I haven’t missed a gym visit since 1959 – Mordechai Perlov

When we arrive at Mordechai – known as Mord to his friends – Perlov’s Melrose apartment, the 90 year old Vitality member is in his gym clothes, ready to head out to his favourite Virgin Active in Melrose Arch immediately after our interview – after all, he’s never missed a gym visit since 1959 and he’s not going to start today.

Mord turned 90 on 20 July this year, and despite his advanced years, he is still active and excited to tell us about the cruise he plans to take to visit two of his children in Sydney, Australia in a few weeks.

Mord was born in Lithuania, and survived the war in Europe and the Russian gulags. “I survived against all odds,” he says. Mord has published a book with his cousin Once were slaves on his war experiences, and he is often invited to speak on his experiences at various events.

“I’ve had good years and bad years,” he says modestly. Mord was 14 when the war broke out in Europe and so ended his childhood schooling. Nevertheless, this resilient man caught up, earning a degree in Mathematics from a technicon in Haifa in his later years.

Mord immigrated, almost by accident, to South Africa in 1953. He visited for a family wedding and then realised – after initially returning to Israel – that he wanted to live here. “I’m happy to live here,” he says, “I have lots of good friends.”

“I got married late because none of the South African girls would look at me,” he jokes, “I had a strong accent. Then finally I managed to convince one.” Mord and Millie got married in 1959, which was the serendipitous beginning of the gym habit that remains to this day.

“By the time we got married I was already doing well financially,” Mord recalls, “so I took my wife on honeymoon and when we got back I had put on 10 pounds – pounds,” emphasises Mord, “not kilograms.” (10 pounds is about 4.5kg.) “I decided I had to go back to my normal weight so I joined the gym and never stopped.”

He’s not exaggerating when he says he never stopped – he hasn’t missed a day since 1959. “If I’m busy I go at six o clock in the morning,” he says. “I’m very disciplined. I go on the treadmill for 20 minutes at 5km per hour. I check my pulse when I start I’m at 72bpm and as I keep going I get to about 105bpm. Then I do a circuit of 14 machines and I repeat each one 20 times.” No more, no less – Mord says even if he feels a little tired he makes sure he does 20 repeats. To put that in perspective, Mord could have earned 28 Apple Watches by now. That’s also more than 2 million Vitality points.

“Some of my young friends pass me when I’m on the treadmill and they say, ‘I wish I could be at 70 on the treadmill like you are at 90’”, chuckles Mord.

“I feel good,” he says, “Maybe it’s in my genes, my sister’s the same.”

And his diet? Mord doesn’t really diet – he eats what he enjoys. He says he’s not much of a cook but what he lacks in culinary skills, he says, is made up for by Woolworths. “I’m a great admirer of Woolworths,” he says.

As a final thought Mord says, even if he had to find a way to save some money, “My Virgin Active membership is the last thing I would stop.”

Mord Perlov may be one of Vitality’s oldest members, but he’s certainly one of the most active. We were certainly inspired to go visit the gym after chatting to him – and we hope he inspires you too.