The Longevity Test

In my previous article, I discuss the key biomarker tests I do annually. These tests are some of the best ways to monitor and track you health and longevity.

Beyond biological age tests like InsideTracker’s InnerAge, there are other lower costs options.

Here are the different aspects to longevity and an assessment to help you better understand your health—both physical and mental.

1. Nutritional health: When you log your meals for the day, do you get over 30 grams of fiber? Ideally 50 grams? Is your added sugar less than 50 grams per day? If you answered yes to both of these, you get 1 point!
2. Physical health: Can you go from sitting to standing (from the floor) 3 times in a row easily? If you answered yes, you get 1 point.
3. Friendship help: Everyone needs a “no matter what” friend. Someone you can call, no matter what. Someone you can vent to, no matter what. Do you have one? If you do, give yourself 1 point.
4. Brain health: A simple test from a Japanese study is to stand up, raise one leg in front of you, bent at your knee and try to maintain your balance in that position. Do that twice and record your time. According to the study, people who aren’t able to stay balanced on one leg for longer than 20 seconds should consider further evaluation from a doctor. If you can do this, give yourself 1 point.
5. How good is your mindset? This is based on the work of Dr. Dweck’s book from 2006: Mindset: The new psychology of success. Click here!
6. How good is your health health? A recent study by the European Society of Cardiology found being able to climb four flights of stairs in less than a minute indicates good heart health. (This is not the only test and you should be checking with your doctor for more specific tests for you)
7. How good is your muscle health? You already tried the sit to stand test, so here are a few more in case you couldn’t do that one or you want to supplement:

A. HANDGRIP TEST

A new study in The Lancet found that the firmness of your hand grip is correlated with heart health, and can be an indicator of your risk of early death, disability and illness. In fact, researchers say a simple hand grip test can be better than your blood pressure at assessing your health. In this study, people were between the ages of 35 and 70, but younger people would we be wise to take this test as well: “Those with low grip strength in their late teens do worse over many decades,” says Joyner.

How it works: You’ll need a device called a Dynamometer ($30; amazon.com). Follow specific instructions for your device and check out how your grip strength measures up depending on your age here.

You can also test your dead hang time.

B. TREADMILL TEST

Here’s how the military judges results for women:

• Ages 22 to 26: 17 to 46 pushups
• Ages 27 to 31: 17 to 50 pushups
• Ages 32 to 36: 15 to 45 pushups
• Ages 37 to 41: 13 to 40 pushups
• Ages 42 to 46: 12 to 37 pushups
• Ages 47 to 51: 10 to 34 pushups

C. TREADMILL TEST

You’ll set the incline at 10 percent and start walking at a slow 1.7 mph speed, then increase your speed every three minutes until you’re completely spent.

Okay, back onto question 8:

8. STRESS: How is your HRV? Your perceived stress. Here is a mini home stress eval (modified from PSYCOM):

A. How often are you able to stay focused on the present?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

B. How often do you feel overwhelmed with your life?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

C. Do you fall asleep easily at night? (The average person falls asleep in 7-10 minutes.)

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

D. On average, do you get 7-8 hours of sleep?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

E. Do you turn to unhealthy food indulgences such as eating junk food, drinking excessively, or eating sugary foods/sweets when feeling overwhelmed?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

F. Do you experience headaches or muscle tension?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

G. During work hours, do you have a hard time staying focused?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

H. Do you feel pain or tension in your stomach, muscles, chest, or head?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

I. Have you noticed any increase or decrease in your sex drive? (Sex drive in this context refers to sexual release such as having the need to orgasm or ejaculate.)

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

J. Do you ever have irregular periods (for women before menopause) and impotence (in men before the age of 65)?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

K. Do you feel like withdrawing from family, friends, and isolating yourself?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

L. Has there been a change (an increase) in your daily habits such as using alcohol, drugs, or tobacco as a way to self-soothe?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

M. Do you feel irritable, annoyed, or angry over trivial issues?

• Never
• Sometimes
• Often
• Almost Always

Remember that you cannot adequately measure health by yourself. Ideally you are working with your medical doctor to determine the right testing and interpretation for you.

I hope this helped. Let me know in the comments below if you found this helpful!