The longevity and rocky rind of Sardinians are also making headlines in Britain.
Merit of Mario Sanna, just turned 94who emigrated from the island – precisely from La Maddalena – in the 1950s and is celebrated these days by the BBC broadcaster and on the pages of the English press with the nickname of “Super Mario”.
The reason? At his ripe old age it’s still in dazzling shape and continues to attend the “I-Motion Gym” with diligence and punctuality (at least twice a week) of the city of Rotherhamnel South Yorkshire.
At the beginning of November, on the occasion of his last birthday, the same gym decided to reward the constancy of the spry grandfather, giving him a certificate that certifies his loyalty to physical activity.
I am well twenty-five yearsIndeed, Mario Sanna dedicates himself to bodyweight exercises, machines and company at the I-Motion Gym.
Arrived in England in 1952, two years after Sanna started working at British Rail, the UK railways. Work kept him in shape for a long time, but when Mario retired in the 1990s – he has two children and four grandchildren – decided to look for other ways to keep her body toned.
So, at 60, he first joined the gym. And the desire to get some exercise gradually turned into a passion. A passion that still lasts.
“At the time I needed a lot of money, because I had to get married. So I worked almost all the time, including Sundays,” said Sanna. «When I retired, however, I had nothing to do, so I decided to join the gym. In the beginning it was my intention to get in shape and stay in shape as much as possible. But I never stopped. And still today I dedicate myself to the exercises».
The retired athlete-athlete would go to the gym every day if he didn’t have, he says, an eye problem that somewhat limits him. But a future operation could allow him to be more assiduous.
while waiting, twice a week there is no excuse or impediment that holds: a friend picks him up, on Tuesday and Friday mornings, and off he goes to his exercises, helped by personal trainer Hannah Atkinson.
«I use – adds Super Mario – everything that the gym provides, any type of machinery, including rowing machine and I also attend spinning classes. And then I dedicate myself to weight lifting or the treadmill for walking».
Super Mario is loved by the gym staff. «He has been coming here for more than 25 years and at 94 he continues to bless us with his weekly presence. We are for him like a second family», stressed the I-Motion Gym staff on Facebook, celebrating the dean of its members.
But also for the retired-athlete the gym team is now in the heart. «When I come here – he underlines – I don’t just dedicate myself to exercises. For me, as for everyone, it is also and above all the perfect opportunity to meet other people, socialize and make friends».
Not only. Sanna does not fail to proselytize, inviting all her acquaintances, especially those more advanced in age, not to stand still, but to always keep fit.
«I advise everyone to get out of the house and do something», Sanna says. “I think the body has a real need to move. It’s like a car. If you leave it idle, it gradually starts to deteriorate. This is exactly why movement is essential. And I’m always moving, maybe even in my sleep».
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