THIS IS 61 WHAT LOOKS LIKE

Janet Boxall has had a 40-yearlong career in sales and lives in Worcestershire with her husband, Brian. She has a grown-up daughter and two grandchildren.

JOWL GYM

I AM often complimented on my smooth skin, which at my age might surprise you. This is all down to ‘the lion’, an exercise I’ve been doing for 20 years to tighten the skin around the decolletage. Open your mouth as wide as you can, stick out your tongue and look upwards. This tenses and tones your jaw muscles, neck and chest. I do it while washing my hair in the shower: it takes two minutes to do 5-8 repetitions and works wonders.

RETRO SHINE

I HAVE always been obsessed with keeping my teeth clean — in my teens, I came across the whitening power of smoker’s toothpaste (despite not being a smoker). I use Eucryl Toothpowder (£1.49, super

drug.com) once a fortnight.

SUGAR FREE

I ONCE read that nothing ages you more than sugar. In fact, between the ages of 18 and 25, I didn’t eat a single chocolate bar, biscuit or sweet treat — until my very young daughter commented that she’d never seen me eat a cake! Since then, I’ve made sure to indulge occasionally.

POCKET PARASOL

TO AVOID sunspots, I mix factor 50 sun cream into my SPF 15 No. 7 face cream every day. But this isn’t enough in summer. I’ve found the best way of preventing burning is to shield yourself with a parasol. This idea came to me after using one during a scorching hot holiday in Greece. Since then, I’ve collected Orientalstyle parasols on our travels and always make sure to leave one in the car in case I need it.

GET CREATIVE

I DON’T feel any older than I did in my 20s and this is all down to my attitude to retirement. Embrace this time as a unique opportunity to explore all the new things you never got around to. I’d always dreamed of being a poet and now I’ve had the chance to write more than 60 poems. I also teach needlework part-time. I may be over 60, but I’m not slowing down!