Maximize Health: How Your Fitness Age Aligns with Your Real Age

Understanding Your Fitness Age

To get a better idea of how well you’re aging, calculate your fitness age. This scientific concept uses a few health measures to estimate if your body is biologically older or younger than your chronological age. Thus, if you are 50 years old based on your birth date, your fitness age could range from around 25 to 75. It ultimately depends on your physical condition.

The Importance of Fitness Age

If your fitness age is higher than your chronological age, your chances of dying young from a host of diseases increase substantially, according to extensive research. The good news is, with the help of an online tool, you can easily find out your fitness age. And, if it turns out to be more than your chronological age, you can start reducing it by incorporating the right exercises into your routine.

How to Calculate Your Fitness Age

To determine your fitness age, you’ll need to know your height, weight, and resting heart rate, which can be easily determined using a smartwatch or a 15-second pulse test. Additionally, you’ll need an accurate estimate of the intensity and frequency of your exercise routine. Plug this information into an online calculator to see if your biological age is older or younger than your birth years.

Research on Fitness Age

The concept of a “fitness age”, separate from our calendar years, first emerged over a decade ago. Studies began showing that aerobic fitness or VO2max predicts longevity and health span as well or better than more widely used health indicators, like blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and smoking history.

Based on this research, Norwegian scientists started directly measuring VO2max in thousands of Norwegians aged between 20 and 90. They also evaluated various markers of their general health, including body composition, blood pressure, heart rate, exercise habits, and longevity. By combining this data, they found that some health markers closely correlate with VO2max and can be used to estimate aerobic capacity. They developed a simple, online fitness age calculator.

Lowering Your Fitness Age

If you’d like your fitness age to be years or decades lower than your calendar age, you can achieve this by moving often and sometimes vigorously. High-intensity exercise that increases your breathing and heart rate to a point where maintaining a conversation becomes challenging can strengthen your aerobic system over time, improving your VO2max and altering your fitness age.

Benefits of a Lower Fitness Age

A lower fitness age doesn’t necessarily make you truly younger or guarantee extra decades of life. However, it gives us a glimpse into whether our bodies seem to be functioning better or worse than those of other people of the same calendar age. This knowledge can be used for self-inspiration and perhaps even self-congratulation.