The 93-year-old “godfather of fitness,” who hosted the longest-running exercise show on television, will speak Saturday at the launch of his great-nephew Chris LaLanne’s gym, LaLanne Fitness, 590 Howard St.

Tell me about this fitness program at your great-nephew Chris’ new gym? Every student he has there, he has a plan for them. I’m excited about this plan — it’s going to help millions of people eventually.

How do you think fitness has evolved since you started? I was the first one to have women working out on weights, old people working with the weights. … Now, things have changed completely. Then, I was a crackpot, I was a nut, I was a liar. Now, I’m an authority.

What do you say to the person who says they’re to busy to exercise? You know what — they’re not too busy to sit on their big butts drinking cocktails for two or three hours, or watching TV. Exercise is the most important thing you can do.

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If someone has just a half-hour a day to exercise, what should they do? You need from 12 to 17 minutes of cardiovascular exercise two to three times a week. The rest of the time you should be building muscle.

You’re famous for towing boats for miles while handcuffed and shackled. When I turned 40, I thought, “Nobody’s ever escaped from Alcatraz,” so I swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco handcuffed. And every two or three years, I picked out something more difficult to do.

kworth@sfexaminer.com