my real age (lyn)

My friend P stops by today.  I haven’t seen her in a couple of months; she’s been on a trip to Brazil.  P is always going somewhere exotic.  This summer it was India, the summer before Viet Nam, last spring Patagonia, etc.  She’s smart and interesting, and it’s always good to be with her.

“You look fabulous," she says.  "It’s hard to believe you were almost 25 pounds heavier this year.  Where were you hiding it?”   I actually thought it wasn’t very well hidden; my ill-fitting clothes told me every day.  But I am happy to hear that she didn’t see it…or at least she didn’t see all of it.

Anyway, P had a health scare this year, but she’s doing great and looks terrific.  She works out all the time, is thin, fit, and leads a healthy life.  She’s married with two great kids, and seems happy.  So when she asks me to guess her real age based on Dr. Oz’s real age test (realage.com), I guess 41; she’s 52.  “No,” she shouts, “70!”  I am shocked.

I want to take the test right away but don’t have time.  I’m meeting Robyn for a screening, and still need to run some errands.  But before going to bed, I sit down at my computer with great expectations and take the real age test.

I am as honest as I can be, and look forward to a score that I am sure will be well below my own age.  I have great genes.  Both my parents are healthy and alive.  I don’t drink.  I don’t smoke.  My blood pressure is perfect.  I eat healthy now (fruits and vegetables almost everyday).  I’m a perfectly normal weight for my 5’4” frame.  I have lots of friends.  My resting pulse is normal.  I’ve had no major health issues. And I’m pretty sure I look younger than my age.

Okay, I did smoke when I was younger, but I was a social smoker, less than half a pack a day.  More like half a pack a week.  And, I quit over 25 years ago.  I just got my cholesterol score back and was thrilled to see that it was 24 points lower than last year, but still a little high.  And I’m not good about taking a daily vitamin.  I skip breakfast regularly.  I have a high level of stress because of my unemployment status (no surprise there).  I don’t exercise enough (I know that needs to be corrected).  And I’ve had blistering sunburns in my past (the sun continues to seduce me).  But still.

With much excitement, I get to the end of the survey and click the button that will email me my real age.  I had already planned to write about my low number in this blog, and attribute it all to my new lifestyle.

I am stunned, then, when I open my email and see that according to Dr. Oz, my real age is 7 months older than my actual age.  How disappointing.  But then I think, I’d probably be older than my in-shape 80-year-old mother had I not joined Weight Watchers in September.

I know I can’t change my past, but I can make adjustments to the future.  I will start taking a daily vitamin.  Begin to exercise more.   More aggressively pursue a job.  Reach my goal weight and stay within two pounds of it.  And maybe this summer I will be more careful about the sun.  But then what will I do with the thong bikini I plan to buy????