Woman, 94, who worked 75 years at the same company, reveals 1 secret to longevity
Be adventurous
Schroeder started working at the Davenport Spring Company in 1949, now part of the Mutual Wheel Company. It sells car and truck parts, and since Schroeder’s father was in the trucking business, it suited her lifestyle.Schroeder got her driver’s license when she was 16 and learned how to drive a semi-trailer truck when she was 17.“My dad wanted a boy and guess what? I was a girl, so that was the crux” of teaching her to operate the big vehicle, she says. She drove a gasoline semi with her dad for one summer and enjoyed it.
Find passion in your life
She met her future husband at 19 when he rode up on his motorbike while she was out on a date with another man. Her suitor knew him and told her, “He’s a crazy man on a motorcycle.”When the “crazy man” called to ask Schroeder out a few days later, her father forbade it, worried about her safety.But her husband-to-be showed up at her house anyway and told her dad, “I’d like to take your daughter to the movies Saturday night and I won’t take her on a motorcycle.”They were married and he became a stock car racer. But her husband died of kidney disease 13 years after their wedding. Schroeder never remarried.“I never found anybody to pick up with after that. I’ve been engaged a couple times, but it never worked out,” she says. “I’m too hard to get along with.”
Eat everything in moderation
Schroeder doesn’t have a special diet. “I eat very ordinary food — vegetables, meat and potatoes,” she says. “I’m pretty much an all-around eater.”She avoids red meat because she has high blood pressure, so chicken and fish are her preferred protein sources. She enjoys fruit and chocolate ice cream.One food in particular tops her favorites list.“I’m a great peanut butter lover, and I like to eat nuts of all types,” she says.Peanut butter is an excellent plant-based protein source, and contains healthy fats and antioxidants, dietitians say.Nuts are a staple snack in the Blue Zones, places around the world where people live extraordinarily healthy long lives. Almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, pecans and cashews are six healthy types of nuts dietitians recommend.
Move your body
Schroeder loved walking to stay active and still walks, though these days, she uses a cane for balance.She’s been bowling for more than 50 years, competing in state and national tournaments. She still bowls every week. Bowling is a low-impact cardiovascular exercise that comes with important health benefits, such as improving muscle strength and flexibility, and relieving stress, according to the Baylor College of Medicine. It’s also a social activity that boosts mental health.Schroeder was also an avid boater and snowmobiler.At 94, she says she feels “pretty good” and is in good health. She's never had heart disease, cancer or another serious disease.
Take care of your face
She has a favorite line of moisturizers and cosmetics she’s used “probably 90% of my life” and credits the products, plus good genes, for having few wrinkles.When Schroeder recently shared her age with a worker who came to her house, his response was, “94? No way. Girl, you don’t look it,’” she recalls.Makeup is important, too.“I put makeup on almost every day,” she says. “I never went a day without. I have makeup on right now, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Love what you do
Schroeder says she had a “wonderful time” working for 75 years at the truck parts company, plus owning a bar for 34 of those years.Work can provide a sense of purpose, social engagement and intellectual stimulation, which are protective against cognitive decline. Women who work for pay have slower memory loss as they age compared to their nonworking peers, one study found.“You have to enjoy your job,” Schroeder notes. “(Otherwise) you’re no advantage to yourself. You’re no advantage to your employer. You’re no advantage to anything because you don’t like your job. I think that’s a waste of your life.”
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