A firm butt, strong legs and seemingly unlimited stamina at 81 are not hard to believe if you watch Cal State Long Beach student Maurice Wiseman workout.
After 50 minutes of stepping, walking with weights and fast- paced aerobics, Wiseman is not sweating, gasping for breath or complaining.
"Exercise gives me stamina. It has helped my arthritis, my frame of mind and general disposition. It helps me to cope with all the little disappointments of everyday life," Maurice said.
Maurice and his younger wife Rena take an aerobics class here Mondays and Wednesdays with students about 60 years younger than them.
"Rena and I started exercising at the YWCA in 1976. We love exercising and dancing. After we leave here, we have a salad and then go dancing at the senior citizen's center for two hours," Maurice said.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they workout at another gym. In the evening, they head for the Queen Mary and two more hours of dancing.
Enriching the mind is as important to them as exercising the body. The Wisemans have been CSULB students for several years. Undeclared major Maurice has taken literature and journalism classes. Rena holds degrees in dance and gerontology.
"We have been doing everything together for over 60 years, and except for World War II, we have never been apart," Rena said.
In addition to exercise and dance, the Wisemans are active in their community and senior citizen center.
Maurice said they are hardly ever home, except when they go to bed.