Ever since I was a child, age has seemed like just a number. Lately though, as the big 3-0 looms in front of me, I've been hearing more about age. Despite taking some BIG, grown-up steps lately (like buying a house), I still don't feel like a grownup every day (does anyone, really?).

When my parents were my age, they had been married for eight years, and they had two school-age children. Some days, I feel like I can barely take care of myself. (OK, so that's an exaggeration. I care for myself quite well. But taking care of a cat feels like a lot of work some days.)

My parents had me young (at 20), so perhaps that's why age has always been relative to me. My stepmom is 10 years younger than my father (so she's 38), and they've been happily married since 1991. I have siblings who are 26, 18, 16, and 7, and my youngest aunt is just 38. (Did I lose you there?) The numbers aren't important; what's important is that people never seemed "old" or "young" to me.

I'm only 28, but lately several people have asked me if I'm mourning the loss of my 20s. I consider 28 to be quite young, and life is looking up for me every day. I'm a firm believer that wisdom comes with age--goodness knows that, while I'm far from being a sage elder, I'm far wiser than I was at age 20--and I look forward to enjoying every moment of my life. I neither wish for the future's speedier arrival nor do I look back and long for days gone by. I'm trying to live every moment to the fullest while keeping myself as healthy as possible.

Lately I'm finding inspiration in people who aren't letting a number stop them, people who have made big changes in their lives and are far healthier because of it. People like Coach Nancy, who ran her first marathon last year, like Denise Austin, who's in amazing shape in her 50s, and my grandmother, who lost 35 pounds--and is keeping it off--through small changes.

I believe that, like a fine wine, we get better with age.

According to a 2005 study, happiness can have a big effect on how we feel. According to the lead researcher: "What is most interesting about this study is that people who think they are aging well are not necessarily the (healthiest) individuals."

Last summer, I spent a week visiting family in Wyoming, and I had a chance to catch up with my aunt. I've always looked up to her--she's beautiful, glamourous and sophisticated. When I was a kid, I remember her sitting at her dressing table, putting her hair in hot rollers and picking out outfits before her dates on the weekends. I wanted to be just like her. Twenty years later, she confessed to me that she's happier--and healthier--at 45 than she was back then. She said that the older she gets, the more comfortable she feels in her own skin--and that I would as well.

To me, that conversation further reinforced that age is just a number and that your RealAge is what matters. Twenty-eight-year-old Stepfanie might have a few more gray hairs and freckles than 20-year-old Stepfanie did, but I could outrun her any day of the week. And I'm sure that 38-year-old Stepfanie will give me a run for my money as well!

I took the RealAge test this week, and I was happy to find out that my "Real" age (23.5) is lower than my chronological age (28.7). I don’t know my cholesterol (though I'm guessing it's low because I'm a pretty healthy eater and we don't have a family history of high cholesterol), so that counted against me. It just goes to show that we all have room for improvement in life.

The test took only a few minutes, and it was fun to see how I did. Have you taken it? I want to know what you think: Should we feel "old" or "young," or is age just a number?

Go take the test and report back. If your age was higher than you'd like, tell us one thing you can do (or are doing already) to improve your health. If your age is at or below your chronological age, tell us one of your "secrets"!

Editor's note: SparkPeople and RealAge have a co-promotional agreement. RealAge is Spreading the Spark to its members, while we're telling our members about RealAge.