Elderly Couple Who Met at the Gym
This Elderly Couple Met at the Gym and Now We Know How Exactly How They Stay Young
When Gertrude Mokotoff, 98, and Alvin Mann, 94, were introduced at the gym eight years ago, they had no idea that their lives were about to begin again. The New York Times recently featured their heartwarming relationship, explaining that they were introduced by a mutual friend and the rest was history . . . well, sort of. Within minutes of their first date, Gertrude and Alvin felt the connection, and their ages didn't matter.
One night in June, Gertrude decided that since things were already unconventional about their relationship, she was going to propose to Alvin. The couple tied the knot earlier this month surrounded by 50 of their close friends and family. "Age doesn't mean a damn thing to me or to Gert," Alvin told the publication. "We don't see it as a barrier. We still do what we want to do in life."
With such positive spirit, the burning question remains the same: how do they stay so young? Although they both lost spouses in previous marriages, they give each other so much emotionally and live such fulfilling lives in their 90s, it's admirable. So, how do they do it?
"People always ask what it is that keeps us young," Alvin said. "Of course, one part of it is medical science, but the bigger part is that we live worry-free lives; we do not let anything we cannot control bother us in the least."
Their energy is felt by all the people around them, not only Gertrude and Alvin's family and close friends, but the people who observe them every day. Alvin's neighbor of 20 years, Keith Schuler, told the Times that Alvin is "an inspiration, and an incredible human being."
"This man is 94 years old, and I see him outside chopping down trees, dragging logs out of the woods with his old Ford tractor, stacking firewood and cutting the grass," Keith said. "Then I see him and Gert running around like two high school sweethearts, holding hands and kissing, and driving to New York City on weekends. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it."
Gertrude and Alvin have both lived such long lives, but their story is nowhere near over.
"Nothing is going to change," Alvin said, when asked how their lives would be different as a married couple. "We've already done so much together, and let's face it, we both know that neither of us are likely to find anyone else. So from here on out, it's just the two of us, together, for the remaining days of our lives."
They still work out twice a week and are proving every single day that there are no limits to what you can achieve when you step foot in the gym — hey, you might even meet your future spouse!
