In today's health-conscious world, we're familiar with the importance of monitoring our blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These metrics offer crucial insights into our overall health. Yet, there's another equally important vital sign that remains largely underappreciated: cardiorespiratory fitness, or cardio fitness.
This measure, expressed as VO2 max, is emerging as a powerful predictor of one’s healthspan and lifespan. It's time we start giving it the attention it deserves.
The underrated vital sign
It’s standard practice for your doctor to measure your blood pressure, even if you don’t show any symptoms. Why? Because blood pressure is a key sign that offers important insights into your risk of cardiovascular disease. Similarly, VO2 max, which indicates your cardio fitness, is just as vital a sign. VO2 max is a key measure of how well your respiratory and circulatory systems supply your body with enough oxygen to keep exercising. Higher levels of cardio fitness are associated with lower risks of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and even certain cancers. Despite its significance, many of us are unaware of our cardio fitness levels and the profound impact they have on our health. Discovery Vitality’s recently published white paper reveals that members with higher cardio fitness levels have 30% lower hospital claims, 95% lower prevalence of obesity, 84% lower prevalence of high-risk blood glucose levels, and 70% lower prevalence of high-risk blood pressure.
This is why Discovery Vitality is now incentivising its members for knowing and improving their VO2 max: it’s an essential risk predictor that complements other health metrics.
In the past, measuring VO2 max required sophisticated equipment and clinical settings. However, advancements in wearable technology have revolutionised access to your VO2 max data. Today, many wearable fitness devices can estimate your VO2 max with reasonable accuracy, bringing this important metric within reach of the average person. This accessibility means that tracking your cardio fitness is no longer a task reserved for elite athletes or patients in medical studies; it's something we can all do from the comfort of our homes.
Cardio fitness matters across all ages
Cardio fitness matters at every stage of life. Maintaining a moderate to high level of cardio fitness can enhance daily energy levels and improve cognitive function, it can contribute to a lower risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases, and a good cardio fitness level can mean greater independence and the ability to perform everyday activities with ease – particularly for the elderly. Even a moderate improvement in VO2 max can reduce the risk of death by 21-30%.
Consider this: a person with a good cardio fitness level can walk briskly, climb stairs, and manage household chores without feeling unnecessary fatigue. In contrast, someone with a low cardio fitness level may find these simple tasks challenging and exhausting. This simple difference highlights that cardio fitness is not just a number on your device’s workout report; it has real-world implications for our quality of life. Improving your cardio fitness can make daily activities more manageable and enjoyable, reducing the strain on your body and mind.
Improving your cardio fitness
Improving your cardio fitness doesn't require an extreme makeover of your lifestyle. Small, consistent changes can yield significant benefits.
To improve your cardio fitness level from a low to fair to good level, start with basic aerobic exercises such as walking, cycling and/or swimming. Vitality’s Head Biokineticisit, Mari Leach, also suggests gradually increasing your exercise duration and intensity over time to build a strong foundation, reduce injury risk, and make exercise a more regular habit.
To improve your cardio fitness level from a good to excellent level, incorporate short High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions and longer moderate-intensity sessions into your exercise routine. For example, you can add a few high-intensity interval sets after your strength training sessions or a 20-30 minute cardio workout for a well-rounded routine.
The recommendation is to progress gradually, moving from one cardio fitness level to the next. The most substantial health benefits are often seen when moving from low to fair levels of cardio fitness. With tools like the Vitality Fitness platform, designed to offer our members diverse exercise options wherever they are, you can find personalised guidance and support to help you on this journey.
In a world where we have the resources to monitor and improve our health, there's no reason not to take advantage of them. Start today by learning about your cardio fitness.
Read Vitality’s latest white paper on navigating cardio fitness for optimal health to find out more about this important health metric and its implications for your overall health. DM/ML
Author: Mosima Mabunda, Head of Wellness at Discovery Vitality
