The idea behind real age is that the age, like a healthy diet, is an equation in exchanges, Roizen says. By behaving in certain ways, eating certain things and following certain lifestyle patterns, you can influence the real age of your body, even if you can't deny your calendar age.

"Most of us want to avoid the disability that we associate with old age," Roizen says. "One of the wonderful things about the data [that he based his book on] is that you really do have a lot of control over how well and how long you live."

The previous thinking was that genes alone determined how long your body would hold up, but doctors now acknowledge that how you treat your body and live your life can influence your longevity as well. In fact, genes affect less than 30 percent of your aging process, Roizen says. And that leaves a lot of room for influence. Despite the fact that Roizen is 53, he claims to have a real age of 39.2, a number he reached after calculating the pluses and minuses of certain lifestyle behaviors and subtracting them from his age.

So what are the three main factors that can reduce the effects of aging, according to Roizen? Eating a diet low in saturated fats, exercising and quitting smoking. While this is hardly news to most people, it is advice that can paralyze people's motivation to make lifestyle changes because they don't know where to begin. That's where the real age calculations come in most handy. Here's a sampling of how easy it is to make small changes for the better, according to the real age plan.

Take vitamins C and E. These are good antioxidants and anti-aging agents. Get the equivalent of 1,200 mg of vitamin C and 400 of IU of vitamin E daily. Real age = up to 6 years younger than your current age.

Floss and brush your teeth. Gum disease can age your immune system, and you're your arteries. Brush and floss daily. Real age = as many as 6.4 years younger than your current age.

Wear a cycling helmet. Wear a helmet every time you go out for a ride to protect your head against injuries that can lead to aging. Real age = 1 year younger than your current age.

Avoid passive smoke. Passive smoke can cause almost as much aging as smoking itself. Real age = 6.9 years younger than your current age.

Laugh. Laughter reduces stress throughout your body and keeps your immune system young. Laugh frequently. Real age = 1.5 to 8 years younger than your current age.

While these are age-defying behaviors, there are also a number of factors that will make you're real age older than your calendar age. If you're interested in seeing how your chronological age compares with your real age, you can visit www.realage.com and take about 30 minutes to fill out a questionnaire about your lifestyle. As you go along, you can see how your life choices affect your age and general health.

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