Rally revisits one of the original fitness legends — Jack LaLanne, the guy who swam handcuffed from Alcatraz at 61 and pulled 70 rowboats on his 70th birthday — not to make you feel inadequate, but to make a point. The real secret wasn’t his biceps. It was what he believed before he ever hit the water. And according to the latest research, that same belief could be changing what you’re capable of right now.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Rally:
Hello Beautiful People!
How are you my fellow Silver Beasts?
It’s your humble septuagenarian podcaster here, Rally Preston, back behind the mic after a pretty good workout this morning. So yeah – feeling good today.
Speaking of exercise, do you remember the guy who became known as the Godfather of Fitness? He was on TV way back when. Jumping around in a black jumpsuit. Had a white dog named Happy? Of course, everything was pretty much black or white on the old vacuum tube back then.
Anywho, ring any bells?
I bet it does. His name was Jack LaLanne. Yeah you remember right? Back in the 50s and 60s. The Jack LaLanne Show.
He came on right after Romper Room when I was a wee one.
Well, why I am bringing up Jack LaLanne from the pre-Technicolor era of TV?
Well it wasn’t because of the guy’s bulging biceps or his perfect exercise form.
What impressed me most while eating my Cheerios and watching him doing jumping jacks – were those named after him? I dunno – But what I really admired about Jack back then – and over the many years that followed was this: his endless enthusiasm…
I mean he was over-the-top confident that anything was possible for us out there in TV Land…all you had to do was set your mind to it and you could achieve it.
So that’s what I wanted to talk about today – a positive mindset and what the science says it can help you do – at a very simple, very basic level.
So, what you may not know – a positive mindset can actually help you perform better physically. Did you know that? Yeah, the science is actually there now.
You really can get stronger just by believing you can. I’m sure you’ve heard the whole mind-over-matter bit many times before, but now science backs it up.
Of course, Jack LaLanne nailed this one decades ago. He once said, “Develop a positive attitude. Think and picture how amazing you are going to be. Visualize it!”
Not the most profound quote there, Jack, but hey, here in 2025, we’ve got the scientific proof you were right, Mr. LaLanne.
If Jack were around today – and he lived a long life by the way – 96 years long…I’m sure Jack would say: “Duh! I told you so.”
I mean, he definitely earned the right to say that – time and time again. So check this out…
At 61 years old, Jack swam from Alcatraz Island, off San Fran there, to Fisherman’s Wharf with his hands handcuffed and his feet too, while towing, get this, a 1000-pound boat.
Or how about on his 70th birthday, again in the water with his hands and feet shackled, he pulled 70 rowboats, with a person in each boat, something like a mile and a half across Long Beach Harbor.
Amazing right. Well I’m 70, and I’ll tell you there’s no amount of positive mindset that would get me to swim across that port. I’ll take the Catalina ferry if I want to get out in the water, thank you.
But accomplishing superhuman feats isn’t really the point of having a positive mindset. To me, it’s knowing I can make small, meaningful changes in my physical strength, mental strength, whatever, even as an older adult – if, if, if – I think I can. That’s the key.
Alright, I promised you some science to back this up, so here you go:
There are fairly recent studies that show that older adults who think of themselves as younger than they actually are, perform better than expected…simply because, as the studies say, they thought they could.
The studies tested for a stronger grip, better balance, more stamina, physical things like that – they found older adults did way better than they probably should have based on their chronological age.
So here’s how just one of those studies worked that I think you’ll find kind of fascinating. First the researchers measured older folks’ handgrip strength – no prompting, no words of encouragement… just here, squeeze this thing and let’s see how strong you are. Okay. Baseline set.
So next comes the interesting part. Half of the participants in the study were randomly told: “Hey, you did better than most people your age!” (Well of course, that was a little lie – their grip strength wasn’t exceptional at all…but they believed they were a super-gripper because people in lab coats with clipboards told them they were).
So what happened next to the group that got the positive feedback the first time? (Which remember, wasn’t really true.) Well they didn’t just feel younger…they actually got even stronger on the spot when they tested the group that had the positive feedback again.
That’s pretty amazing right? …Just a simple positive lie by the scientists actually made them capable of even greater strength.
So… what that means Silver Beasties is our age doesn’t have to dictate our strength, what we’re really capable of —or even our spirit.
Now, of course, you don’t need to wrap some rope around yourself and head to the marina looking for a fleet of boats to test this.
But if the science says it’s possible to make incremental improvements later in life, I think, like our friend Jack LaLanne, we can be overachievers too – with the right mindset.
All we have to do is… think we can. Believe we can. Yeah that might be a tall order for many of us – but it’s definitely possible.
So here’s the takeaway from all this:
The secret to feeling younger might be less about the wrinkle creams and wearing trendy clothing or whatever – it’s more about what you say to yourself before you even lace up your tennis shoes. Now getting there may take some consistency and practice of course. Wishy-washy wishing won’t hack it. You’ve got to go deeper and convince the most ruthless critic in the world – yourself.
So with that in mind, here are a few baby steps you can try this week to see if a positive mind-shift can be a real game-changer for you:
First and foremost, pay attention to how you talk to yourself.
Are you saying, “I’m too old for this” – OR– “I’ve still got it”?
You may have to use a Jedi mind trick or something to believe you can. But once you go beyond what you thought you could do, that positive reinforcement is pure gold that will keep building you up, over and over again.
Next, try a challenge—any challenge.
This doesn’t have to be an Olympic-level event.
Pick up something heavier than you usually would. Try a longer walk. Or, hey, do a Jack LaLanne-style bodyweight exercise. Push-ups on the wall count. Or do air squats. Or chair yoga is popular now too. Whatever you can do. The idea is to push yourself to do more than you what your old mindset thought you could.
And last but not least, channel your inner LaLanne.
Walk around like you’re ten years or more younger. Notice how that feels. See how imagining yourself younger, changes your posture, the way you move, the way you interact with others. Be consistent with this one. I think you might surprise yourself how differently you experience the world. And bonus, how people look at you.
Alright, Silver Beasts. That’s it for today…just something to think about.
You really are capable of more. Jack LaLanne had that mindset decades ago, and the science validates it today.Just remember, your age doesn’t have to define you—
What really counts is… the story you’re telling yourself.
Make sure that story is a good one.
Rock on Silver Beasties…and I’ll see back here on the Silver Beast Podcast for more worldy and wise motivation and inspiration real soon. You take care!