‘Basketball nun' Sister Jean, 105, still works every day, shares her longevity secrets

At 105 years old, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt is excited about a new season of basketball at Loyola University in Chicago.

As chaplain for the men’s team for 30 years, she's famous as the “basketball nun” — stealing the show and people’s hearts when the Loyola Ramblers made it to the Final Four at the 2018 NCAA basketball tournament.

Known simply as Sister Jean, she leads the team in a pre-game prayer before matches and serves as a good luck charm. Enthusiastic, uplifting and knowledgeable about basketball, “she’s like another coach,” one of the players told the Chicago Tribune. “She knows her stuff.”

Born on Aug. 21, 1919, the centenarian continues to work at least five days a week, commuting from her apartment to campus via shuttle bus, and offering advice, support and hugs to students in her office. She uses an iPad, a computer and is active on email, but it’s the personal connection with young people that matters most.

“I love every bit of it. … It just makes me very joyful,” Sister Jean tells TODAY.com. “I don’t consider it really working. I just have so much fun. These students are a joy to work with. I learn so much from them, and I know they learn from me.”

She celebrated her 105th birthday with seven parties organized by the university, students and the assisted living community where she resides.

The nun is a member of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She’s spent her life working as a teacher, administrator and principal. She’s also coached basketball and other sports.

“I feel fine” at 105, Sister Jean says. “I eat well, I sleep well and hopefully I pray well.”

Here are some of the secrets of her longevity:

Be around young people

“I love being around young people. They keep me alive, healthy, and vibrant,” she writes in her memoir, “Wake Up With Purpose!: What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years.”

“My interactions with those students are why I’ve never regretted not having children of my own.”

Never retire

Sister Jean actually did try retirement in 1994 at age 75, but found she didn’t want to give up working — a sentiment common among people who live extraordinarily long lives.

That same year, she was asked to be the chaplain for the men’s basketball team, which became “the most transformational and transcendent position of my life,” she writes in her book.

Given the team’s schedule, she sometimes works until 9:30 at night and on the weekends. She’ll be attending every home game this year.

“There’s more work for me to do. I don’t like to sit around. I just like talking to people or doing something good for others,” she says as fall activities get underway at the university. “We’re going to be very busy, but that’s fun.”

It’s important to have a purpose in life, but since people spend so much time at work, they should make a change if they don’t like their job or career, she advises.

Keep moving forward

Sister Jean is comfortable with modern technology, stays on top of the news and calls adaptability her "superpower."

"If you’re not moving forward, you’re going to get left behind real quick," she writes in her book.

The nun calls herself the queen of the selfie since so many people want a photo with her. It makes them happy, so she's happy to do it, she says.

Inherit great genes

The centenarian believes a lot of her longevity comes from her father’s side of the family. He lived to be 95, and several of his siblings made it to a similar age.

“When my 95 came along, I thought, ‘I’ve got to really get ready to go to God.’ But I’m still here,” she says.

Wake up and go to sleep joyfully

If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anybody else, Sister Jean says. It’s important to set aside quiet time for prayer and reflection to take care of the mind, she adds in her book.

The nun wakes up at 5 a.m. and pauses for a 30-minute meditation.

Then at night, she takes time to think about all the good things she did that day.

“I still go to bed every night with a smile on my face, gratitude in my heart, and love in my soul,” she writes in her book.

Eat in moderation

Sister Jean says she eats pretty much everything, but not too much of anything.

Lunch is her heavier meal, and then she eats more lightly at dinner time, opting for soup and a salad or a sandwich.

She used to be very careful about her diet when she was younger, but has taken a more relaxed approach in recent years.

“Perhaps I don’t watch my diet so much at breakfast. Sometimes I have eggs and bacon and toast,” the centenarian notes.

“But I think to myself, I’m 105, what difference does it make?”

For her birthday, Sister Jean enjoyed chicken fricassee, homemade noodles, peas and pound cake — the meal she always asked her mom to make for her special day.

Stay positive and joyful

Sister Jean says she’s never been depressed and believes it takes too much energy to be stressed out.

She credits her good mental health to her parents, who created a happy home for her, and her two brothers even when times were tough during the Great Depression — a warmth that has always stayed with her. They also fostered her love of sports, which she calls the best teacher of teamwork.

“I learned a lot of that from my mom and dad. They were so positive all the time,” she says.

“They told us that we could really do things if we really tried, and I certainly believe that.”

Her parents and brothers have died, but she talks to them all the time. “I know they hear me in heaven,” she writes.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here:

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