Chronological vs. biological age

How old are you? 

Most of the time, we answer in term of our chronological age, that is the number of years we’ve been on the planet. This a marker we can’t escape no matter how rich, poor, smart or dumb we are. 

Now, if I’m lucky enough to have the physical condition of a 40 year-old man in very good shape, we could say that my biological age is only 40. What a cool adjustment! 

So here you go, the chronological age is a no-brainer, whereas the biological age depends on a bunch of variables that keep on changing. According to biological aging, we’re growing older as we gradually accumulate damage to various cells and tissues in the body. 

However, unlike chronological age, our biological marker takes into consideration a list of factors like genetics, lifestyle including physical activities, nutrition and enough luck that can shelter us from certain diseases. 

Of course, it goes both way; either our biological age will go up or down. 

This said, we want to keep it down. Sure, I don’t wish to live till I’m 120 and I don’t think bungee jumping at 95 when we only feel 85 is such a good idea, but there are many steps we can take to keep our biological age lower, much longer and enjoy a better quality of life.