The fountain of youth may not be real, but Martha Miller has discovered the next best thing: exercise.

The Blairsville resident, who is now in her eighth decade on earth, believes she has added years to her life by adopting a steady workout schedule. She enjoys a series of fitness classes at the town's former armory that are offered through the Blairsville Community Center.

"It keeps my mind and my body occupied," she said. "It keeps me going."

A German war bride, Miller came to the United States in 1948 from Augsburg. She and her husband, American soldier Robert Miller, married in Germany before making their home in Blairsville, where he attended the Vale Tech school through the G.I. Bill.

They were married for 57 years until Robert Miller's death four years ago. Then Martha Miller found herself searching for ways to fill her days with activity.

"This is one of the reasons I got so involved in this, because I was all by myself," she said of the fitness classes. "I like people, and I wanted to be with people."

Miller discovered a camaraderie with the other students in the classes. Her regular exercise regimen not only keeps her healthy, it also feeds her mind, allowing her to spend time with like-minded people, most of whom are women.

"I look forward to being with the girls," she said.

A member of the Silver Sneakers program, available through her Security Blue health plan, Miller had been using the community center's treadmill and weights to work out when her husband still was living.

After his death, she slowly started to get more involved in the center's other fitness offerings, now based at the armory.

She started participating in yoga classes taught by Lisa Hainaut and also added Zumba classes when they began late last year. The latter program features exercise routines based on Latin dance moves.

As the community center added even more varieties of aerobics, so did Miller, trying out each new class that was offered.

"They allow you to try them all, and I enjoy doing them all," she said.

More on her plate

In January, the center began offering an extended schedule of aerobics classes with instructor Marcia Croce, and Miller took a chance. The still spry octogenarian got her first taste of the more exotic disciplines of burlesque and belly dancing aerobics that can incorporate hip-shaking and hand gestures, and she found she enjoyed them tremendously.

"They are very nice and very beneficial," she said of the classes. "They work you, every muscle in your body."

According to Croce, who cites Miller as one of her biggest class enthusiasts, belly dancing is actually an excellent workout for seniors. "It's a plus for older women, whose core muscles might get weaker with age," Croce said. "It's a good way to get those back up."

By March, Miller's fitness schedule had grown to several hours each day, Monday through Saturday, attending one morning class and up to three on selected weeknights. (Some of these classes have been suspended for the summer months. Check with the Blairsville Community Center for a summer schedule.)

Her workout week began Monday evenings, with a muscle-toning class and yoga. Tuesday brought a step aerobics class followed by burlesque aerobics. On Wednesdays, she paired more toning exercises with an evening Zumba class.

Thursday evenings her plate was full with three back-to-back hours of step aerobics, yoga and belly dancing aerobics.

On Fridays, Miller usually took a day off from the aerobics, participating in a bowling league in Latrobe. In the evening, she and a friend often attend a ballroom dancing class in Monroeville, returning home at about 1 a.m. Saturday.

Later that morning, she would be back at the Blairsville armory for a 9 a.m. Zumba class followed by an hour of Silver Sneakers exercises.

Now that the weather is nice, Miller can be found teeing off on the local golf course, as a member of the Chesnut Ridge Women's Golf Club.

Miller cites step aerobics as the one class she most eagerly anticipates, but she really doesn't like to play favorites.

"I like them all -- that's why I go," she said. "It makes me feel so good, so charged up. I don't go for the weight loss. I just go for the fun of it.

"I never get tired, and I don't have to nap. I just feel rejuvenated."

Like the Silver Sneakers program, the Zumba and yoga classes Miller attends are free through her Security Blue insurance. Additional sessions taught by Croce come with an affordable price of $4 each.

The social and economic benefits of the classes are just a plus for Miller, who says that working out has had a major impact on her health.

Exercising "makes me feel younger," she said.

In addition to a renewed feeling of vitality, Miller's dedication to fitness has produced measurable results, she said. She recently took an online survey meant to help people determine their "real age," based on a series of questions related to health and habits.

According to the survey, "I am 10 and a half years younger than I am (chronologically)," she reported.

Miller now takes no medications. She found that, just through exercise, she was able to rid herself of any health problems she was experiencing.

Years ago, she had to take medication to keep her bone density from deteriorating with age. After years of exercise, she has not only maintained her bone density, but has seen it increase.

She said her doctors have told her, "Keep on doing what you're doing."

Miller said her workout regimen is mentally and physically stimulating.

"It's a fun time. It's never hard work for me," she said.

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