Metabolic Age Calculator: What’s Your Real Age? And How To Improve It
Have you heard of a metabolic age calculator? Why would you need one?
Well, there's your chronological age—and then there's your REAL age: your health age. Also known as your metabolic age, your health age is your biological age based on your lifestyle and current state of health.
Curious to see how the two may differ? Using a metabolic age calculator to measure how old you are according to your health is just the key! So keep reading to learn how it works, and then discover ways you can improve that number.
What is Metabolic Age?
As I mentioned above, your metabolic age is your age according to your health status. What does that mean?
Basically, while you may be 45 years old, if you’re in good health and take great care of your body, you may look and feel years younger—and your metabolic age could be 30 to 35.
But if you’re 45 years old and in poor health with chronic conditions or you live a sedentary lifestyle and eat lots of processed and fast foods, your body may more closely resemble that of someone in their mid-50s or even older.
In fact, in a study published in 2017, researchers found that women who were sedentary for at least 10 hours a day were biologically eight years older than women of the same age who exercised 30 minutes each day. [1]
Specifically, the women who were active each day had longer telomeres than those who didn’t.
This study confirmed what we’ve all long suspected: Taking care of your body can slow the aging process and even help prevent chronic disease.
How to Determine Your Metabolic Age: The Metabolic Age Calculator Quiz
The first step in determining your metabolic age is to determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR), or your basic energy expenditure in a day.
The Harris-Benedict equation is a well-known method for determining your BMR. [2] Follow the equation below to get your BMR.
Men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x Weight in kg) + (4.799 x Height in cm) – (5.677 x Age)
Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x Weight in kg) + (3.098 x Height in cm) – (4.33 x Age)
Once you have that number, your best bet is to compare that to a metabolic age chart. The best one I’ve found online is here, but you can also discuss your BMR with your doctor to get a more accurate estimate.
How to Improve Your Metabolic Age
Start by increasing your activity level to incorporate at least 30 minutes of active exercise each day. A great way to begin—and one that's also been shown to help you lose more weight than other methods—is incorporating this type of walking plan.
Also, research has found that consuming a plant-based diet goes a long way in improving your metabolic age, which will give you a better result when plugging your data into a metabolic age calculator.
Specifically, a 2019 study revealed that those with a high metabolic age reported greater cravings for high-fat foods and often consumed inflammatory animal proteins such as pork, sausage, and cold cuts.
Alternatively, those with younger metabolic ages ate more healthy fats and vegetables, including plant-based meat alternatives. [3]
If you’re looking for a way to improve your BMR and future scores on a metabolic age calculator, you can start by trying some of my plant-based recipes to help cut down on your animal protein intake.
Also, check out my article on natural ways to increase your metabolism. The great news is that you can reverse any inflammatory damage inside your body with a little hard work and dedication. It’s all in your control to reverse the clock and feel your best!