How Old Are You Really?

 Welcome back to 60 Street. I’m Andie and in today’s episode we explore the fascinating science behind the three ways we age: chronological age, biological age, and metabolic age, what modern research reveals about the powerful role of lifestyle, stress, relationships, and mindset in the aging process. This conversation is a reminder that while we cannot stop time, we have far more influence over how we age than we once believed. 

Transcript

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Hey beautiful souls, welcome back to 60 Street. I'm Andy, and I'm so glad you're here. Today we're talking about something that every single one of us is experiencing right now, whether we think about it or not. Aging. Now before you roll your eyes, stay with me here. Because science is revealing something fascinating. Age really is just a number. But the number isn't about the years you have been alive, so the number of candles on your birthday cake may not actually tell the whole story. In fact, researchers now understand that there are three different ways to measure how we age your chronological age, your biological age, and your metabolic age. And here's an interesting fact. Two women can both be 65 years old and have completely different ages in the other two categories. One woman may have the vitality, strength, cognitive sharpness, and cellular health of someone twenty years younger, while the other may be aging much faster than her years suggest. So grab your journal, pour yourself a cup of tea, and together let's explore what psychology and science tell us about aging. Perhaps most importantly, what is actually within our control because while none of us can stop the clock, we may be able to influence how we travel through time, and that is a very empowering thing. For most of human history, aging seemed to be sort of a mystery. People simply assumed that if your parents lived a long life, you probably would too. Genetics appeared to be our destiny. But modern research tells a different story. Scientists now estimate that genetics account for only 15 to 25% of how we age. Let that sit for a moment. The majority of how we age is influenced by factors beyond our DNA. The two biggest influencers, those are pretty easy to guess, lifestyle and mindset. And these two friends are intertwined. So let's break down these two factors, shall we? A healthy lifestyle refers to sound habits such as targeted nutrition for each stage of your life. Living a life in motion, so exercising in a way that maintains muscle and vitality, getting enough quality sleep, even if it's only five or six hours, it's still enough. The kinds of connections and relationships you have through your life, they have a direct impact on your overall well-being. Mindset. Mindset refers to several other factors resilience, our ability to recover from setbacks and embrace challenges, grow and expand our knowledge, self-compassion, our ability to manage stress without losing ourselves, emotional awareness, our ability to tune into and express our feelings, set boundaries that reflect self-worth. Lastly, mindfulness and gratitude, our ability to focus on progress, live in the present, appreciate oneself by not comparing ourselves to others. So how we live matters tremendously on how well we age. And understanding the three different measurements of age helps us see why. Let's start with the easiest one, chronological age. Every year it increases by exactly one and is simply the number of years you've been alive. Yet chronological age tells us absolutely nothing about how well we're aging, because you've probably met people who seem much younger than their age, and you've probably met people who seem much older. Consider a woman in her seventies who's hiking mountains, traveling the world, learning new things, laughing easily, embracing life with enthusiasm. Her biological and metabolic age may be years younger than her chronological age. That's because chronological age is only one piece of the story. The second measurement is biological age. And this is where things become interesting. Biological age measures how old your body actually is at a cellular level. So how well your heart's aging, blood vessels, immune system, brain, muscles, and your other organs, everything working behind the scenes. Scientists use biomarkers to estimate biological age. A simplified version would be blood pressure, heart health, measuring inflammation in one's body, blood sugar levels, cholesterol, physical mobility, lean muscle mass. Biomarkers also include more advanced measurements that examine cellular health. What researchers have discovered is that our cells don't all age at the same speed. Some people are biologically younger than their chronological age. Others are biologically older. Imagine two women who are both sixty-eight years old. One may have a biological age of fifty eight, while the other's biological age may be seventy-eight. The difference isn't the years, the difference is how well their bodies have weathered those years. One of the most important discoveries in aging science includes something called telomeres. Think of telomeres as the little protective caps on the end of your chromosomes. Almost like the plastic tips on your shoelaces. Every time your cell divides and repairs itself, these protective caps become slightly shorter. Over time, short telomeres are associated with aging and disease. But here's what's remarkable. Research suggests that chronic stress can accelerate telomere shortening. In other words, stress can literally age your cells. Think about the stressors of work, traffic, travel, financial stressors, relationship stress, unresolved anguish. The result? Your nervous system lives in survival mode. And our body keeps score, something we talk a lot about in this podcast. And sometimes that score shows up as accelerated aging. Let that sit for a moment. Psychology offers another fascinating perspective here. There is a concept called perceived age. It is the thought about how old you believe yourself to be. Research consistently shows that people who maintain positive beliefs about aging, their life, themselves, live with purpose, they