Forever young: 60-year-old Chinese woman looks half her age through 20 years of fitness training
PHOTO: Weibo
PUBLISHED ONJune 19, 2023 9:05 AMByCrystal TanWhat's your secret to staying young?
For this 60-year-old Chinese woman, her youth was achieved through 20 years of disciplined fitness training.
Bao Xiaoling, from Jiangsu province in eastern China, is a pensioner as well as a part-time cardio trainer at five gyms, reported Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation.
Looking half her age with her toned body and youthful looks, Bao 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.
Her envious physique was achieved as she was obsessed with fitness training, which she attributed to her being forever young.
But what prompted her 22-year-long drive to exercise was finding out she could no longer fit into her clothes.
Starting at the age of 38, Bao attended an aerobics course, which at the time was offered in most gyms in China.
Six months into the course, other members pointed out Bao's exceptional aerobics form surpassed even that of their coach.
Realising her potential, Bao took an aerobics instructor certification exam which she passed, reported the South China Morning Post.
Along with two decades of fitness training, Bao's determination to stay fit consists of a daily routine that screams fitness fanatic.
It includes waking up at 7:30am to work out before having her breakfast, and exercising with weights between 3pm and 4pm every day.
While it may seem exhausting to some, Bao's group of fans, who are in their 20s, follow her lifestyle and training routines in hopes of achieving similar results.
Bao's effort has not gone in vain. In an interview with Qianjiang Evening News, she shared that her waist is now smaller than when she was younger. "My waist size was 27 inches when I was 20, and now it is 25 inches," she said.
Fitness mindset
Achieving a fitness mindset includes changing one's definition of exercise.
Now that fitness has become part of her life, Bao shared that keeping fit does not have an age limit and can take place anywhere, not necessarily in gyms.
Bao also shared what she had learned through her years of fitness training: "My biggest lesson from my 20 years of fitness training is that exercise brings confidence, health and a young mentality."