What is Your Biological Age?

As we age there are indicators that suggest what our future quality of life will be. Age is represented from two perspectives; one is the chronological age and the other is biological age. Chronological age is the age we are in years based on the date we were born. Biological age is the age of the body as measured by a variety of factors. The biological age may, hopefully, be younger than the chronological age, but also, may be older than the chronological age.

Some of the factors that are considered when determining biological age are genetic predispositions, medical history, lifestyle choices, psychological parameters, and stress indicators. As you can see some of the factors are static or unchangeable, but many are controllable. Improving areas that can be modified can alter the biological age and therefore the quality of life now and in later years.

Take for instance psychological outlook. Attitude is everything and makes a big difference in the outcome of many circumstances including illness and recovery. Studies have proven that this is true, and that is the reason why giving a person hope can make all the difference between succumbing to disease or survival. Stress is another area that, although everyone has stress in their life, it is vitally important to develop appropriate coping mechanisms for dealing with stress.

I want to share a tool with you that will be helpful in determining your biological age. It is non-invasive, private, easy, and free. Recently, I took advantage of this snapshot assessment and found that I have regressed a little since a few years ago. I still register four years younger than my chronological age, yet I am not as “young” as I used to be. That is no surprise, yet the current update is a helpful motivator. I now have new information and enthusiasm for improving a few parameters.

Finding out your “biological” age is easy enough to do if you have the internet. The site is www.Realage.com and when you go to the site you can set up a free profile and proceed to the questionnaire. A couple of tips that might make the process quicker: Know your height and weight, as well as your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. If you don’t have that information you will be not have very accurate results. Call your doctor’s office if you need to get your lab results. One thing that has changed since several years ago is that there are quite a few questions about mental outlook and attitude. That is a strong indicator of how crucial your mindset is to overall health.

Allow at least a half an hour to complete the questions and you will receive your analysis on the spot. Along with a “real age” number, you will have feedback and what you are doing well and where you can use some improvement. The site will ask if you want to refer it to others, which is optional. Additionally, you can sign up for free newsletters via email if you so desire. Another fact of credibility is that this tool was originated by Dr. Oz, well-known TV doctor, who is changing the way America looks at their health. Simple, free, insightful, and another way to improve your health; information is knowledge and knowledge is power. Here’s to a younger and healthier you!