It predicts your life span better than your weight.
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| | | | | There's one report from my fitness tracking ring that I value the most — VO₂ max. It's a powerful indicator of heart health and fitness. The higher the number, the better it is for you. I'm doing pretty well for my age with a number that puts me in the "excellent" category. I put that down to daily cycling. I want to improve my VO₂ max score, but it'll take lots of intense work, as you'll find out below. | | | | | | | Let's run the numbers,
Tim Snaith
Newsletter Editor, Healthline |  | | Written by Tim Snaith
September 5, 2025 • 3 min read | | | | | | | |
| |  | | | | How to boost your fitness, reduce stress, and live longer | | VO₂ max measures the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. The more oxygen you can use, the longer you can exercise before getting winded. Research shows people with higher VO₂ max live longer and have lower rates of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. They also handle stress better and sleep more soundly. | | VO₂ max is measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. For a 50-year-old man, a score of 43 is excellent, while 35 is fair. For women of the same age, 37 is excellent and 30 is fair. The number typically drops by 10% per decade, but you can improve it significantly at any age. | | How can you measure yours? | | Professional VO₂ max testing costs $150 to $250 and involves exercising while wearing a mask that measures your oxygen intake. To get an indication of your own score, you could use a wearable fitness tracker to estimate VO₂ max from your heart rate data during a workout (we recommend several trackers, below). | | You can improve your VO₂ max with any level of aerobic exercise that gets your heart rate up, from a brisk walk to high intensity interval training. This means exercising at 90% to 95% of your maximum heart rate during intense intervals, then recovering. You can estimate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. | | 💓 Go hard: Exercise at 90% to 95% of your max heart rate to strengthen your heart and improve blood flow. | | ⏱️ Add intervals: Alternate high intensity bursts with short rest periods to train more efficiently. | | 🤼 Mix it up: Combine both continuous and interval training for even better results. | | 🏅 Challenge yourself: Increase the intensity, duration, or frequency of your workouts as you get fitter. | | Why I track it and you should too | | Every point you gain in VO₂ max represents better cardiovascular health and more energy for daily activities. And unlike weight, which fluctuates daily, VO₂ max changes slowly and consistently with proper training. You can't do much about getting older, but you can control how fit you are for your age, and VO₂ max predicts your health and longevity better than most other fitness measures. | | | | 🎤 Over to you: What's your current VO₂ max, and have you tried interval training? I'd love to hear whether you've noticed improvements in your daily energy levels. Email wellnesswire@healthline.com to share your thoughts with us. | | | | | | | | | Track stars | | | | | | |  | | The Best Heart Monitor Watches | | Since improving VO₂ max requires exercising at 90% to 95% of maximum heart rate, a reliable monitor becomes essential. Smartwatches like Apple Watch and Fitbit offer convenient tracking, but chest strap monitors provide more accurate readings during intense intervals. We highlighted the top picks for you, plus what specs to pay attention to when choosing a tracker based on your budget and whether you prioritize convenience or precision during HIIT workouts. | | | Every product we recommend has gone through either Healthline's or Optum Now's vetting processes. If you buy through links on this page, we may receive a small commission or other tangible benefit. Healthline has sole editorial control over this newsletter. Potential uses for the products listed here are not health claims made by the manufacturers. Healthline and Optum Now are owned by RVO Health. | | | | | | | | | | | |   | | | | | | | | Until next time, |  | Take care of yourself, and we'll see
you again soon! | | |  | | |  | | This edition was powered by | | windfall plums from the garden. | | | | | | | | View in browser
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