How old are you…. actual age? Although almost everyone knows their date of birth, the body can look and function younger or older depending on your physical condition and lifestyle. That is, chronological age may be different from biological age. While there is no scientifically accurate measurement of biological age, you can get an idea by measuring yourself. You can assess your condition, body composition and lifestyle to determine if you are leading a healthy life and are younger, or older than your current age.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Testing Physical Condition
Step 1. Know your resting pulse
The heart is one of the most important organs of the body, and a healthy heart in good condition is a big part of overall health. A normal heart usually beats between 60–100 times per minute. Your heart rate should ideally be no faster or slower than this number when resting, although some elite athletes have heart rates below 50 per minute. Place two fingers of your right hand on the inside of your left wrist, just below your thumb, above one of the major arteries. You will feel a pulse. Count the number of beats for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4 to find the heart beats per minute.
- In general, a lower number indicates that your heart is strong. A higher number means your heart has to work harder to do the same job, meaning it's weaker and less efficient.
- Add 1 to your chronological age if the resting pulse is 100 beats per minute or more.
Step 2. Test flexibility
Can you still touch your toes? Flexibility decreases with age and is limited in older bodies due to a number of factors such as increased dehydration, changes in the chemistry of tissue structures, loss of muscle fibers with collagen fibers, and calcium buildup. Sit on the floor with your back straight, feet together, and arms extended forward at shoulder level. On the floor beside your feet, make marks under your fingertips, then slowly reach forward with your feet flat. Mark where your fingertips reach and measure the distance between the two marks in inches.
- How far can you go? The farther the better because it shows your body is still supple and young.
- Add 1 if you can reach less than 13 cm. Subtract 1 if you reach 25 cm or more. Do not increase or decrease if the distance you reach is between 13 and 25 cm.
Step 3. Strength test
How strong are you? In general, humans build muscle until around the age of 30. However, after that, we slowly start to lose muscle mass and that also means a loss of physical strength. Inactive people over the age of 30 can lose as much as 3% to 5% of muscle mass per decade, and even active people lose some. Loss of muscle mass-called sarcopenia-means loss of strength and mobility, and in older people, increases the risk of brittleness, falls, and fractures. Test your own strength. Do as many push-ups as you can (above the knees) without stopping, keeping your body straight and lowering your chest to 10 cm from the floor. Continue until you can't take it anymore.
- Like flexibility, the stronger the better. If you can do a lot of push-ups, chances are you have pretty good muscle mass and physical endurance.
- Add 1 if you do less than 10 push-ups. Do not increase or decrease for 10–19 push-ups. Subtract 1 if you manage to do 20 push-ups. Subtract 2 for push-ups over 30.
Method 2 of 3: Measuring Body Composition
Step 1. Determine the waist-to-hip ratio
Is your body pear, apple or avocado shaped? Weight tends to increase with age and a person's body shape, especially the waist-to-hip ratio, is a quick way to assess body fat distribution, indicating possible health risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and some cancers. Measure your hip circumference (in inches) by your waist circumference (in inches), then divide the two numbers. Make sure you measure your waist 2 inches above your belly button and measure your hips at the widest part.
- For waist-to-hip measurements, a ratio of more than 1 for men and 0.85 for women indicates more body fat in the middle than the ideal amount.
- Add 1 to the score if you exceed the recommended ratio.
Step 2. Calculate Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index or BMI is a way to measure body composition by dividing weight in kilograms by height in meters. A high BMI indicates more body fat, so you are more susceptible to health problems associated with obesity. To calculate BMI, first weigh your body weight in kg. Measure weight in meters. Square your height (multiply by the same number), and finally divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. This is your BMI. A result of 25 or more means overweight.
- If you don't want to bother calculating, you can use a website like this one which will calculate your BMI automatically.
- Add 1 to the score if your BMI is below 18.5 (underweight). Add 2 if you are between 25–29, 9 (overweight) and 3 if over 30 (obese). Subtract 1 if your BMI is between 18.5 and 25 (healthy).
Step 3. Analyze body fat
The most accurate way to assess body composition-rather than waist-to-hip ratio or BMI-is body fat analysis, and the most accurate method is bioelectrical impedance. In this test, which can be done with an exercise trainer, you will lie down with two electrodes attached to your feet. Then, an electric current will be sent throughout the body. The electric current used is so small, you won't feel it. This test provides accurate results of how much fat is in your body compared to non-fat tissue such as muscle and bone, and how you compare to the average person.
- For best results, you should not exercise, use the sauna, or consume alcohol a few hours earlier. Women have more body fat than men.
- For women, do not increase or decrease if the percentage is in the 15%–24% range and add 0.5 for the 25%–33% percentage. Add 1 if your percentage is below 15% or above 33%.
- For men, do not increase or decrease if the percentage is in the 6%–17% range and add 0.5 for the 18%–24% percentage. Add 1 if your percentage is below 6% or above 25%.
Method 3 of 3: Assessing Lifestyle
Step 1. Count sleep at night
The human body needs sleep. Sleep gives your brain and body a chance to rest and heal on their own, while sleep deprivation puts you at higher risk of blood pressure, kidney disease, stroke, and obesity. Lack of sleep also interferes with cognitive function. How long do you sleep per night? The average adult needs 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night. If you sleep less than that, you will be lethargic, mentally tired, and look older.
Subtract 0.5 from the score if you sleep 7–9 hours regularly. Add 1 if you sleep 5–6 hours or more than 9 hours per night. Add 2 if you sleep less than 5 hours per night
Step 2. Consider bad habits
How much alcohol do you drink? While alcohol in moderation is fine, it may even be beneficial, consuming too much can put you at risk for certain cancers, stroke, high blood pressure, liver disease, and pancreatitis. According to the Mayo Clinic, what is considered healthy is no more than 1 serving per day for women of all ages and 2 servings per day for men 65 years of age and younger, 1 serving for men over 65 years of age. The calculation of 1 drink serving is different for beer (350 ml), wine (150 ml), and liquor (50 ml). How about smoking? Medical science is very clear about this: any cigarette (even passive cigarettes) is harmful to health. A lot of smoking or excessive drinking of alcohol will definitely add to your biological age.
- For alcohol, subtract 1 from the score if you don't drink. Subtract 0.5 if you drink within the recommended daily limit. Add 2 if you exceed the limit.
- For cigarettes, subtract 3 from the score if you don't smoke and have never smoked. Subtract 2 if you quit smoking five years ago or more, and subtract 1 if you quit within the last four years. Add 3 if you smoke.
Step 3. Value of nutrients consumed
How good is your diet? Good nutrition means good health with strong muscles, bones, teeth and organs. A good diet can reduce the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure. A good diet also ensures that the mind remains sharp and the body full of energy. What is your daily diet? A balanced diet should limit fried and highly processed foods, sugar, sodium, nitrates, and saturated fat. You should eat lots of fruit and vegetables (ideally 9 servings per day), lean protein such as fish, chicken, and beans, as well as complex carbohydrates and whole grains. Not including the recommended foodstuffs in your daily diet can lead to weight gain and deprivation of essential nutrients so that you will be physically weaker. Visit the Directorate of Community Nutrition webpage here for balanced nutrition guidelines.
