A sporty great-grandmother attends Zumba classes at age 94 three times a week—and her health has never been better.
Mary Marson says her long, healthy life is down to eating organic food and joining weekly classes of Zumba—an aerobic workout featuring Latin American dancing and music.
The nanogenarian who grew up in Jamaica says eating organic food alongside her active lifestyle has left her with zero health complaints apart from the occasional cold.
Attending the dance workouts at Wavelengths leisure centre in Deptford, southeast London, Mary has become a local legend, inspiring others to keep fit.
“I can do everything in the routine. I can even bend down and touch the floor!” said the senior.
“I love the music. It really gets me motivated
“I’ve always been a very positive person, which also helps keep me healthy. I just cannot feel ‘old’!
“I also have good genes,” said Mary, who moved to England when she was 27-years-old. “My parents lived to be old.”
The staff at Wavelengths views Mary as part of the family and every year, make a big fuss on her birthday with balloons and a cake.
Mary advises other senior citizens to be brave and try out sports and activities.
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“A lot of them may be motivated by fear,” she told SWNS news agency. “They might think, ‘I can’t mix with younger people’.
“People can make themselves ill by sitting in a chair all day, thinking they can’t do things.
“I would tell them to join in – they will probably become an inspiration to those younger people. They won’t regret it!”
Her four children, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren are “very proud” of her.
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Fitness instructor Topaz White, who leads the Zumba classes, says Mary is everyone’s “She-ro”—an inspiration to all.
Using a hashtag, she quipped, “Everyone should #BeMoreMary”.
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