The Vitality Compass: How “Old” Are You?
May 4, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health, Parenting, Q & A
Thinking about long-term housing and job needs for my son and also the matter of a special needs trust and a will and one has those moments of thinking (yes, ridiculously), pity one can’t live forever……..
Maybe you’d rather not know this, but you can take a Vitality Compass quiz over at Blue Zones to find out your left expectancy, your body’s age given your habits, and your healthy life expectancy. My score indicates that I’ll be around long around to see Charlie reach retirement age—-guess I’ll have to make sure I keep eating those fruits and vegetables and exercising regularly (not hard considering how active Charlie likes and needs to be—have to make sure I can keep up!).
h/t to Healthbolt
Jeff Stimpson
Jill Cornfield
I didn’t feel like signing up for something just to take their quiz.
These types of prognosticator quizzes (as well as their sister, the books about how to “turn back the clock” and live longer) are extremely popular right now (especially with baby boomers, who feel they are entitled to live forever).
While I am all in favor of good health habits, one can’t change their genetics (yet, thankfully!) which probably play the largest role in how long one lives. The average age at death was low in American Revolutionary times due to an excess number of child deaths due to vaccine preventable diseases, as well as partly from heart disease, which we have gotten better treating. Yet the likes of Ben Franklin and John Adams (and many others) lived to ripe old ages because they had good genetics.
Joe
2 grandparents who lived over the age of 90 and beyond, and one grandmother who died when she was just about the age I am now.
Jim was glad to read about this study noting that Asian American women in nearby Bergen County had the longest average lifespan of any racial group in the country.
Satisfied with my genetics.
I got a good score but think I might take it again since I quit smoking 13 years ago and my risk is not low anymore due to the length, so next time will say never smoked.
I also said I take sleep meds, but it is just benadryl (rx) for my eczema, so will try to say no as well and see if I will live past 84.9