3 Steps to Improve Cardio Fitness and Longevity (at any age)

If you’re interested in boosting your cardiovascular fitness, I’ve got three steps for you to do. 

Your cardiovascular fitness - VO2 max - is the most powerful predictor of longevity. Together with your lower body strength, they will tell the story of your future. 

What is VO2 max?

• Oxygen consumed in milliliters per kilogram per minute.
• Strongest predictor of longevity, alongside lower body strength.
• VO2 Max and muscle mass peaks typically at age 25, with studies suggesting an average annual reduction of about 1% after.

Increasing your VO2 max can significantly increase your longevity. It can reduce all-cause mortality by 10-25%. Just going from low to above-average fitness levels can reduce mortality risk by 60-70% over a decade. 

The 3 Steps to Improve Cardio Fitness

1. Long slow aerobic exercise 

• Walking, hiking, biking, swimming.
• Work just below threshold (can talk, slightly breathy).
• 80% of the time will be spent here. 20% should be spent doing HIIT or strength training.

2. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) 

• 10-15% improvement in 5-10 weeks
• 15–30 seconds of breathless effort (sprinting effect).
• Breathless in 30 seconds or less.

3. Strength training

• Improves muscle, may enhance your body composition or weight 

Improving both your fitness (oxygen delivery and use) and reducing weight means your ml/kg/min will go up as you consume more oxygen with less body weight .. and even if you don’t lose weight your muscle is metabolically active and consumes oxygen while fat doesn’t. 

So let’s come back to the value of VO2 for reducing all cause mortality. 

A modest increase of 3.5 ml/kg/min (1 MET) is all it takes to reduce all-cause mortality by up to 25%. 

How do you know your Cardio Fitness is improving? 

Short of getting a VO2 max test, you can measure in other ways: 

• Resting heart rate – first thing in morning 
• Recovery heart rate at end of interval and one minute later
• One-mile walk test

Why Muscle Still Matters?

• More muscle = higher oxygen demand → better VO2 Max.
• Fat mass doesn’t contribute to oxygen use.
• Muscle quality declines with age → requires smarter training, especially during menopause.

Watch this episode on Flipping50TV YouTube.

References: 

• Journal of American College of Cardiology. 2018, PMID: 30384883.
• Circulation. 2007, PMID: 17548726.

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Resources: 

• Join the Hot, Not Bothered! Challenge to learn why timing matters and why what works for others is not working for you.
• Use Flipping 50 Scorecard & Guide to measure what matters with easy at-home self-assessment test you can do in minutes.
• Are you burning belly fat or burning out? Get the Menopause Fitness Guide to High-Intensity Interval Training to help you lose more fat and stay on track!