Jin's top beauty tips

Sixty-eight-year-old beauty show contestant, Jin Yingzi from Beijing, says the key to maintaining a youthful face and body lies in eating well and taking exercise. These are Jin's beauty secrets:

Beijing Beauties Monday, 11 April, 2005 1455 BST on BBC Two

Morning routine:

a) Before you get up, massage your tummy while breathing deeply. This is said to be effective in avoiding constipation.

b) Drink a cup of cold water, also to avoid constipation.

c) Do not wear socks until after breakfast. This is good for naturally warm people to help keep their internal balance.

d) Stretch your arms and legs till you feel comfortable.

e) Take a walk after breakfast.

Breakfast:

Should consist of home-made porridge made from millet, corn, rice, green beans, (Chinese) dates and oats.

Principles with food:

a) Fruit: must be eaten on a daily basis. It's good to get into the habit of having grapefruit or pomelo throughout the year.

b) Vegetables: eat a kilo every day on average, either raw or slightly cooked.

c) Soup: should be eaten for lunch and dinner every day. It should be home-made using a great variety of ingredients such as pork ribs, chicken and duck which are all highly nutritious. Try to eat foods that are in season.

d) Meat: do not eat too much but it is important to have a reasonable amount in your diet.

e) Try to eat food that is not too hot.

On keeping young and beautiful:

a) Jin has never been to a beauty salon and uses only quite cheap, traditional but suitable skin lotions, etc.

b) Wear only very light make-up.

c) Be very careful about skin protection, particularly when out in the sun. Always wear sunglasses, use sun-protection cream and an umbrella or parasol.

d) Try not to laugh too much as this helps to avoid wrinkles.

e) Do facial exercises at least twice a day - in the morning, before bed or even in the car.

f) Make housework more fun by adding exercise.

g) Do exercises every night before going to bed, with the focus on waist and legs. This will help you get to sleep.

A healthy lifestyle:

Jin believes a good outlook on life, a tolerant attitude, being easy to satisfy, meeting friends regularly, travelling and always having something to be attentive to - all these things help build a healthy and happy life for elderly people.

She says the key is to be persistent. The biggest enemy is laziness.

Jin has been doing all these things for more than 10 years.