The ‘first lady of fitness’ Elaine LaLanne has revealed the 20-minute workout routine that keeps her as strong as ever – even at the age of 97.
Elaine – who built a fitness empire and revolutionized the exercise industry alongside her husband and godfather of fitness, Jack LaLanne, who died in 2011 – has kept her stellar figure and muscle mass throughout the years.
And the 97-year-old isn’t slowing down any time soon as she keeps her body moving by getting a sweat on first thing in the morning with a workout that includes sit-ups, push-ups, and an incline walk.
Speaking to The New York Times, the first lady of fitness described the workout moves that kept her feeling both youthful and strong.
Elaine has revealed the 20-minute workout routine that keeps her as strong as ever – even at the age of 97
Elaine – who built a fitness empire and revolutionized the exercise industry with her husband and godfather of fitness, Jack LaLanne (the duo shown in 1980) – has kept her stellar figure
The 97-year-old isn’t slowing down any time soon as she keeps her body moving by getting a sweat on first thing in the morning with a workout that includes sit-ups and push-ups
Elaine begins moving her body as soon as she opens her eyes.
The 97-year-old starts by stretching while still lying in bed.
She gets out from under the covers, but stays in bed to do the first part of her routine.
Then, she begins her 20-minute exercise routine.
While on top of the covers, she does 12 jackknife sit-ups.
This is a low-impact version of regular sit-ups that helps build lower abs.
Then she gets out of bed and walks over to her bathroom sink, where she does incline push-ups.
After getting dressed for the day and applying makeup, the fitness fanatic heads over to her home gym.
She works up a sweat by doing an incline walk for a couple of minutes.
Then she does lat pulldowns on a machine that sees you grasping the handlebar and pulling down to work out your back muscles.
And while it may seem simple, the fitness fanatic has revealed it’s more than enough to keep her looking and feeling her best.
The 97-year-old (pictured in 2011) starts with stretching while still lying in bed and then performs jackknife sit-ups, which target lower abs, while laying over the covers
Then she gets out of bed and walks over to her bathroom sink, where she does incline push-ups (Elaine shown at the height of her fitness days)
She told the outlet: ‘Twenty minutes a day gets me on my way.’
And while she credited her youthful spirit and stellar shape to the gym, she also revealed that her mind played a huge role.
For decades, the first lady of fitness has made a routine of telling herself this one phrase every morning: ‘You have to believe you can.’
She told the outlet that the belief had kept her both physically and mentally healthy, adding that ‘everything starts in the mind.’
Elaine noted that these affirmations, in addition to moving her body, had kept her feeling younger than she was.
Researchers, from the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, revealed that exercising could help keep the body ‘decades younger.’
Moving your body is also said to help increase your lifespan and reduce the risk of any health conditions.
She works up a sweat by doing an incline walk for a couple of minutes (Elaine shown with Jack when she was younger)
And while she credits her youthful spirit and stellar shape to the gym, she also revealed that her mind plays a huge role
Elaine and Jack (pictured) built a fitness empire over six decades with their TV show, fitness equipment, supplements, and gym chain that has more than 100 locations
And according to the US Oral Surgery Management, self affirmations can keep you motivated.
Although Elaine admitted she had slowed down a bit in the last couple of years, she noted that her daily movements and her decades in the gym have helped her recover from many falls.
Elaine and Jack built a fitness empire over six decades with their TV show, fitness equipment, supplements, and gym chain that has more than 100 locations.
Now Elaine is keeping Jack’s memory alive by continuing to emphasize the importance of staying active and positive.
The couple loved grueling workouts and proper nutrition. Jack opened a gym, juice bar, and health food store in 1936, and began teaching people about the importance of staying healthy.
In 1951, The Jack LaLanne Show debuted and showed people all over the world how to perform his exercise routines.
The couple frequently spoke about why you should workout, and Jack even invented modern exercise machines like leg-extension and pulley devices.
