Lance Bass on aging, fatherhood: 'I need to stop pretending I'm 21'

Lance Bass is saying "bye, bye, bye" to any bad habits and devoting "every little thing" he does to all things health and wellness.

"I'm in my 40s now, so I need to stop pretending I'm 21," the singer says over a Zoom call, enjoying a beautiful day in Los Angeles. That means keeping his heart rate up through exercise, including lifting and making sure he is toning his muscle.

Bass, 44, developed diabetes within the last few years, and he's still trying to figure out how to deal with that – testing what to eat and seeing how his body reacts. "It's all kind of trial and error right now, as I try to get all this under control," he says. In the process of trying to improve his health overall, he's also taken a closer look at things like allergies, partnering with Allegra Airways in the process to help allergy sufferers find areas with less pollen and air pollution.

His health goals taking center stage because of two important people in his life: "I want to be here as long as I can for my kids," the father of 2 1/2-year-old twins, Alexander and Violet, says. Fatherhood "changed my life completely," he adds.

Bass spoke to USA TODAY about all things fatherhood, his LGBTQ+ legacy, wellness and his mental health.

More:Lance Bass says new NSYNC song on Justin Timberlake's upcoming album made his mom cry

'When you have kids, it's no longer about you'

The erstwhile boy band singer, who started with NSYNC when he was 16 year old, is used to life revolving around him. But "when you have kids, it's no longer about you," he says. "It's about someone else. And I love that feeling. I love this feeling of selflessness and really putting all this energy into these two human beings that you just want to make good people."

The silver lining of having kids during the pandemic with husband Michael Turchin was getting a ton of quality family time.

"What was so nice to be able to be present with my kids and not be on the road for so many days missing out on them growing up," he says. "And that really taught me even now that COVID (restrictions are) lifted, and we're able to travel, I've tamed that down even to this day."

He can't wait to travel with them. Especially now that they'll (maybe) listen to him. "They're finally at an age where it's easy to communicate with them," he says. "And if they're crying on a plane, you can actually have a conversation about it."

Lance Bass says coming out 'changed my career for the good, for the bad'

Bass famously came out as gay in back in 2006 on the cover of People – a decision he made without much foresight.

"I didn't know what I was talking about," he says. "I didn't know any of the issues that (were) going on. So I was so green at it, that I was scared." He didn't want to be the spokesperson for the gay community because he didn't know the ins and outs of the biggest challenges they were facing as a whole. Remember this was pre-federal gay marriage, pre-more widespread LGBTQ+ acceptance in the U.S.

He adds: "I didn't want to offend anyone at that time. So I was so scared to speak out about it. But you know, I took the time to learn and to become a part of this community." He now considers himself quite vocal, and he knows coming out thankfully wouldn't earn him a magazine cover today.

"Unfortunately, two decades ago, you did have to make those big, bold statements," he says. "And it was very, very scary – changed my life. It changed my career for the good, for the bad. But it was also fun trying to navigate it and see where it took me, but it made me grow as a human being and it made me become the person that I truly am. And I'm just so grateful for that."

Heads up:Coming out isn’t actually over. Here’s why.

'Thank you therapy'

Bass and Turchin have been married for nine years – and Bass says there's no secret to making it work beyond, well, working on it. Take little moments when you can. Go out to lunch together, sneak out for a Starbucks run.

"We're both horrible communicators, but we're learning," he says, adding the pair have been to couples counseling. At the end of every day, they have "coffee talk." They discuss their days, the good and the bad, and ask what they can do for each other.

"Thank you therapy," Bass says.

For his own mental health, Bass likes to meditate and make his bed to start the day off with a win.

"It took me a while to learn how to meditate for me, because I have such ADD that it was really hard for my brain to shut off," he says. "But I figured out ways and tools to really help me quiet out the noise."

Smiling and doing something to make himself smile also helps. "That really just changes your mood immediately," he says.

One such thing? His new pink hairdo, his stylist's idea. "I actually love it," he says. "It might be my favorite color I've done so far."

Something he won't be saying "bye, bye, bye," to, it seems.

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