Baby Boomers Keep Rockin’ the Fitness World
Baby Boomers were dubbed the “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” generation for their freewheeling ways in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. And now, they’re turning to healthier living in their own 60s, 70s and 80s.
Are you?
Just look at the recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. That ripped guitar god pictured above is Phil Collen of Def Leppard.
He’s 61 and obviously knows plenty about “heavy metal.” Collen says lifting weights is part of his healthy lifestyle. So are cardio workouts, a meat-free diet, and sobriety – no drinking and drugging like in the wild days.
That route should sound as familiar to Boomers as the tunes of Fleetwood Mac, whose Stevie Nicks also twirled her way into the rock hall.
The band members were notorious partiers in their 1970s heyday. But when Christine McVie recently rejoined for a world tour, Nicks’ advice was: “Get a trainer.”
That thinking is common among Baby Boomers, who are changing the fitness industry, just like they led the running and aerobics booms earlier. Rock music emboldened youth culture, and Baby Boomers aren’t about to fade away now, just because they’re of a certain age.
Members of the “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” generation now are about as active physically as Millennials, according to a marketing report from the Age of Majority agency. They are also just as likely to follow a diet.
Many reported having robust sex lives. And they’re more lenient about legalizing marijuana than are younger people.
One of Def Leppard’s biggest hits was “Rock of Ages.” As the song says, “Still rollin’, keep a-rollin’…”