often experience better health outcomes. They stay active longer, recover faster, and yes, live healthier, longer lives. Because mindset influences our behavior. So two women, the same age may be aging very differently. The woman who isn't living in full body aliveness may be more uncertain of herself, withdrawn, not expanding, stops growing, while the other woman lives with intention, purpose, has joy, remains curious, moves through life with inner vitality, self-worth, and that type of energy it's felt, not just in her body, but it's felt by others. And curiosity itself may be one of the most powerful anti-aging tools we possess. Let's talk about the third measurement, metabolic age. Now this is a term you've probably heard more recently. It's kind of similar to BMI, which was used for decades as a way to measure muscle to fat ratio. BMI ideally for women 60 to 79 should range between 24% and 35%. Metabolic age goes a step further and it compares how efficiently your body burns energy compared to others in your age group. It is more closely related to something called basal metabolic rate, or BMR. That's simply the number of calories your body burns while resting. Your metabolism influences energy, weight management, muscle preservation, hormonal health, and your overall vitality. If your metabolic age is lower than your chronological age, that's generally considered a positive sign. It indicates your body is functioning more like your younger self. If it's higher, it may indicate areas that need attention. Now it's important to note that metabolic age isn't considered a precise medical measurement, but it can provide useful information about overall fitness and health. Factors that influence metabolic age include lean muscle, body composition, waist circumference, blood pressure, physical activity, nutrition, and sleep, all the markers we previously covered in lifestyle. And here's something to consider. Almost all of these are modifiable, which means metabolic age is highly influenced by our daily choices. This is especially relevant for women over fifty, because one of the greatest myths about aging is that decline is inevitable. It isn't. Certain changes are natural, but muscle loss can be slowed dramatically through strength training. Recall from an earlier episode, more muscle, better balance, improved bone density, better cognitive functioning. And what fascinates me the most is how interconnected all three dimensions of aging really are. Consider a woman at odds with herself, one who's living a life not aligned. She's emotionally exhausted, never fully relaxed, and that chronic stress elevates inflammation, impacts sleep, raises cortisol, disrupts metabolism, and ultimately accelerates cellular aging. Over time, her biological age may increase faster than her chronological age. Now imagine that same woman finding peace, becoming more aligned, body, mind, spirit, building meaningful relationships, moving with purpose, laughing more, sleeping better, living in her truth and knowing her self worth. Her biological markers will also begin improving. Her metabolism improves, energy returns, body starts to heal. Aging isn't just physical, it's emotional, psychological, relational, and spiritual. I think this is particularly important for women in our community to understand because many of us spent decades living in someone else's expectations. And somewhere along the way, we disconnected from our sacred feminine energy. But here's something that I have learned. Healthy aging requires a different relationship with yourself, one rooted in self respect, self worth, and knowing, not self abandonment. Aging well isn't about chasing youth. It's about supporting vitality, mind, body, spirit, embracing our erotic energy and reconnecting with our sacred self. And that energy is our life force. Researchers have repeatedly found that social connection and positive relationships with yourself and others influence biological aging. This makes perfect sense when you think about it. Women are wired for connection. We heal in community, thrive in belonging, and flourish when we feel valued and seen. So if you're wondering how to improve your biological age, don't just think about the gym or your diet. Think about friendship, laughter, being present, having meaningful conversations, living with intention and purpose. Those things are important too, perhaps more than we realize. And here's something else that I have learned. As women, we have a unique opportunity to stop chasing potential, stop accepting inconsistency, living in distraction, and choose ourselves. And in that choice, we start focusing on becoming healthier, stronger, more vibrant, more alive. Because aging isn't the enemy. Poor health is, disconnection is, chronic stress is. Giving up on yourself is. But age itself, age is simply evidence that you've lived, loved, learned, survived, adapted, and become wiser. Before we part ways, this week in your journal, I invite you to ask yourself if I viewed aging as a privilege rather than a problem, what would I change about how I live right now? Write it down, all of it. Let the answer be the inspiration you need to make better choices for yourself. I want to leave you with this thought. You are not merely counting years, you are creating them, every walk, every nourishing dinner, every boundary that protects your self worth, every meaningful conversation, every moment you choose peace over chaos. You are shaping the quality of the years ahead. The calendar will continue to move forward. That part is certain. But how you move through these next years, that remains beautifully within your control. Your age is not measured only by birthdays. It is measured by your vitality, curiosity, capacity to love, your willingness to grow, and the tenderness in which you care for yourself. And that journey begins with the choices you make right now. Well, that's all for today. Thank you for cruising down 60 Street with me. If this episode reminded you that this is your life and you are worthy of living it fully, share, subscribe. You can always drop me a note at 60streetpodcast at gmail.com. Until next time, stay wild, stay well, stay unapologetically you.