The aging suit simulates the effects of aging, such as impaired sight and hearing, a restricted range of movement, and declining strength.

When we get older an "age suit" is what we wear. Exercise helps us get a new "age suit" that is less cumbersome.

The Joint Age Test is an online tool for determining the approximate age of the body’s joints — and it offers ways for improving joint health.

MOST of us take our joints for granted until they play up, by which time significant degenerative changes may already have occurred. Many people are unaware of minor losses in mobility, or may just attribute stiffness, aches and pains to the season or the weather.

• Do you have quirky sounds from some of your joints? (10)

• Do your joints ache? (10)

• Are your joints swollen or have they changed shape? (10)

• Do you have any old joint injuries? (5)

• Do you do repetitive work/exercise? (5)

• Do you have a sedentary job and take no exercise? (5)

• Does arthritis run in your family? (5)

• Do you ache more than your peers after exercise? (5)

• Do your hands, fingers and feet get cold and stiff? (5)

• Are your joints difficult to straighten? (10)

• Are you over your perfect weight? (5 for every 14 lbs overweight)

• Are the joints in your big toes painful or stiff? (10)

• Can you flex one knee more than the other? (5)

• Are your knees painful if you sit on them? (5)

• If you sit cross-legged, are you unable to bring your knees close to the floor? 1 fist between floor and knee?/2 fists/3 fists? (5 for each fist)

• Do you feel a need to stretch your back on a daily basis?/twice a day?/several times a day? (1 per stretch)

• When standing, are you unable to touch your toes with your knees straight? 2in from toes? /4in?/6in?/8in? (1 for every inch from the feet)

• Is your neck rotation limited when reversing your car? (5)

• Are you unable to align your chin and shoulder tip? (5)

• Are you unable to touch your chest with your chin? (5)

• Can you bring one arm further up behind your back than the other? 1in?/2in?/3in?/more? (2 per inch)

• Do you grunt or moan when bending over? (1)    (Yes most of us do when we get older don't we?)

• Can you flex one wrist more than the other? (10)

• Are you unable to flex all your fingers completely? (10)

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  To obtain your joint age score

  Add the number of points in brackets after the questions to which you answered YES.

  Subtract your age from the total number of points - this may leave you with a positive or negative score. Halve this figure. If it is a positive score, add it to your age. If it is a negative score, take it off your age to give you the actual age of your joints.

  Ideally, your joint age should be the same (or younger) than your actual age. This test is intended to create awareness of your joints, as they are important to look after. It should not be taken as giving an exact age or accurate description of the state of your joints. If in doubt about any part of this test, always consult your doctor or an osteopath. Don't do parts of the test if your not able, be safe.

  (Surprise, just doing this test is some real exercise. I have added a simple calculator to help you add up your numbers below.)

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  Ways to improve joint health

  Warm up and cool down properly with gentle stretches before taking part in sport.

  Weight loss.Every pound of excess weight you shed can take about 4 pounds of pressure off the knees when walking, research suggests.

  Physical activity.Strength training helps build up the muscles that support the affected joint. Aerobic exercise, particularly weight-bearing activities such as walking, can ease stiffness by keeping joints flexible and lubricated. But check with your doctor before starting any new workout regimen.

  Keep joints warm in cold weather and do daily stretches. Torben suggests the following: Stretch your fingers out completely and then close your hands to make a fist; roll your shoulder blades; turn your head from side to side and swing your arms from side to side; put hands on hips and then move your hips in large circles; sit on the floor and then hold your kneecaps and then move them in circles.

  Consume essential fatty acids to lubricate synovial joints and for their anti-inflammatory action. Eat oily fish at least twice a week. Supplements containing olive, flaxseed or omega-3 fish oil supplements are beneficial, as is cod liver oil, which contains additional vitamins A and D important for bone health.

  Eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, and consider taking an antioxidant supplement. Vitamin C is both a powerful antioxidant and needed for the production of collagen - a protein found in skin, ligaments, cartilage and other body tissues.

  Drink at least two litres of fluid per day to maintain good hydration, and a flow of nutrients to the joints.

  The flexibility of joints improves in correlation to the strength of the muscles surrounding them.

In a large, multicenter trial published in 2006, researchers found some evidence that glucosamine and chondroitin alleviated pain in patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis, the most common type. But subsequent studies have not confirmed that finding. And treatment guidelines issued in May 2013 by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons don’t recommend glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, citing lack of efficacy.

The research on these supplements is mixed. In a 2005 review of glucosamine, 20 studies involving 2,570 patients were analyzed -- showing glucosamine to be safe but not better than a placebo in reducing pain and stiffness and improving function. However, a World Health Organization review of evidence on glucosamine found that it relieves arthritis-related knee pain and improves joint function.

In 2006, the Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT), funded by the National Institutes of Health, found the two supplements were more effective when combined. However, only people with moderate or severe pain from knee arthritis reported significant benefit. They got better pain relief than from an anti-inflammatory painkiller.

In September 2008, a follow-up GAIT study compared people who took the supplements or medication for an additional 18 months. All those patients had moderate to severe knee pain. After two years, there was no significant difference between the treatment and placebo groups.

(Bottom line exercise helps relieve pain because you loose weight and have less pressure on your knee joints. A placebo doesn't do anything but make you think it is doing something. If you want to loose your "age suit" exercise and help yourself.)

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