A very important man passed away

This past January marked two years since Jack Lalanne passed away. I dedicated an email to him when he did pass away. It's the least I could do.

Well yesterday marked 17 years since Larry LaPrise passed away.

Larry LaPrise was the man who wrote the "Hokey Pokey." He died peacefully in April of 1996.

Of course, the most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in, and then the trouble started...

:)

In all seriousness, I think a little (or a lot of) goofiness is important. A little (or a lot) of fun is important too. After all, that's what this is about.

As much fun as eating junk and lounging around is, it's way more fun to eat healthfully and to be active. It really and truly is, and I know you agree.

So that's my assignment for us this weekend.

Let's aim for fun!

What do you love to do? If you don't know what you love to do, it's worth thinking about it. (And no, eating doesn't count.)

When our mind isn't occupied, usually our mouth is, or at least, it wants to be.

What do you do for fun? And when will you do it this weekend?

Need some ideas...

What did you love doing when you were a kid?

-Adam

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Here was the email I wrote for Jack Lalanne back in January of 2011.

I'll never forget watching Jack Lalanne on TV when I was little kid. Whether it was his juicer infomercials, his exercise segments on talk shows or his insane feats of strength like towing boats while shackled, I was always so inspired by him.

I vividly remember watching him on talk shows and TV thinking how unbelievable he was. I remember getting so inspired after watching him, I'd exercise right then and there.

I mean if HE could do a gazillion push ups (a 70+ year young man at the time), how can't I at least do some?

Jack LaLanne was known as "The Godfather of Fitness." He believed that our health account is our wealth account.

He often said, "I can't die, it would ruin my image."

Ernest Becker's classic, The Denial of Death reminds us that when it comes to our mortality, there is no uncertainty principle. We will die, he reminded us. We cannot not die.

Yet, it is what we do in a doomed attempt to refute the irrefutable first principle that defines us and gives our lives meaning.

Becker believed that each of us makes sense of our existence through an "immortality project" - a personal mission that allows us to cheat death. Whether it is by turning out babies or books or blog posts or students, creating companies or helping to build them, or collecting model trains or Facebook friends - whatever they might be - we all have our immortality project(s).

If anyone wanted to be immortal and believed they actually could be; it was him. Jack was doing things in his late 80's that many of us can only dream of.

But because, sadly, even Jack isn't immortal - the only thing we can do to keep him living on is to spread his work.

In honor of Jack, and from what I know about him, he'd be thrilled if we all exercised today.

However, not just exercise because Jack wasn't about just exercising. He was about going above and beyond. I mean, his feats of strength are amazing!

So, if you were planning on exercising, I'd like you to do a little extra for Jack. And if you weren't, let's make time - even if it's for 5 minutes (yes, that counts!).

I bet Jack would get a kick out of it. After all, if we want to honor those we loved and admired and were impacted by, we have to keep their memory alive.

Jack, no one pulled off a track suit quite like you. Your enthusiasm and belief in what you do will always inspire me. Thank you!