Jessie better watch out for his girl, because Rick Springfield is still looking mighty fine at the ripe old age of 73, thanks to his strict workout and diet regime.
Speaking to People magazine, Springfield said that he works out “everyday”, adding: “I just got a trainer, and I’ve been working out with him. Basically, I watch what I eat, and I try and stay active.”
While he’s experimented with a vegan diet before, Springfield now follows a pescatarian diet for better results. “I tried being a vegan, and it made me feel great, but I looked like hell. A friend of mine came up to me and said, ‘Are you OK?’ I got so thin. So I had to put fish back in [for protein],” he said.
Luckily, his adoring wife of 40 years, Barbara Porter, is apparently an amazing chef. “She’s absolutely incredible,” he says, “and I’m certainly not a cook.”
As he prepares for his I Want My ’80s tour – which starts on Friday, August 4 – Springfield says he expects he’ll become even fitter while on the road. “Our show is very active and aerobic,” he says. “It takes a lot of energy. We actually come off the road in better shape than we went on.”
Coinciding with the start of the tour, Springfield’s new album, Automatic, is set to be released on the same day. The 20-track record draws inspiration from love and the loss of his front-of-house mixer Matty Spindel, who passed away in October last year from pancreatic cancer.
Springfield has openly shared his struggles with depression and how he finds meditation to be helpful for his mental health.
During his live performances, Springfield talks about depression while introducing his 1988 song ‘World Start Turning’, as he believes that talking about his experience resonates with others who may be facing similar challenges.
“I say this on stage: ‘It’s not about the new car or the beautiful wife or the house or the career. It’s about what goes on inside,'” he told People. “That’s what I had to learn. I thought success would heal me, but I was the most successful I’d ever been in 1985, and I was more depressed than I’d ever been. And I had to figure out why that was.”
Even though he has acknowledged the ongoing struggles, Springfield still feels a sense of being settled and content. “I wouldn’t say I’m happy — it’s a difficult thing for me,” he admits. “I feel happy at times, but I do have stuff I have to deal with in my head, and it’s not always good. But I love where I live, and I love who I love.”
Throughout the ups and downs, his wife, Barbara Porter, has been a rock in his life. “You always have to get through the garbage. And my wife and I have always been open to talking somebody,” he said of his wife.
In his life and his work, Springfield aspires to achieve “cosmic significance”, saying: “I love to make songs universal, but they all start from a personal point.”
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