Fit for posterity

Fit for posterity

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Physical fitness personality Jack LaLanne easily could be underestimated. Some cultural historians might see him simply as a bridge between Charles Atlas, an early mass marketer of self-directed body-building programs, and Richard Simmons, the flamboyant pioneer of aerobic workout and weight-loss videos.

But Mr. LaLanne, who died Sunday at 96, was no transitional figure. He was a genuine innovator. The San Francisco native pioneered the storefront fitness salon. He opened his first in 1936, replete with a juice bar and health food store. He designed fitness equipment with technology that remains in wide use. His TV show helped popularize weight training for women and good nutrition for all.

Mr. LaLanne’s national television program debuted when he was 45. He lived to be 96. Kind makes us want to buy a juicer.