Jack LaLanne: physically -- and fiscally-- fit at 93
By Alanna Nash • Bankrate.com

He's known as the father of modern fitness, but Jack LaLanne is also a natural businessman.

In the 1930s he opened the country's first comprehensive health club in Oakland, Calif., and in 1951 launched television's pioneering all-exercise program, "The Jack LaLanne Show." When no sponsors signed on, the exercise guru created his own product, the now famous instant breakfast nutrition drink.

Today, at age 93 and living in Morro Bay, Calif., he's still at it, with an Internet radio show ("Jack LaLanne Live") and commercials for juicers that run throughout the world. Though it's all made him wealthy -- by the 1980s, he had more than 200 health clubs, which he later sold to Bally -- he insists he's more interested in helping people than making money.

Bankrate caught up with LaLanne, who co-authored (with Matthew J. Rettick): "Fiscal Fitness: 8 Steps to Wealth & Health," out in March.

Jack LaLanne

He's known as the father of modern fitness, but Jack LaLanne is also a natural businessman.

Bankrate: According to your book, you strongly believe that physical and financial fitness must go hand in hand. Why?

LaLanne: You've got to keep your health account and your bank account together. If you're a multi-millionaire, and you don't have your health, what good is anything?

Bankrate: If you aren't strong financially, what happens to you physically?

LaLanne: You're going to worry about it. A lot of people are multimillionaires by the time they're 40 or 50 years old, but they get arthritis and rheumatism, they're fat, and their sex life is gone. Can you make love to your money? You've got to exercise at least three times a week for the rest of your life. It's a lifestyle. It's not something you're going to do three or four years. I'm 93, and I still work out two hours every day. And I watch my diet very closely. I'm 5 feet 7½ inches and I weigh 150 pounds. My chest is 46 (inches) and my waist is 28 (inches). My neck is 17 (inches).

Bankrate: What do you eat?

LaLanne: If man makes it, I don't eat it. Even these diet soft drinks. They're just something to sell. They've got artificial coloring and flavoring, man-made, right? Keep away from that! Drink water! I don't put anything artificial in my body. And I take 25 or 30 supplements every day, everything from (vitamin) A to Z(inc), but they're all from natural sources. Stick to Mother Nature. And if it tastes good, spit it out, or you're going to be fat. Do you know how many calories some of these (fast food) hamburgers have? Over 2,000 (calories)! If you're going to lose weight, you have to keep to 1,500 calories or less.

Bankrate: Talk to me about the changes in your body when you're stressed about your finances.

LaLanne: You wonder why these people get to 40 or 50 years old and have heart attacks and get a lot of terrible diseases. Life is an athletic event. You've got to work at living! Dying is easy! Living is a pain in the butt. You've got to train, you've got to exercise, you've got to eat right, and you have to have goals and challenges. After you exercise, you feel good about yourself, and you don't worry about all your problems. I don't care who you are -- you go through life and you're going to have problems. And who's going to fix those problems? You!