'Ageless granny' shares her secret to youthful looks: 22 years of exercising

The New Paper
Jun 20, 2023

"My waist size was 27 inches when I was 20, and now it is 25 inches," said the 60-year-old Chinese woman in an interview with Qianjiang Evening News.

Looking half her age with her toned body and youthful looks, Ms Bao Xiaoling, from Jiangsu province in eastern China, calls herself an "ageless granny".

The title comes from being in a group with seven other women who maintain daily fitness routines in their 50s.

Ms Bao is a pensioner as well as a part-time cardio trainer at five gyms, reported Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation.

Her envious physique was achieved through 22 years of disciplined fitness training.

Around the age of 38, Ms Bao saw that she could not fit into her clothes. This prompted her to attend an aerobics course, which at the time was offered in most gyms in China. 

When other members pointed out that her exceptional aerobics form surpassed even that of their coach, she took an aerobics instructor certification exam which she passed, reported the South China Morning Post.

Ms Bao's determination to stay fit means waking up at 7.30am to work out before having her breakfast, and exercising with weights between 3pm and 4pm every day.

Her fans, mostly in their 20s, follow her daunting lifestyle and training routines in the hope of achieving similar results.

Ms Bao said that keeping fit does not have an age limit.

"My biggest lesson from my 20 years of fitness training is that exercise brings confidence, health and a young mentality," she said.