How old are you really? 5 ways to calculate the age of your body
Your chronological age is simply the number of birthdays you have had. Your biological age shows how well your body works - it depends on how you live, how fit you are and what you do each day.
One simple check is your resting pulse. A healthy resting heart beats 60 to 100 times each minute - top athletes often show fewer than 50 beats. To find your rate, press two fingers on the inside of your wrist, count the beats for 15 seconds - multiply by four. Fewer beats per minute usually point to a stronger heart. If your count reaches 100 or more, add one year to your bio age.
Flexibility also shows how young your body acts. Sit on the floor with legs straight - lean forward and note how far your hands reach. If you stretch less than five inches, add one year. If you pass the ten inch mark, subtract one year. A reach between five and ten inches leaves the score unchanged.
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Strength starts to drop after age thirty. People who stay idle lose up to five percent of their muscle each ten year span. Test your strength with knee push-ups - do as many as you can without pause. Fewer than ten reps add one year. Ten to nineteen reps keep the score level. Twenty reps subtract one year. Thirty or more reps subtract two years.
Body shape also marks biological age. Work out your Body Mass Index - divide your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared. A healthy BMI sits between 18.5 and 24.9. A BMI below 18.5 adds one year. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 adds two years. A BMI of 30 or above adds three years. A BMI inside the healthy range subtracts one year.
Sleep keeps the body young. Adults need seven to nine hours each night. Hitting that range subtracts half a year. Five to six hours or more than nine hours, adds one year. Less than five hours adds two years.
