yoga mats : Fitness guru gives weight to walking
Fitness guru Debbie Rocker doesn't have to do market research to know that baby boomers are still fanatical about fitness. All the 48-year-old needs to do is look in the mirror.
The inventor of the WalkVest -- a form-fitting, weighted vest that creates added resistance for runners and walkers alike -- Rocker markets herself as a sort of uber-coach for an aging generation of gym rats. An ex-runner herself, Rocker says her device provides just the kind of low-impact, weight-bearing exercise necessary to avoid knee and hip replacements.
On a recent morning, Rocker -- looking sinewy in bicycle shorts and a sleeveless top -- hiked swiftly up Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills, easily outpacing a reporter two decades her junior as she mused on why her generation has become so fixated on working out.
"People now want to stay healthy into their 50s, 60s and 70s," said Rocker, who sold her gym two years ago to devote herself to putting WalkVest on the map. "They want real fitness at that age, but they also want to look like they are in their 30s."
Rocker's company, Beverly Hills-based Dare to be Fit, wants to tap into that desire, held by many of the 78.2 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 who make up the baby-boom generation.
Next year, she will cross into mainstream retail, by teaming with a large alternative fitness and lifestyles vendor that sells Pilates balls, yoga mats and other holistic goods at mass market outlets such as Borders and Target. And, she's got a book due out in the fall.
The research is on Rocker's side. According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, a quarter of all gym members today are over the age of 55 -- an increase of 562 percent from 20 years ago. "They actually are the fastest growing health-club demographic," said Brooke Correia, a spokeswoman for the association. "There are a lot of baby boomers and they are incredibly savvy consumers. They get it. They are reaching middle age and are interested in staying independent and physically healthy."
By Los Angeles Times
The inventor of the WalkVest -- a form-fitting, weighted vest that creates added resistance for runners and walkers alike -- Rocker markets herself as a sort of uber-coach for an aging generation of gym rats. An ex-runner herself, Rocker says her device provides just the kind of low-impact, weight-bearing exercise necessary to avoid knee and hip replacements.
On a recent morning, Rocker -- looking sinewy in bicycle shorts and a sleeveless top -- hiked swiftly up Runyon Canyon in the Hollywood Hills, easily outpacing a reporter two decades her junior as she mused on why her generation has become so fixated on working out.
"People now want to stay healthy into their 50s, 60s and 70s," said Rocker, who sold her gym two years ago to devote herself to putting WalkVest on the map. "They want real fitness at that age, but they also want to look like they are in their 30s."
Rocker's company, Beverly Hills-based Dare to be Fit, wants to tap into that desire, held by many of the 78.2 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 who make up the baby-boom generation.
Next year, she will cross into mainstream retail, by teaming with a large alternative fitness and lifestyles vendor that sells Pilates balls, yoga mats and other holistic goods at mass market outlets such as Borders and Target. And, she's got a book due out in the fall.
The research is on Rocker's side. According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, a quarter of all gym members today are over the age of 55 -- an increase of 562 percent from 20 years ago. "They actually are the fastest growing health-club demographic," said Brooke Correia, a spokeswoman for the association. "There are a lot of baby boomers and they are incredibly savvy consumers. They get it. They are reaching middle age and are interested in staying independent and physically healthy."
By Los Angeles Times
