Random Recordings of Mental Meanderings

I finally got around to looking at my RealAge results, and I think it’s kind of a joke. My calendar age is 40.7, my “real” age is 41.5 (by their calculations), the difference being +0.8 years.

This is what i have going good for me:

• Distances traveled
• Good genes
• Parents relationship
• Medication use
• Alcohol
• Diverse diet
• Vitamin E intake
• Vitamin C intake
• Flossing habits
• Good omega-3 intake
• Daily vitamin
• Cardiovascular level

What I don’t understand is how my parental relationship is good. My father’s dead, and I don’t often talk with my mother. Apparently, that must be good. So if you talk with your parents daily or often, you really shouldn’t, because it ages you unnaturally.

The only other thing in this list that confuses me is Alcohol consumption. Granted, I don’t drink every day, but when I do, I usually kill a good two pitchers of beer. I guess excessive amounts of alcohol on occasion is a good thing.

Here’s where it gets odd the things that make me older:

• Dog ownership – Considering that I leave for work at 9am, and don’t get home until after midnight every day, I don’t think this will help, because I will constantly be worrying about a pet that I do not have the time to take care of. Then, when I get home, I’d have to clean up the inevitable messes. I’d also have to buy more food, do vet things. I don’t think I need a dog. It’ll wind up taking years off of my life, rather than adding years onto it.
• Lycopene levels – Eat 7 servings of tomato-based dishes or 10 tablespoons of tomato paste a week to make your RealAge the youngest it can be for this Age Reduction factor. What? I like sauce, but not that much. Was this taken form “How to be an Italian Mother”? I can see myself turning into il blimpo really fast.
• Low fruit servings – Eat at least 4 whole pieces of fruit every day. Again, il blimpo. On top of my regular diet, I’m supposed to eat more fruit. Now don’t get me wrong, I like fruit. It’s just that I already take in enough calories, and there isn’t much budging room without increasing caloric intake. Besides, in most instances, when I buy fruit, most of it winds up in the compost pile, because it rots on the counter, or dehydrates in the refrigerator.
• Low unsaturated fat – I use grape seed oil when I cook, which is as good as olive oil, but a little less expensive. I use butter on occasion, maybe about a quarter pound a month. I don’t see where I can cut down any more.
• High resting heart rate – My natural state is higher than normal. There’s nothing I can do about this.
• Lack of flexibility exercises – I stretch after working out. I don’t know what else I can do here, unless I devote an entire workout a week to stretching, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
• Workout schedule – I’m at the gym 5 days a week, and on average, over the last several months, I burn about 1,000 calories a workout. I know because I keep track. Just from running yesterday, I burned 875 calories, for example. I consult with people who work at the gym, and I know I have a good workout regimen, so I am not sure where I can optimize even more.
• Potassium levels – I eat whole multi-grain breads only, and I try to eat the occasional banana. I can’t see adding more crap into my diet with out, again, turning into il blimpo.
• Low grain intake – On top of whole grain breads, I make sure that I eat rice, or some other kind of grain with my dinner, rather than pasta or potatoes. This just doesn’t make sense.
• Low vegetable intake – How many times do I have to say it? il blimpo. With my diet and exercise routine, I am losing about a pound a week. Any increase in how much I eat will add more weight, not take it off.
• Folic acid intake – I get 400mcg in my multivitamin, and I alo eat raw broccoli daily, along with other leafy veggies like spinach. I don’t get this at all.
• High BMI – Duh!!! That’s why I am watching my diet and joine da gym. Even though I slacked off for a bit when I broke that bone in my foot, I’ve still managed to take off 12 lbs since I started working out. Just another 10 to go, and I’ll be right in there.
• Oral hygiene concerns – I floss, use tatrar control toothpaste, and brush regularly. If I can’t brush, I chew sugar-free gum. I don’t get this one at all.
• Aspirin use – I don’t, as a rule, unless I really need to. While I used to take an aspirin a day, I had to stop because of chronic indigestion. Besides, aspirin interferes with platelet activity, and would limit my effectiveness as a donor.
• Smoker – I’m trying to quit. It isn;t that easy. I did quit for a couple of years, but that didn’t work out. However, I am down to less than a half a pack a day, from over a pack a day a year ago.
• High red meat intake – I eat about one serving of pork, and one serving of beef a week. I like variety in my diet, and eating 8 oz. of red meat a week isn’ a bad thing.
• Lack of daily breakfast – I admit I don’t eat breakfast. Of course, I’m pretty rushed when I get up every day, which really isn’t an excuse. However, taking public transportation to work absorbs an hour and a half of sedentary activity, most of which is spent napping. I don’t think it’s a good idea to eat and nap, so no breakfast.
• Blood pressure control – While it was high when I first started going to the gym, it is under control, and getting better. I don’t know what else I can do to make it lower that I am not already doing.
• Calcium intake – I can’t comment, because while the supplements I take account for about half of what I need daily, I have to believe that I’m pretty close to the US RDA, but I can’t say for sure.
• Have cholesterol level measured – I admit, I don’t know, but I don’t think it is out of control.
• Social network and stress – What, I need even more friends and acquaintences? I stopped dating temporarily, because I don’t have time to devote to everyone.
• Strength training level – I devote about a half-hour to 45 minutes of each workout to strength training. This isn’t enough?

I can’t say that I agree with the results of this test, especially taking into consideration that when I took the Nutrition test, I am at 39.9 years. I can’t say that the results are accurate. At least they aren’t trying to sell you products that oly they supply. There are a bunch of other tests for a variety of things. While I was disappointed with the Real Age results, I think I’ll play around with the other tests from time to time, just because.