What is biological age?
Biological age is also known as "internal age" and describes the condition of your organs, bones and nerves. It is far more important than the calendar age, as it provides information about the wear and tear and also the performance status of your body. Calendar age, on the other hand, says nothing about your vitality, your state of health or your life expectancy. Biologically speaking, a person's vitality peaks at around 20 years of age. From then on, the body's vital functions, such as eyesight or fertility, slowly decline.
What does your biological age depend on?
First of all, your genetic make-up is very important when it comes to the differences between biographical and biological age. If some people in your family are affected by an organ disorder, your risk of developing this disorder also increases. However, if some of your ancestors have reached an advanced age, your life expectancy is also estimated to be higher.
However, it is not only hereditary factors that are important, but above all the condition of your blood vessels. The amount of oxygen and nutrients that are distributed throughout the body via the blood vessels has a significant influence on your body's ageing process. If the vessels are constricted, the organs are no longer supplied with sufficient oxygen and nutrients. This can result in a stroke or heart attack. In this case, nicotine intake through smoking also plays a major role, as this also causes premature damage to the blood vessels and drastically increases your biological age.
Other factors such as stress or a particularly irregular lifestyle can also increase your biological age and thus shorten your life. Your physical fitness also has an influence on your biological age, as this can significantly change the condition of your organs. If you do little exercise and spend a lot of time lying down and sitting, you will also age faster biologically. Another influencing factor is your diet, which, in conjunction with your physical fitness, also determines your weight. Excess weight is often associated with secondary diseases, such as high blood pressure or signs of joint wear and tear. These also have a negative impact on the biological ageing process. Mental fitness is also not insignificant in the biological ageing process, as our brain is also subject to the ageing process, with the ability to think losing much of its power. Increasing forgetfulness in old age is the first evidence of this.
How you can reduce your biological age
An important factor in positively influencing your biological age is regular exercise. Endurance sports and muscle building not only strengthen your muscles and internal organs, but also your immune system. They also prevent osteoporosis and cardiovascular problems. You should do endurance sports such as cycling or swimming at least three times a week to maintain a constant level of fitness.
A healthy and balanced diet also has a rejuvenating effect. It is important to eat mainly fresh fruit and vegetables, to consume vegetable rather than animal fats and to avoid preservatives and eat plenty of fiber. You should also ensure a high fluid intake by drinking at least two liters of water a day. This diet can also help prevent obesity, which has been proven to cause us to age prematurely. With a BMI between 18 and 25, you are within the normal weight range, above that you can be considered overweight.
Also measure your blood pressure regularly. If high blood pressure is detected in good time, it can be treated effectively. However, it often goes unnoticed at first and causes considerable damage to your blood vessels during this time.
Targeted relaxation such as yoga or autogenic training also has a very positive influence on biological ageing. Try to compensate for any stress that arises with planned periods of rest in order to establish a healthy balance between stress and relaxation. Don't let your mental fitness slip either. Regular mental exercises or frequent reading can help to train our memory and counteract the ageing of the brain. As excessive alcohol consumption and nicotine intake through smoking also have a negative effect on our biological age, you should rid yourself of these unnecessary vices - your body will thank you for it!