At 100 years old, JoCleta Wilson still works and drives herself to her job — just the latest career path for the former dancer and business owner. She’s Home Depot’s oldest employee in the U.S., the company says, working as a cashier in a store in Louisville, Kentucky. Wilson, who works two mornings a week, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., sought out the job to be around other people and talk with customers. “I retired three different times — 10 years each time in retirement, and it is not what it’s cracked up to be. I got so tired of myself,” Wilson tells TODAY.com. “I had to get out of the house and come back to work and see what was going on in society. … I have a lot of fun.” Most customers probably have no idea the vivacious, energetic woman at the register is 100 years old. She celebrated the milestone birthday last October with a big party at her home, complete with two piano players and 80 guests. Home Depot also threw her a “huge party,” she says.  Wilson lives independently in her house, drives her car to commute to work and go shopping, and cooks for herself. She hires people to clean her house and do her yard work — “I could do it, but I don’t want to. By getting this old, I got a little smart, too,” she explains, laughing. Wilson still dances and says she feels decades younger than her age. “I feel like 39 having to go into 40 years old. It’s that kind of step,” Wilson notes about turning 100. JoCleta Wilson celebrates turning 100 with a party at Home Depot in October 2024. She’s the company’s oldest employee in the U.S. (Courtesy Home Depot) She’s a breast cancer survivor, has emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and has a pacemaker, “but everything else works,” she says, noting she feels and moves fine. Here are her simple tips for a long, healthy life: Keep moving your body Wilson is a former professional dancer, so she’s had movement built into her daily routine much of her life. She began studying dance as a child and worked through high school, ultimately joining the June Taylor dancers and performing rhythm tap. She later owned the Louisville Dance Academy for 37 years, teaching others to dance. Good posture is a priority, so she stands with her back against the wall once a week to see how she’s doing and fix any slouching. Wilson calls movement “very important” to longevity and she’s still dancing at 100. “I have the radio everywhere. Thank goodness for Alexa. I tell her to play something that’s really good to jump to, and I have at it,” she says. “I let go and move and do what I want to do and it feels good. That’s my exercise.” Wilson likes to stay creative: She has performed on stage in recent years, written a cookbook and paints. (Courtesy Home Depot) Be willing to change your diet to stay healthy Two different health issues prompted Wilson to change her diet. When she was diagnosed with cancer, an oncologist nurse told her “cancer feeds on sugar” and recommended avoiding it. “I said, I can handle that,” Wilson recalls. (There’s no evidence sugar will make cancer worse or that a tumor will shrink or disappear if a patient stops eating it, according to current guidance from the National Cancer Institute. But eating lots of sugar can lead to obesity, which is a risk factor for cancer.) Wilson stopped eating bacon and cheese years ago when she was diagnosed with very high cholesterol. After working with a nutritionist, she focuses on eating lean protein like chicken, fish and steak, and avoiding white flour. “I eat well. I don’t eat out a lot. I do my own cooking and enjoy it,” she says. Have pleasures to look forward to Wilson doesn’t shun sweets altogether.  “I always have a chocolate cake in my freezer,” she says. “I take a slice but maybe once a week.” She also keeps ice cream in the freezer and has a tablespoon once in a while. When she gets a gift of candy, it lasts her for months because she cuts the pieces in half and eats half a piece a week. The key is to indulge occasionally, but not overdo it, which takes a lot of discipline, Wilson advises. Stay creative Besides dancing, Wilson likes to sing, and has performed on stage in recent years. She’s written a cookbook, paints and has an Instagram page devoted to her artwork.  Don’t sweat the small stuff The centenarian credits “stubbornness and determination” as well as common sense for getting through tough times and living a long life. She also tries to release negative feelings and stay optimistic — a trait linked with longevity. “I always say, don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t worry. Don’t let everything make you angry. Anger takes a lot of muscle and a lot of good out of your life,” she says. “It’s so much easier to think positive than to think negative. It takes a lot less effort. And that’s what I try to do.” This article originally appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY: Woman, 27, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Weeks later, her sister 32, learned she had the same cancer 9 amazing 100-year-olds share their top longevity tips: Love, papaya, no regrets PMDD treatment: Doctors share remedies that may help symptoms