Rick Springfield is 75 but says he feels like he’s still in his late 30s: 6 lessons we can all learn from him.

Rick Springfield (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
Rick Springfield (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images) (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

Rick Springfield is a perfect example of how some people age differently. At 75, he has the stamina to run around the concert stage, often performing shirtless in front of his adoring fans. (Full disclosure: Springfield was my very first concert when I was a tween.)

The last thing Springfield wants is to not be able to put on a good show and needing to be shuttled “in a golf cart to get to the stage and then sit on a stool to sing a bunch of songs” because he’s too tired to stand, he tells Yahoo Life. “Rock 'n' roll is a young man's game, and I want to stay physically fit so I can do all the things that are in my head when I'm on stage.”

I spoke with the singer and former General Hospital heartthrob on the cusp of his milestone birthday about all things health and wellness. Here are six things I learned about how Springfield stays in such great shape.

Like a lot of older musicians who are still performing, Springfield learned that alcohol wasn’t doing him any favors. “I used to drink every night until I was ready for trouble or bed,” he says. But then you realize “you’re not 25 anymore” and “you can’t get up the next day and still have a voice” if you’re drinking a lot. Since a year ago, he only has an occasional drink, such as when he’s performing an acoustic show — something he’s been doing across the U.S. with fellow '80s singer Richard Marx.

Now, Springfield says he feels physically healthier and more positive, “which was a big thing for me because I suffer from depression.” The singer, who tried to take his own life at age 17, has been open about his lifelong struggle with the mood disorder and shares that he takes Prozac, the antidepressant. But he says that cutting back on alcohol made a big difference. He also hasn’t touched dairy in years, eats organic and says fish (salmon, especially) is his go-to food.

Many people workout because of how it makes them look, and Springfield is no exception. But the singer says that his reasons for exercising have evolved with age. “I want to look the best I can, obviously, when I'm on stage,” he says. To that end, he does a weight-lifting workout daily, knowing that it is also good for his bones. For Springfield, staying fit is about “getting the most out of my life” and “wanting to stick around to see my kids grow. ... It's about longevity.”

More than 20 years ago, Springfield got an ab roller, which strengthens the core muscles. He takes it everywhere he goes and does ab exercises every day. When he’s on the road, he stays in hotels that have or are near a gym.

But just because he works out every day doesn't mean he loves doing it. It’s akin to a dentist appointment — you don’t want to go but you’re glad you did when it's over. “I hate working out, honestly,” he admits.

Rick Springfield
Springfield exercises daily and takes an ab roller with him on the road. (Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images) (Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)

Springfield says music takes the boredom out of exercising, and often shuffles his playlist so he’s not listening to the same tunes all the time. But he likes “heavier stuff,” which helps him really exert himself when he’s working out. Lately, it’s Black Country Communion and Sick Puppies have been in frequent rotation. “I sometimes listen to my own stuff if I’m recording something,” he says. “It’s a good time to listen to it and to check on it and judge it and see what needs to change.”

Springsfield’s father died in 1981, the year that “Jessie’s Girl” hit No. 1 on the music charts. “My dad died early from not going to the doctor, and so I'm the opposite,” he says. “I get a little bump and I run to the doctor and get it checked out.” He does blood tests and scans to stay on top of his health “because I’d rather know, because my dad didn’t want to know and that caused him an early death.” Springfield understands that fear, saying it can be scary to do tests to find out what might be happening with your health, but the hard lesson he learned from his father’s death sticks with him.

He’s also inspired by his mom, who lived a long life. “My mom was active until she was 96 and then she just dropped dead from a heart attack one morning in her garden,” he says. “So she had a great exit. I hope for something like that.”

We recently did an article about objective vs. subjective age — that is, how you can be 42 years old but feel like you’re only 27 — so I asked Springfield what age resonates with him right now. He said, “I feel like I'm in my 30s, late 30s. And it's weird.”

With aging, he says, “the hardest thing is looking in the mirror and going, ‘Wow, that wasn't there when I was in my 30s … and going, ‘I look like my mom.’” He adds: “So I never think of myself as a real 75.”

Mental health is a priority for Springfield. “I try to be as grateful as I can.” In addition to meditating, he’s a big believer in therapy and says it’s helped him sustain his marriage of 40 years to Barbara Porter, no small feat in the entertainment world he operates in.

“We love each other,” he says. “We’re best friends. We do stuff together. We pay attention to each other. We let each other know when the other one is feeling neglected.” He adds: “It takes work — it doesn't happen naturally.”

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