WASHINGTON – Fifty may not be the new 30, for those who smoke, drink and don’t exercise.
British health care provider PruHealth developed the Vitality Age Calculator, which takes a person’s age and factors in his or her lifestyle to get an overall idea of one’s fitness level.
So if you are a 30-year-old woman, weigh about 125 lbs., walk daily, maintain a moderate diet and drink in moderation, you have a body of a 30-year-old.
However, a 32-year-old woman who cuts out the walks, adds in cigarettes and a bottle of wine has the body age of 35.
The system was put in place to help employers promote fitness. But after working with close to 10,000 people, the results proved dismal.
Bad habits and a lack of exercise can add up to 8 years to a person’s body age.
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