I keep telling myself that age is just a number. At 38 I’m hardly over the hill, but I will say the hill is kicking my ass. Last weekend I took an awkward fall snowboarding and pulled a muscle in my stomach. Today I went for a run in beautiful 45º weather and while coming around a bend I slipped on freshly thawed mud and went down – hard. The kind of fall where you actually bounce, hit the deck again and then take a few seconds to check inventory.

In the winter I really cut down to maintenance miles, nothing compared to what I run in the warmer months. I put on a few extra pounds from eating far too many sweets, starting at Christmas and ending in disgust with a Cadbury Egg and countless Jelly Beans at Easter. We’re all human, even the Fit Geek.

My timing for taking the RealAge test probably couldn’t be worse. This test weighs your lifestyle choices, family history, diet and any medical conditions (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc) and then applies it to your calendar age.

My result was 33, better than 38 (I’ll be 39 in May) but I was shooting for 25! Despite pulled muscles and a few bumps and bruises the physical and mental benefits are worth it. Besides, I still have my emotional age of 16 to fall back on. Take the RealAge test to see how you fare. It may feel like a phishing trip, but seems legit.

Note: If you have no intention of keeping fit and just want to see what you might look like in 10, 20 or 30 years this site has some links to age progression software, some in use by law enforcement agencies around the world. April Software is a popular package and intend to have a Web based version of their software in the Fall/Winter (we’re waiting!).