newslinks

Jack LaLanne, Rural Beauty, Quick Workouts, and Family Wii

• Even Jack LaLanne is human. Now 95, but still totally buff, the man checked into the hospital for open heart surgey this week. Perhaps the six hard boiled eggs he eats each day finally caught up with him. But probably not, as he eats them without yokes, and the only other meat he eats is wild salmon. Also, he still lifts weights 90 minutes a day, AND swims for a half hour. Oh, to be the doctor who got to see Jack's heart. Word is, things went well and he's recovering nicely. We hope he'll be back at the finger tip push-ups very soon. 
• Researchers have long said that good looking people get all the breaks in life, i.e. higher wages, babies smile at them more, etc. etc.). But guess what? Apparently this is only true in big cities, where there's more "social choice." In rural areas, a new study shows, looks don't really matter.  
• Gyms focused on "10 minutes workouts" are on the rise says the Washington Post. We'll keep this item short and sweet.
• New research shows Wii Fit doesn't have much impact on family fitness, mostly because after six weeks typical family use declines to four minutes a day. 

Living Examples

Happy Birthday to Jack

Jack LaLanne turned 95 on Saturday, and whipped out his favorite line: "“I can’t die — it would ruin my image.”  Last week he was on the Leno Show showing Vince Vaughn how to do dips on a folding chair. Maybe he will live forever! Leno video after the jump. Meantime, here's Jack back in the day....

The Man

Jack is Back!

When he turned 81, back in 1995, Jack Lalanne was still an animal. Working out, speaking in public, planning a 20 mile birthday swim.... We hadn't heard from him in a while, and, frankly, we kind of assumed no news was bad news. But then, BLAMMO, staring up at us from our Google Reader: "Fitness lion Jack LaLanne still roaring in winter." Hallelujah, at 94 (nine! four!) this dude puts even our brave B.O.W.C.s to shame: "I work out every day for two hours," he said. "Swim one-half hour, and the other one and one-half hours I do weights." Apparently, he's also found "mind games" online which he plays to keep mentally sharp.

Think he's some kind of fitness weirdo? Fair enough, but keep in mind he's been happily married to Elaine for 50 (five! oh!) years, lives in a sweet three-and-a-half acre ranch on Morro Bay (about the most beautiful coastline in the galaxy), and still works! (Never mind the fortune he makes from his various books, TV rights, exercise equipment, and health clubs.)

"Exercise is king, nutrition is queen," says Jack. "Put them together and you've got a kingdom."