What is it, and why is it the most important health metric?
There are a lot of different ways to assess your fitness, including how out of breath you feel when you walk up a flight of stairs and how fast you can run 5K.
However to accurately quantify your fitness situation, you really need to know your VO2 max.
In the simplest terms, your VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilise during exercise.
Normally measured in millilitres of oxygen per kilo of bodyweight, per minute of exercise, and it normally ranges from the 20s to 60s.
Why does it matter?
There are three main reasons why knowing your VO2 max is so important.
→ (1) it’s a MEASURE OF FITNESS, about how well your body can circulate oxygen, enzymes, hormones, nutrients, rid your body of toxins and repair it.
→ (2) another element is HEALTH. VO2 max is considered one of the BEST PREDICTORS of LONGEVITY, quality of life and your ability to live a life FREE OF PREVENTABLE DISEASE.
→ (3) cardiovascular disease kills more than half of us each year, and has been the number 1 killer of humans since 1918, even including World War II!