Pages

Monday, June 29, 2009

"Real Age" isn't that Real

A person recently told me about a Real Age test you can take. Dr. Oz, a frequent contributor to the Oprah show (so I'm told), created this test so a person can know their true age. A friend and I were discussing this test and then decided to take it.

I took the quiz online and was a bit shocked at the results. I asked a friend what they thought my real age would be, and they said 18. I was happy with that answer, I enjoy being younger. However, according to the quiz, my real age is 31.7 years old! That 7 years older than my actual age.

The thing that I found most interesting about the quiz was that although I put that I had diabetes, it asked specific questions related to how I take care of myself, such as my A1c and how tight of control I have. It also had a box to check for how many years I have had diabetes, where I checked the 13-20 box.

When I first saw my results of the quiz, I thought I had misread the screen. I feel like I am pretty healthy, and would say that I am healthier than the average person. But, the true thing about the quiz is that it is only a quiz, not reality. People often think I am younger than my true age and since I feel happy and healthy, that is all that matters to me.

3 comments:

  1. Yeah - I look younger than 38, but the blasted quiz had me @ 41,

    That being said, my diet could handle a bit of a reboot. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting. I'm about 7.5 years older according to the Real Age Quiz. I could probably lower my age taking it again, not by lying, but interpreting the vague questions more toward getting a better score.
    Easy places to improve would be:
    They added age to me because I didn't know my exact cholesterol or blood pressure numbers, just that they were good.
    Well, I didn't know my numbers, not because I wasn't checked, but because they really are good. It has never been a concern, because no matter what I eat, when my doctor sees me she says my cholesterol numbers are great.
    Why should that count against me?
    They add age to me because I drive a small car, decreasing my odds of surviving a crash. I suppose I should be driving a Ford pickup or a Crown Victoria, famous for bursting into flames, or one of the several SUVs which are prone to rolling over. This just seems like the kind of generality that gets you corporate sponsors.

    ReplyDelete
  3. i wouldn't worry too much about it. the quiz that i took knocked me up ten YEARS just for having diabetes, and only knocked off one year apiece for eating well and exercising. what a crock! just like you, i'm a lot healthier than a lot of people i know. so ignore it and keep doing what you're doing!

    ReplyDelete