The Strong Man

Jack LaLanne, the famous fitness guru, passed away yesterday (September 26, 1914 – January 23, 2011). He was an American fitness, exercise, nutritional expert, and motivational speaker who had been called "the godfather of fitness". He published numerous books on fitness and hosted a fitness television show between 1951 and 1985.  In addition, LaLanne gained recognition for his success as a bodybuilder as well as for his incredible feats of strength, such as swimming from Alcatraz to Fisherman's Wharf while handcuffed. He encouraged women to lift and changed the way most people think about fitness.  In recognition of his legacy, he was inducted to the California Hall of Fame and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

But Jack LaLanne is not the "strong man" that I refer to in the title.  I know I have "blogged" about him a few times, but to me, my granddad is the strongman and deserves as much or more recognition for his life as did Jack LaLanne.  For starters, my granddad was born 16 days before Jack LaLanne and is still going strong today.  Like LaLanne, my Grandpa was into fitness.  Instead of going to muscle beach or to the gym, my Grandpa was very quietly running 16 miles (one way) to date my Grandma when he was young.  Later in his life, I remember Grandpa taking 12 miles runs in his t-shirt, workpants, and "sneakers" on Saturday mornings. Toiling in his garden replaced dumbbells and bench presses, but still he was active and setting an example for all those around him.  To me, he seemed to have things figured out. Granddad would work hard, exercise, and then take time to rest and catnap.  Although there were similarities in the lives of these two men, the huge difference for me is that my Grandpa is accessible to me and I got to see his examples firsthand, not through a television show or from reading a book.    

I wish more people knew my Granddad.  I wish he would have written a book for others to learn about his life.  He could write about fitness, but he could also tell someone about life, how to survive, and how to make life work even with little means.  I applaud Jack LaLanne for his accomplishments.  But to me, my Granddad will always be the ultimate strongman in every sense of the word.