BRANDON, Fla. – Maria Huth is a senior citizen who doesn’t believe that retirement means slowing down.

Huth is also an everyday hero.

And if you want to keep up with her, you better lace up those sneakers.

At the North Brandon Family YMCA, Huth leads other seniors through exercise drills.

Huth is a silver sneakers and active adult class instructor.

“Today’s class is called silver sneaker classic,” Huth says of the exercises she leads. “We do a little bit of balance work, coordination, range of motion. We do strength training, upper and lower body.

“Not only for muscles but for bone density because when you get older, your bones start to weaken.”

After a 30-year career with TECO, Huth retired and, knowing she just didn’t want to sit at home, asked herself a question.

“What do I want to do when I grow up?”

For the past seven years, this has been the answer.

It’s just one of many level classes she teaches and she takes them all seriously.

“Some of our members live alone or maybe lost a loved one and so they come into the ‘Y’ because they feel it’s a nice safe place to be able to socialize and exercise but still have fun.”

Huth says having fun classes is her to priority.

She said it fills her heart when a class member tells her she could bend down to put a leash on her dog or another brags about being able to pick up a case of water at the store and carry it to his car with no help.   

The initial e-mail we received about Maria said, in part, “she truly cares about each and every one of us.”

And to her members these words:

“Do what you can,” she said. “Stay within your comfort zone but little by little you’re going to feel better, feel healthier and extend your living independently.

“That’s our goal each and every day.”