What’s your real age? On October 1, 2016 I took the real age test on https://www.sharecare.com/group/realage a website that asks various health and lifestyle questions in order to identify the true age of an individual. I tried my best to answer each question as honestly as possible and was informed that my real age was 33.7, which is 4.4 years younger than my chronological age. I must stay this made me feel good, but I was eager to know why I was not rated younger or older. As I reviewed my recommendations I was given an accurate guide of what I am currently doing that is keeping me young as well as areas I should improve on. In this short essay I will discuss the three thigs that I am currently doing which make me young and three items I must improve in order to improve my longevity. Additionally, I will address two behaviors, which I can change today in order to improve my wellbeing and thus my quality of life as well as possibly extend my stay on this earth. According to www.sharecare.com there are many areas in my life I am doing particularly well which makes my real age younger than my chronological age. Out of the four selected sections which include: (a) health, (b) …show more content…
As a child I always walked, whether it was to school, church, or just to friends home I continue to enjoy this activity as an adult. I often find myself walking long distances for various activities such as going to a supermarket, library, etc. and avoiding the public transportation or using my car. Living in the city, where parking is not only expensive but scares, gives me an incentive to walk. I have passed on this love of walking to my children, and as a result they often ask to go for long walks in the city or hiking in the nearby mountains. Additionally, avoiding the elevators and taking stairs instead has provided me with needed exercise that keeps my body slender, while at the same time helps me feel
Walking in modern society is seen as a tool to get from one place to another. However, philosophers explore the idea that walking can be much more than just a means of transportation. Walking is a catalyst for the brain it helps increase brain function subsequently forming more articulate thoughts. I’ve noticed that the surroundings in which you choose to saunter play a big role in your thought process as well. Walking home on the streets of Berkeley compared to hiking through the mountains of Tahoe, I noticed a difference in my thought process. While in the mountains I felt much more relaxed and mentally clear, compared to when I was walking to my house I felt stressed and in a rush to get home. This idea is supported by the works of Rebecca
The Palmore Facts on Aging Quiz 1 (FAQ1) developed by Harris et al., 1996). The quiz served to gauge the participant’s knowledge of aging. The multiple choice version was used to decrease measurement error.
This essay is an excerpt by Rebecca Solnit 's book, Wanderlust: A History of Walking,. The purpose of this essay is to create awareness about walking which is seen inferior in our society as compared to driving and using public transportation. This essay is not targeted towards a specific group of people. However, it might be of more interest to social activists and people who consider walking a good exercise. Solnit talks about the value of walking and how it is being lost with the changes in our society and environment. She also talks about the increase of suburban spaces in our society due to rapid industrialization which discourage walking. Solnit suggests that if we continue to devalue walking in our society, we would be alienated
An individual’s personality and character structure portrays a major reflection of how they age. Personality style and character structure both incorporate the conscious and unconscious motivational, cognitive and affective mental states, as well as defense mechanisms (Silver 1992). Biopsychosocial factors-broken down into biological, psychological, and sociocultural-also play a huge role in personality and aging (Notes 10/08). Some examples of biological factors are health, genetics, and physiological function. Thoughts, feelings, and emotions would be considered psychological factors. Sociocultural factors include family, religion and community. Additionally, people endure unique experiences and circumstances throughout their life course,
Aging affects every individual and is inevitable, despite our valiant attempts to prevent it. The aging process beings the moment of conception however some can argue it begins at birth. The process of aging is heavily impacted by health, genetics and environmental factors. As people age we have to become accustom to the changes associated with life. The question becomes what changes happen and how? Although we cannot predict what will happen to us we can work to prevent specific things from happening by living healthier lives.
The term “ageism” is not easily understood by most of the population because of its acceptance as normal behavior due to the ingrained attitudes that most people develop in their youth, but health care workers must fully embrace the term within their profession in order to avoid becoming a contributor to the historical prevalence of prejudices and discrimination. The term ageism is defined by Klein and Liu (2010) as “the discrimination of individuals based solely on age” (p. 334). “Ageism is a social construct that is internalized in the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of individuals” (Klein & Liu, 2010, p. 334). Robert Butler, a well-known gerontologist, coined the term “ageism” citing that the discrimination and prejudice associated with this term is often based on the lack of a person’s experience with older people (Ferrini & Ferrini, 2013, p. 6). Ferrini and Ferrini (2013) refer to the strong influence that cultural beliefs and attitudes as well as a person’s current age influence the perception of aging (p. 6). Everywhere within society there are influences that encourage ageist attitudes such as media conveyances through movies, books, television, greeting cards, magazines and the Internet (Ferrini and Ferrini, 2013, p. 6). These negative connotations related to growing older begin to influence all people at a very young age and therefore impact their attitudes as they make career decisions. This has directly impacted the number of health care providers who specialize in geriatrics as well as the attitudes of those who do provide services for older adults. These false perceptions and negative attitudes are currently impacting the q...
