WEIRTON, W.Va. — Carol Teaff is a community fitness instructor at West Virginia Northern Community College.

She is inspiring others while her movements and putting an all new meaning to the phrase “age is but a number.”

“This is free,” Carol said. “I don’t get paid. I used to be an exercise missionary, ya know what I mean? And I sort of gave that up. I exercise all the time. I’ve been doing it for 44 years. And I thought, ‘well it’s more fun when you have people to do it with,’ and so since I don’t get paid, they don’t have to pay.”

Before voluntarily teaching the class, Carol taught English, speech, and phys ed at the college for 33 years.

She retired and taught part time for 8 years, and since then has been teaching the community ed class. Buts it’s not only her hours of volunteering that amazes people.

“I’m in class and Carol says I graduated from Weir High in 1967, oh 65, and I’m doing the math like, if she can do it, I can do it,” said Jennifer Dudgeon.

“When I started taking classes here right after high school, Carol was one of my instructors, so I’ve known her since was 18 years old,” said Tina Edwards, interim office administrator, WVNCC.

“I’ve known her almost 30 years so to see her and all the energy she has, I just wish I had half of it.”

Carol is 77 years old and is not slowing down anytime soon.

“I’m 65 and I’m saying, ‘oh I don’t have to be able to do that.’ It’s OK that I have to hold onto the bedpost to put on my clothes,” Dudgeon said. “The answer is no you really don’t. It’s your body. And Carol inspired me to try and do better.”

Ironically, Carol was no fan of gym classes.

‘Oh yes I hated it,” she said. “Yeah, I didn’t want to sweat. I didn’t want to sweat until I am 33 ever. “It was icky. I just didn’t want to sweat. And when I started exercising, I realized I could even sweat between my fingers.”

Why did she start at age 33?

“Well actually my husband left me so I said I’m really, really depressed so should I jump off a bridge or do something else, so I decided to start exercising,” Carol said.

“Well, I didn’t want to jump off a bridge because I’m a really good swimmer, I’d probably break all my bones but not drown, so I decided to start exercising! Hahah it’s true! That’s why I started exercising! I never needed confidence. I needed to get rid of my depression.

“For months, I wore all black and brown and a woman who was a counselor at the college said do you know you’re wearing nothing but black and brown, and I said no. And she said well, you are. I think you need to get a life.”

They focus on cardiorespiratory endurance and move for the whole hour, and then move on to strength and flexibility.

“You tell yourself oh I’m just getting older, this is just how it is, but obviously, that doesn’t have to be,” Dudgeon said. “Carol spent the summer, I don’t know if she told you, taking long-distance bike rides on the trails that are available to us. And she’s like ‘I’m going to do this if anyone wants to come. Hahaha.’ “

“I do it because I like to do it,” Carol said.

Did she ever think it would impact others?

“I never really thought about it, so I don’t know. But that was really nice of her to do it but really, I just do it because I like to do it,” Carol said.

Carol’s class is free thanks for her volunteering so if you would like to join, head over to West Virginia Northern Community College in Weirton campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays to find Carol and her crew.

You might be tired, but you will not be disappointed.