I’m still dancing the ‘tush push’ at 100 — here are my secrets to a long life

Age is just a number in her book.

Native New Yorker Shirley Goodman turned 100 last month and is sharing her tips for a long, happy life — which include eating chocolate and some serious dancing.

In 2019, Goodman went viral on Instagram under the username “The Dancing Nana” for her signature boogie that she calls the “tush push,” a line dance that involves twirls and kicks.

She performed the dance at her nephew’s wedding — when she was 96 years old.

Dancing is one of her biggest tips for longevity, along with a desire to “keep moving,” reported “Today.” Goodman claims she started dancing when she was 8.

In addition to shaking her booty, she likes to keep active by doing yoga every morning on FaceTime with her daughter, Joan.

“I feel great — 100 is just a number to me,” Goodman, who lives independently in Sarasota, Florida, told the show.


Shirley Goodman recently turned 100 years old, and is sharing her tips for longevity.
Shirley Goodman recently turned 100 years old and is sharing her tips for longevity.
Instagram/the.dancing.nana

She went viral for her signature dance called "The Tush Push."
She went viral for her signature dance, which she called the “tush push.”
Instagram/the.dancing.nana

Some of her tips included eating chocolate and doing yoga.
Some of her tips included eating chocolate and doing yoga.
Instagram/the.dancing.nana

“I would advise people if they like music at all, to keep it in their lives and don’t just sit home in a rocking chair,” she instructed.

On her Instagram page, she often shows fun videos of herself dancing and perfecting her “tush push.”

Goodman also advised people to enjoy what they eat, admitting that she doesn’t eat many healthy foods but doesn’t drink or smoke.

The tap-dancing queen joked that her children were always on her about her food choices but that, once she turned 90, they stopped “bothering” her.

Instead, the centenarian enjoys eating fried foods and sweets — and she appreciates “at least” one piece of milk chocolate after every meal, plus a chocolate chip cookie with her breakfast.

“I say ‘Cook’ is a four-letter word, so I don’t cook very much,” Goodman joked to “Today.”

“I eat very small portions, but I eat everything and anything I like,” she confessed.

Her other tips included staying positive and resilient through hard times and keeping the company of family, which in her case includes her four children, 10 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.


She often shares videos of her dancing on her Instagram page.
She often shares videos of herself dancing on her Instagram page.
Instagram/the.dancing.nana

She celebrated her 100th birthday in March.
She celebrated her 100th birthday in March.
Instagram/the.dancing.nana

Goodman was married in 1943. Soon after she wed her husband, a pilot, he was sent to fight in World War II, she said.

His plane was shot down in 1944 and he was held as a prisoner of war until 1945, when he was able to come home and the pair started their beautiful family.

He passed away in 1995.

Over the course of her life, Goodman has had two open-heart surgeries and has also dealt with some vision and hearing problems.

But nothing is stopping her.

“My legs are still working,” she said. “I’m an optimist. I try to do positive thinking all the time. That’s very important. I have a bracelet that says ‘Positivity’ on it. I wear it every day and I try to stay positive.”