Christie Brinkley weight loss, beauty tips & tricks: 61-year-old former Sports Illustrated model shows off hot bikini bod [PHOTO]

When you are able to don a bikini and flaunt your hot body at 61 years of age, then that is most probably a gift. But, for American model and actress Christie Brinkley there are secrets to it and, thank heavens, she is too willing to share it. Perhaps, those were the key to her amazing figure at that age, but being part of three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers when you were younger also won't hurt.

Just recently, Brinkley showcased her supermodel bikini body during a family vacation. She posted a photo in her Instagram account on Nov. 24, where she advised fans to always wear sunscreen and a hat to prevent wrinkles, wrote Celebrity Health and Fitness.

"I am wearing Neutrogena Wet Skin broad spectrum [sunscreen]," Brinkley wrote in the photo caption. "And I always have a hat!! For more tips on diet, exercise, hair, makeup, etc, check out my new book 'Timeless Beauty'."

The mother of three shared that even when she was barely a teen she already turned to a vegetarian diet because she cannot stomach the killing of animals for food.

"I made the decision [to become vegetarian at age 13] because I loved animals and didn't want to be a part of the slaughter industry, but I've been reaping the benefits of that karma ever since," said Brinkley.

She also credited her youthful-looking body to the avoidance of different substances one can get from eating meat. She said that she was able to keep herself free from the constant antibiotic injections into animals and the growth hormones. She believes that these growth hormones are probably a cause of aging faster. These hormones were used to make cattle age faster, in the first place, she reasoned out.

When it comes to her beauty routine, Brinkley shared that it is still the usual advice of doing physical activities and eating right that is doing her good.

"How you eat and how you exercise, these all play a tremendous role in how you feel, and therefore, how you look," Brinkley said. "And a smile will give your face an instant lift and it also releases endorphins."

She also admitted that she tried Botox in the forehead, but said that she was not a fan of the procedure. Brinkley said that she won't ever do that again because she did not like the claustrophobic feeling of not being able to do whatever she wants with her eyebrows, according to ET Online.