This change in perspective led to the investigation of the other side of the coin. Ageing is seen as health, maturity and personal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generative, coping and acceptance of age-related constraints (Birren & Fisher, 1995). Psychological understanding of successful aging is however, also often associated with the absence of age-Associated features - "just not age" equated. Successful aging may be regarded as the satisfaction with the conceptualized present and past lives, Larson (1978). In more recent approaches, it may include two approaches to identify successful aging....
The thought of aging is not void of hesitance given it produces questions deprived of answers in the absence of a crystal ball. Subsequently, aging parallels the unknown; thus, faced with uncertainty adopting a positive perspective remains elusive. Although, it’s preferred to view aging optimistically one cannot escape its negative connotations. Will I be an active agent or isolated burden remains a noteworthy unknown that enervates my optimism. Another consideration leading to my vacillating view on aging is, not knowing to what degree personal competencies and capacities will carry forward, thereby affording autonomy in the elder years. However, as research suggest, the aging process transforms healthy adults into frail ones; thus, dashing one’s hope that such traits will endure (Friis, 2010). Incidentally, at age 48, these lingering questions will soon be answered. In the interim, there is an inherent responsibility to prepare physically, psychologically, and financially for entry into the aging population. Ideally, the goal is to
In the beginning, we took a wellness assessment. I assumed because I am a healthy individual that my wellness assessment would say that I am (health wise) 10 years younger. However, that was not the case. I think that the assessment considered more factors than looks and general health. I had to accept that I am my age, regardless of the exterior shell. On the positive side, it did not reveal that I am “older” than my actual age.
play a large part in our health and our developmental status. The role of age
Aging and being old was dominated by negative characteristics and conditions such as illness, depression, and isolation for a long time (Eibach, Mock, & Courtney, 2010). At first glance the terms “success” and “aging” seem to be in conflict to each other. When asking people about aging, their answers have many facets that are also found in psychological definitions: successful aging is seen as health, maturity and personal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generativity, coping, and acceptance of age-related limitations. In the psychological sense successful aging is also often seen as the absence of age-associated characteristics (Strawbridge, Wallhagen, & Cohen, 2002). It seems that successful aging means is not aging.
Walking is easy, free, simple, and one of the best ways to lose weight, become healthier and get more active. Though underrated as a form of exercise, walking is ideal for people of all fitness levels, and ages who want to be more active. Walking regularly has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, asthma, stroke and some types of cancer.
The natural process of aging is inevitable and we cannot escape it. The deterioration in health is associated with many factors like genetics and the environment. However, there are precautions and preventative steps we can take to help age healthier. Not smoking can prevent premature wrinkles and some sagging of the skin. A healthier diet and exercise can help maintain a lower weigh and keep your heart healthy. Taking supplements and vitamins can help the body when it’s difficult to receive there from your diet. When a person is not getting enough calcium from their diet they may resort to calcium supplements that can help with bone density loss. Everyone dreads getting old, but being well informed and taking preventative care can help with affect the changes of age.
Our lifestyles are more sedentary than at any other time in human history and our diets richer, our portions bigger, and calories far more easily come by than was the case for our ancestors. As a result, our waistlines have ‘evolved’ correspondingly. Basically, we’re getting fat! As we all know, the consequences of weight gain are not merely aesthetic or visual, and piling on a few extra pounds can lead to far more serious health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, not to mention the toll it can have on your self-esteem. While heading into the outdoors isn’t a guarantee of weight loss, when combined with a healthy diet it is a far more effective calorie-killer, we’re sure you’ll agree, than sitting on your ass and running the risk of succumbing to a dose of sitting disease
Since I will be taking my family along, I will not concern myself with time and pace. Instead of walking late at night, we will move it around to our morning playtime, which is ten a.m. to noon when we serve the children lunch. I feel like this routine will fit into my lifestyle a little bit easier, allow me to include my spouse (who is disabled and obese as well), and include my children so that they observe their parents actively getting out there and moving.