Brow Beat

Jack LaLanne Dead at 96; Slate Tries Out His Workout Videos

Fitness pioneer and juicer enthusiast Jack LaLanne died yesterday at the age of 96. A two-time member of Slate ‘s ” 80 Over 80 ” list, LaLanne began broadcasting fitness programs in 1951 and stayed on the air for decades. Last week, as part of Slate ‘s special fitness issue , Emily Yoffe tried out some of his vintage 60s workouts .

While she found the routines “barely more strenuous than brewing a pot of tea,” Yoffe also highlights LaLanne’s “winning, evangelical confidence” in his female viewers. “He spoke directly to these women, and he wanted their lives to be better,” she writes.

LaLanne seems to have loved the ladies till the very last: In an interview last September with ESPN , he attributed his health and longevity to a lifelong devotion to “clean thoughts and dirty girls.”

Also in Slate, Emily Yoffe scissor-kicks to Jack LaLanne’s vintage fitness videos and writes that he was ahead of his time not only physically but psychologically, and the Trending News Channel honors LaLanne’s life with a video montage .