Atlas and LaLanne

I'm not sure how the conversation started, but I got to talking about the fitness thing. I got to thinking about my parents and how they did not exercise. In fact I thought it funny to even imagine my dad in sweatpants or Mom in a workout outfit. If you are a baby boomer, you know what I mean. There was a reason for this. It had to do with lifestyle and convenience. They worked hard and didn't have the conveniences we take for granted today. In fact, a little extra weight showed that you were successful. Politicians,bankers and businessmen. The ladies had help around the house. Oh, there were the wealthy ones that played tennis and golf. They sported tans and wore shorts or tennis skirts.

The fitness guru's we grew up with and admired were in two categories. Well, was really only two guys and they were different. You had Charles Alas and Jack LaLanne. Charles Atlas was a mans man. He bulked up and got tough for one reason and one reason only. A bully kicked sand in his face and his girl left him for that bully. So he worked out, hunted that bully down and beat him up ! The girl swooned and came running back to him. And that is how it is supposed to be. That was the lesson we learned from Charles Atlas.

Jack LaLanne however appealed to the ladies. He had a daytime show devoted to helping them stay trim and attractive. Although married, he was suspect in the eyes of many guys. Maybe it was those stretchy pants he wore or his manner of speech. After all, he was French. And he wore those ballerina looking slippers. And do we really need to know more than that ? That's the way it was in the fifties. 

Over time that has changed. I think it started with jogging. People started jogging to lose weight and get in shape. It was easy and costs were little. Then there were the health clubs. Different from the smelly old gyms were muscle men hung out, they were clean and odor free. More emphasis was placed on the social aspect than the actual working out. That's were the work out outfits began to take a life of their own. Think Olivia Newton John, Let's get Physical !
 Now people think it strange if you don't work out. You should be working out. You should walk. You need to eat right. You can get surgery to speed up the process too. A little lipo here and there, a tummy tuck or even get things implanted ! And it's for guys too ! Steroids to build muscle and an entire store devoted to nutritional supplements. Exercise machines and methods in an endless variety. Why, we even have sports medicine to deal with all those injuries caused by the working out.
We have come a long way from Charles Atlas and Jack LaLanne. The motivation hasn't changed all that much though. Being attractive. The girls want the muscle men. The guys want super models. At least that is the perception society tries to project.