{"id":125314,"date":"2025-09-09T14:20:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T14:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/125314\/"},"modified":"2025-09-09T14:20:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T14:20:12","slug":"4-simple-challenges-that-reveal-how-well-your-body-is-really-aging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/125314\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Simple Challenges That Reveal How Well Your Body Is Really Aging"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we age, our bodies conduct every action a bit slower: our daily walks<\/a> become shorter, our endurance goes down, and our brains aren\u2019t as sharp<\/a> as they once were. It\u2019s a shared experience among most people: \u201cWhen we\u2019re kids, we\u2019re constantly stressing our motor systems: running, climbing, falling, and trying new movements beyond our comfort zones,\u201d explains longevity expert Bill Hanks, founder and CEO of Huemn. \u201cThis is how we develop balance and coordination. As adults, we stop doing all those things, and as a result, our motor skills naturally decline.\u201d But although this is the case for most people, it doesn\u2019t mean it has to be the case for everyone. As we get older, we can slow down this bodily and cognitive deterioration<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who continue to challenge their bodies in consistent ways will maintain sharper balance and motion as they age,\u201d Hanks says. And to truly put it to the test, we asked longevity experts for four simple challenges you can try (at home, of course) to see how well your body\u2019s really aging and keep the momentum going.\n<\/p>\n

What Happens to Our Bodies as We Age? <\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the realities of aging is that our motor functions\u2014strength, coordination, balance, and agility\u2014tend to decline over time,\u201d explains longevity expert Dr. Matt Kaeberlein, CEO of Optispan. \u201cThis isn\u2019t just about muscles getting weaker. The nerves that carry signals to those muscles become less efficient, joints lose flexibility, and our sensory systems (such as vision, the inner ear, and even the body\u2019s sense of position in space) all show wear and tear. Together, these changes can make reaction times slower and stumbles more likely.\u201d While genetics and lifestyle habits vary from person to person, science has shown that we have more control over our biological aging<\/a> than we might believe, Dr. Kaeberlein says. You can start by trying one\u2014or all\u2014of these simple challenges at home.\n<\/p>\n

4 Simple Challenges to Test Your Body\u2019s Age
\n Grip Strength Test <\/p>\n

\u201cResearch has shown grip strength to be a strong correlate to overall vitality, independence, and even longevity,\u201d Hanks says. Here\u2019s how to try it at home: place a firm grip on a jar lid and test how quickly you\u2019re able to twist it off. Alternatively, try carrying your groceries<\/a> alone and seeing how easy or difficult it is to do.<\/p>\n

One-Leg Balance (With a Twist) <\/p>\n

\u201cBalance<\/a> is one of the strongest predictors of fall risk as we age,\u201d Hanks says. \u201cAdding a small perturbation, like balancing on one leg while putting on a shoe, tests real-world coordination.\u201d Make it a habit to test your balance every day, standing on one leg for at least one minute and testing how long you can last. If you can do it while multitasking, your body\u2019s in the right place.\n<\/p>\n

Test Your Strength <\/p>\n

\u201cMuscle mass naturally tends to decline with age, while body fat can increase, which can impact strength, metabolism, and long-term health,\u201d Hanks says. To test out the health of your body composition, try lifting a few weights<\/a> starting as light as one pound. As you continue practicing this habit, try heavier weights and see how well you do with them.<\/p>\n

Dual-Task Walking Test <\/p>\n

Last but certainly not least, \u201chow well your brain and body work together is a strong marker of healthy aging,\u201d Hanks says. \u201cIf your gait slows down significantly when you\u2019re counting backwards or naming animals, it can be a sign of early cognitive or motor decline.\u201d While walking, try challenging your brain to do more than one task: like reciting the alphabet, talking to a friend, or counting backwards\u2014and seeing how long you can do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As we age, our bodies conduct every action a bit slower: our daily walks become shorter, our endurance…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125315,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[6647,102,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-125314","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125314\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}