Many people can’t wait to retire early. But there is the case of Ann Schroeder, 94, who worked at the same company for 75 years and credits her work for her long, healthy life.
Schroeder just retired in October from Davenport Spring Company in Iowa, where he was responsible for accounting and customer service.
He still drives a half-ton pickup truck, lives independently in his own home, and loves to bowl.
An accountant by day, she also worked as a waitress two nights a week at a bar she owned for more than 30 years. Her late husband was a racing driver.
At almost 100 years old, he looks decades younger and says that working is one of his longevity secrets.
“I really liked my job,” Schroeder, who lives in Bettendorf, Iowa, told .com.
“It gave me a sense of purpose to get up every morning, put on makeup, get dressed and go to work.”
He loved going to work every day – “well, not every day, 90% of the time I enjoyed it,” he clarifies – and warns people not to stay in a job they hate.
“What a waste of life to go to work every day and hate it,” Schroeder said. “It would be like being in a marriage for 50 years and hating each other.”
Here’s what you need to know about Schroeder and his advice for a long life:
Be adventurous
Schroeder began working in 1949 at the Davenport Spring Company, which is now part of the Mutual Wheel Company. Since Schroeder’s father worked in the trucking industry, it suited his lifestyle.
Schroeder got his driver’s license at age 16 and learned to drive a semi-trailer truck at age 17.
“My father wanted a boy and guess what? I was a girl, so that was the focus” of teaching her how to drive the big vehicle, she said. He drove a gas semi with his father for one summer and enjoyed it.
Find the passion in your life
She met her future husband at the age of 19, when he approached her on a motorcycle while she was on a date with another man. His suitor knew him and told him: “He’s a motorcycle nut.”
When the “crazy man” called to ask Schroeder out a few days later, his father forbade him, concerned for his safety.
But her future husband showed up at her house anyway and told her father, “I’d like to take your daughter to the movies on Saturday night and I won’t take her on the motorcycle.”
They married and he became a race car driver. But her husband died of kidney disease 13 years later of your wedding. Schroeder never remarried.
“I never found anyone after that. I was engaged a couple of times, but it never worked out,” she said. “I’m too difficult to carry.”
Eat everything in moderation
Schroeder does not have a special diet. “I eat very ordinary food: vegetables, meat and potatoes,” he explained. “I eat everything.”
Avoid red meat because it has high blood pressure, so prefer chicken and fish as protein sources. He likes fruits and chocolate ice cream.
There is one food in particular that tops your list of favorites.
“I’m a big peanut butter lover, and I like to eat nuts of all kinds,” she said.
According to dieticians, Peanut butter is an excellent source of plant protein and contains healthy fats and antioxidants.
Nuts are a staple snack in the so-called Blue Zones, the places in the world where people live very long and healthy lives. Almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, pecans and cashews are six types of healthy nuts that dietitians recommend.
Move the body
Schroeder loved walking to stay active and continues to do so, although she now uses a cane for balance.
He has been bowling for more than 50 years and competing in state and national tournaments. Keep playing every week. Bowling is a low-impact cardiovascular exercise that provides important health benefits, such as improving muscle strength and flexibility, and relieving stress, according to Baylor College of Medicine. It is also a social activity that improves mental health.
Schroeder was also a big fan of boating and snowmobiling.
At 94 years old, He says he feels “pretty good” and enjoy good health. He has never suffered from heart disease, cancer or any other serious illness.
Take care of your face
She has a favorite line of moisturizers and cosmetics that she has used “probably 90% of my life” and to which she attributes, in addition to her good genes, the reasons for having few wrinkles.
Recently, when Schroeder revealed her age to a worker who came to her house, his response was: “94 years old? It can’t be. Woman, you don’t look like it,” she recalled.
Makeup is also important.
“I wear makeup almost every day,” she says. “I’ve never gone a day without makeup. Right now I’m in makeup and I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
love what you do
Schroeder says she had a “great time” working for the truck parts company for 75 years, as well as owning a bar for 34 of those years.
Work can provide a sense of purpose, social engagement, and intellectual stimulation, which protect against cognitive decline. According to a study, women who work for wages they lose memory more slowly with age than those that don’t.
“You have to enjoy your work”he pointed out. “(Otherwise), you’re not benefiting yourself. You’re not an asset to your boss. You’re not an asset at all because you don’t like your job. I think it’s wasting your life.”
