You BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and make it to 60!

OK! I'll admit it...I'm getting scarily close to a BIG birthday next year and I find it hard to believe that the "Baby" has more grey hair than any of the older siblings. Granted, the brothers don't have much hair, so I guess it could be worse!

The proposition of aging is double-sworded! On the one hand, gravity is starting to take its toll on your body; collagen is leaving some parts of your body and depositing itself elsewhere; you're losing the color in your hair/or your hair (as the case may be); there's crows feet/dark circles/bags under your eyes, folds and wrinkles in unusual places; the diminishing sight, hearing, sex appeal, and strength that you once prided yourself on; and the weight gain - OMG! Why does metabolism play such a strange role in aging? But the alternative to the aging process is a whole other can of worms!

Below are 10 Ways to Lower Your RealAge

Take Your Vitamins-I DON'T
Regularly taking vitamin C (1200 mg/day), vitamin E (400 IU/day), calcium (1000-1200 mg/day), vitamin D (400-600 IU/day), folate (400 mcg/day), and vitamin B6 (6 mg/day) can make your RealAge 6 years younger.

Quit Smoking and Avoid Passive Smoke-ALWAYS
Smoking makes your RealAge 8 years older.

Know Your Blood Pressure-OH, OH!
A person with low blood pressure (115/75 mm Hg) is as much as 25 years younger than a person with high blood pressure (greater than 160/90 mm Hg).

Reduce Stress-I DON'T
In highly stressful times, your RealAge can be as much as 32 years older (no wonder I'm greyer!) than your calendar age. By building strong social networks and adopting stress-reduction strategies, you can erase 30 of those 32 years of aging caused by stress.

Floss Your Teeth-I DO
Flossing and brushing daily can make your RealAge 6.4 years younger.

Be Active-I DO
Even a small amount of exercise? Two 20-minute walks per day can make your RealAge nearly 5 years younger.

Wear Your Seatbelt-I DO
Regularly wearing a seat belt and driving within 5 miles per hour of the speed limit can make your RealAge as much as 3.4 years younger.

Fill Up on Fiber-I DON'T
Getting 25 grams of fiber per day in your diet can make your RealAge 2.5 years younger than if you only included 12 grams of fiber per day in your diet.

Monitor Your Health-I DON'T
People who are proactive about seeking high-quality medical care (Is there such a thing?) and managing chronic conditions can have a RealAge as much as 12 years younger than their peers who do not.

Become a Lifelong Learner-TRYING
People who remain intellectually involved throughout their lives have a RealAge as much as 2.5 years younger.

So maybe I'm not at the BIG ONE yet. And I try to keep a good outlook on that, even at the risk of forgetting completely what year I really am at! But then, there's always the 'do-gooders' who find delight in reminding me of it. I've come to the conlusion that the statement: 'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away, is indeed the best way to measure our time here.