Fitness Icons Jack and Elaine LaLanne to Enter HFA Hall of Fame

Jack and Elaine LaLanne, the couple who helped bring fitness into America’s living rooms, will be inducted into the Health & Fitness Hall of Fame next March in San Diego prior to The HFA Show 2026. The selection is based on the LaLannes’ work promoting exercise and nutrition for more than 60 years.

The couple joins Phillip Mills, founder of Les Mills International, in the second class of the HFA Hall of Fame. Additional inductees will be announced in the coming weeks.

“Jack and Elaine LaLanne are legends—not just in fitness but also in the way they inspired generations to live with energy, purpose, and joy,” said HFA President and CEO Liz Clark. “We’re thrilled to welcome them into the HFA Hall of Fame. Their impact on our industry is immeasurable, and this honor is a tribute to the movement they started and the lives they’ve transformed.”

Jack’s devotion to fitness began at age 15 when he heard a lecture by nutritionist Paul Bragg, after which he cut out sugar, stopped eating meat, and began eating raw vegetables, whole grains, nuts and fruits.

He preached the benefits of combining exercise and nutrition. In 1936 at the age of 21, Jack started what many consider to be the first health club, Jack LaLanne’s Physical Culture Studio. He also developed several types of fitness equipment, including the leg extension machine, the weight selector machine, and machines with cables and pulleys.

Elaine met Jack in 1951 while producing and co-hosting the “Les Malloy Show,” where she booked Jack to perform push-ups for the entire 90-minute broadcast. The TV show appearance led to an exercise show of his own, “The Jack LaLanne Show,” which aired for the first time in 1951 in San Francisco and then went national in 1958.

The appearance also led to Jack convincing Elaine to give up smoking and her daily donut and to take up exercising. He also convinced her to date him. The two married in 1959.

Elaine became a driving force behind Jack’s business, co-hosted his shows and infomercials, and authored books including “Fitness After 50” and “Pride & Discipline: The Legacy of Jack LaLanne.” She has shared the message of exercise and nutrition on many TV shows, including The Today Show, The Early Show, and Fox and Friends. Today, she co-hosts the LaLanne Pass It On podcast.

Jack passed away at age 96 in January 2011. Elaine will turn 100 years old just four days after the induction ceremony.

Elaine said: “I am extremely honored and humbled to be inducted alongside my husband, Jack LaLanne, into the Health & Fitness Hall of Fame. His TV show helped inspire people to get off their seat and onto their feet, work out, and get into a gym. We spent our lives helping people to help themselves. What he proclaimed in the late 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s is standard today. It is wonderful to see that legacy passed on and continue to inspire others. To be honored alongside Jack is deeply meaningful.”

The HFA Hall of Fame honors individuals whose contributions have elevated the industry, set new standards for excellence, and championed physical and mental health. The inaugural class was inducted in 2025 composed of Dr. Kenneth Cooper, Rick Caro, Red Lerille, Julie Main, John McCarthy, and Augie Nieto.

Tickets to the 2026 ceremony are $250 and benefit the HFA Foundation, a nonprofit supporting health through exercise.

To attend the induction ceremony, register for The HFA Show 2026 and add the HFA Hall of Fame during the registration process.