According to the news source, Mary Byrnes has been leading groups for more than 20 years and has crafted exercises to accommodate the physical abilities of her older students.
The eldest participant in her most recent class was 92 years old.
"Mary inherently knows that just the socialization of an exercise class at the JCC is making many of our local senior citizens more active members of our Tucson community," Barbara Goldberg, whose 85-year-old mother is in the class, wrote to the news source.
The Franklin Institute reports that maintaining an active lifestyle has mental benefits as well as physical for people of all ages. Studies have shown that exercising can improve memory in the elderly, as 24 percent women who lead a sedentary life had cognitive decline, while just 17 percent of active women experienced any. Saying active for as little as 20 minutes a day may reduce the risk of stroke by 57 percent.
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