106-year-old woman reveals the secret to her longevity, and married couples will NOT be impressed
Louise Jean Signore celebrated her 106th birthday dancing and enjoying her day by being surrounded by her loved ones. However, she still wishes that people danced the way that they did in the 1940s. “I always loved dancing,” she said. “I don’t ballroom dance anymore but even now, I put on the TV and if there’s music, I dance by myself.” While things may not be the same now, Louise sure got to experience it all over again as she celebrated her 106th birthday. A local band played in her honor at the Bartow Senior Center, near her home in Co-Op City. Louise has been a regular since she retired from her job as administrative assistant at the MTA in 1977, she was 65 at that time.
While Louise enjoyed every bit about her birthday party, she admitted that age sometimes gets the better of her. “I never thought I would get to this,” she told New York Post. “When I first started coming to the center, there was a woman who was 100 years old. I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, she’s 100!’ And here, I’m 106.” Louise says that she always ensured she had some type of physical activity going on and believes that has helped to add numbers to her age.
She started swimming at the age of 9 and with a number of jobs up her sleeves, she was always on the go. At the same time, she did not let that fade away once she retired as Louise claims that she started focusing more on her health after she retired. She used to spend her days playing and swimming and at night, she would enjoy moving to the grooves of good old music. “It starts when you’re young,” she said.
Over the years, arthritis, hearing loss, and poor eyesight forced her to give up on her outdoor sports but that did not stop her from exercising. "Things like, lifting my legs, pulling my knees up to my chest," she said. She is also conscious of what she eats and this she owes to her Italian-American upbringing. We had salad, fruit, and vegetables every single night,” she recalled. “And we always had wine on the table. We only had cake and soda on Sundays.”
Even after all these years, Louise lives independently, eats healthy and makes sure that she does exercise. “You’ve got to keep active,” she said. Louise strongly believes that a good workout and a healthy diet is the perfect way of staying fit and no pill can help someone achieve that. “People take too many prescriptions,” she said. “I only take blood pressure medication, because the doctor said it was very important. But that’s it.”
Louise had a close call at the age of 103 when she was mugged outside her apartment as she returned from her daily dance class at the community center. At the time of the incident, she had $35, two meals, a magnifying glass and a pack of bingo cards stolen from her. Even though the incident left her with a nasty bump, she did not let that be the end of her living life freely. “I’m going to go out,” she said. “I’m in good shape.” Despite having a number of loved ones, Louise never got married. he love of her life was killed overseas in World War II. "I’m single,” she said. “I think that’s one of my [longevity] secrets, too.”