Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, a spunky and petite Cora Peterson walks through the doors of the Albert Lea YMCA. She grabs a smooch from her “boyfriend,” Pete Johnson, at the front desk, changes into her blue swim suit and joins a group of chatty ladies in the pool for swimnastics, a water aerobics class. Peterson kicks and jumps in the water along with everyone else, but there is one thing a little different about Peterson.

She is 96 years old. Well, actually, Peterson will tell you that she just turned 96 1/2. Nobody would ever know. Peterson not only does swimnastics three times a week, but she said she always goes to the delicious Semcac dinners and stays active at United Methodist Church.

And to the amazement of many people, she even drives herself around town, Mary Ann Petran, a swimnastics participant, said.

Peterson said a big reason that she stays so healthy is because of swimnastics. She has been in the pool at the YMCA for 30 years. She started out doing lap swimming, but saw how much fun the ladies were having doing swimnastics that she decided to give it a try.

“It makes me feel good,” Peterson said, “ It takes a lot of the kinks out of my body.”

Peterson said she sometimes misses a class because of health problems, but she is sure that she heals much quicker because of her swimming.

And when she is healed, she gets right back to the Y.

“The more active you can be, the more healthy you are. It has helped me and it gives me a good appetite for Semcac,” Peterson said.

Besides exercise, Peterson said the trick to staying young is to be optimistic and not to complain.

Many of her swimnastics friends have noticed this part of her personality.

“She’s always upbeat,” swimnastics participant Eveland Egland said.

Peterson said she couldn’t stay as independent as she does without the help of her family, most of which lives close to her, as well as all her other families: her church family and her family at the Y.

“Thank God for family … I’m blessed with families,” Peterson said.

Peterson has been involved with the YMCA because her late husband, Norris, was very involved. She said Norris lead the youth, and he was also a Y’s man. Peterson said she has always loved it at the Y and fells strongly about what it stands for.

And all of the ladies in the swimnastics class feel strongly about Peterson.

“She’s an inspiration for us all,” Luch Wetney, a swimnastics participant, said.

Peterson also enjoys her time with these ladies. Whenever a new person joins the group, Peterson is always there to welcome them, Wetney said.

The gals spend lots of time together in the pool and out. After swimnastics is over, they all head over to Nelson’s for coffee. Then, once a month, they have a birthday lunch together to celebrate everyone that has a birthday in that given month.

“These are the gals that make life worth living,” Peterson said.

And Peterson is all about living life.

“I want to live as long as I’m alive,” she said.

Age: 96 1/2

Address: Albert Lea

Family: Three children: Mary, Lowell and Helen; son-in-law James Davis and daughter-in-law Barbara; eight grandchildren; about eight great grandchildren; and a few great-great-grandchildren

Livelihood: Active in church and the YMCA

Interesting fact: Likes to spread jam on a doughnut. She enjoys watching sports. Her favorite sport is football.

Swimnastics class

Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. in the pool at the YMCA.