Wednesday, August 19, 2009

How Old Am I, Really?

I took the Real Age test today on www.realage.com. Have you ever taken it? It's an interesting test and it takes a very long time to take, so if you decide to take this test, be forewarned. Allow at least an hour. The Real Age website is great. Drs. Oz and Roizen (the YOU doctors--You On A Diet, You, An Owner's Manual, etc.) are affiliated with this website and there's a ton of information on health, nutrition, and exercise.

Anyhow, I took it and here's how it came out. I am 62.3 years old and according to the test, my real age is 56.2 years. I tested out 6.1 years younger than I am. I was really not that happy with the results. I am a big numbers girl and consider myself pretty healthy, so I expected less than 56.2. I wanted to be at least ten years younger than my biological age. Why 10 years? I don't know. Just feels right to me.

The test asks you questions about medication, diseases, and life style (do you wear a seat belt, how many miles do you spend in a car per year, how often do you eat breakfast in a week, etc.). I believe that I answered the questions pretty well so I was eager to see the report so I could get cracking on what I needed to do to test at 52.3 years or less. I know the test is probably not very scientific, but at least it's an indicator of things you can improve in your life. Couldn't hurt. It's not like they suggest that you go on a stupid diet like the grapefruit diet and they are not selling anything.

After about an hour of putting in a load of data, I got this 19 page report with all the details about what things I'm doing right and things I could improve on.

For example, I could eat breakfast every morning. I'm really not good at that. I'd rather have a couple cups of coffee and call it a morning. My mother always told me how important breakfast was. It starts your engines, and stablizes your blood sugar. I know that, I just don't do it consistently. Also, I could eat more fruit. I don't know why I stopped eating fruit. When I was working, I ate 2-3 pieces of fruit per day. I always had a fruit bowl on my counter (as I do now). The big difference was that then I actually ate the fruit rather than watched it go bad. The test results also reported that it would be better for me to control my acid reflux through diet rather than medication. I'm taking the lazy way out. Eating absolutely whatever I want and popping a pill. when the acid comes crawling up my throat. Crazy!! Also, I can drop some weight. That is no surprise. I am already working on that one.

The report suggested some things I will not do. Like get a dog. The report states that having a pet can reduce stress. In my case, it would only increase my stress. Having had two children, I have cleaned up as much poop as I'm ever going to. I can improve my numbers in other areas. It also suggested that I increase my Omega-3 intake by eating fish. I used to love fish but something happened and I now hate it. The only way I like fish now is fried, and since I know that's not a good way to have it, I've all but eliminated it from my diet. Omega-3s keep arteries healthy and lower triglycerides. Good thing I can find Omega-3s in soy products and nuts (not too many, though--high in fat). So perhaps that's an option.

People always tell me that I don't look my age. It used to be really cool to hear that because when they said those things, I never felt my age either. After I turned 55, though things started changing. Even though I still didn't look my age outside, all kinds of aches and pains were starting to show up inside. So, I'm really into making my insides match my outsides and am on a quest to get healthier. I used to be so much more discliplined when I was working. It's kind of like I retired and lost all of my resolve to be healthy. Well, I can't go for that (sounds like a Hall & Oates song) anymore.

I'll keep you posted as to how things are going. I will retake that test in 90 days and we'll see what happens.

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