How Your Diet Impacts Your VO2 Max
If you want to live a healthy, long life, VO2 max is the health metric that should be on your radar. While most people are hyper-concerned with their body weight, it is not the most useful indicator of one’s health. In fact, pursuing an excellent VO2 max is a much more impactful and controllable factor of longevity, and often the better one’s VO2 max, the better their weight management is over time.
Check out this clip by Peter Attia, a physician who’s goal is to help his patients lengthen their lifespan while simultaneously improving their health span:
So what is VO2 max?
VO2 max is a measure of one’s cardio (heart) and respiratory (lung) fitness. Essentially, it is the rate at which the body can take in and utilize oxygen. Oxygen is necessary to produce ATP (muscle energy), so the more efficient the body is at distributing oxygen to muscles, the greater one’s power output and endurance will be. If you are an athlete, VO2 max should be one of your main concerns. The greater your VO2 max, the greater your athletic potential will be.
If you do not consider yourself an athlete, don’t disregard this metric! Studies are revealing that VO2 max is a strong predictor of longevity and wellness, meaning the higher your VO2 max, the greater your chances of living a long, disease-free life.
How is VO2 max measured?
Unlike stepping on a scale, measuring VO2 max is a little more involved. In order to get a truly accurate VO2 max measurement, a doctor or certified fitness instructor must measure your oxygen consumption while you exercise at a high intensity, involving special equipment that can capture your oxygen and carbon dioxide output.
Fortunately, many fitness trackers are able to give estimates of VO2 max based on more simple and accessible measurements, such as your heart rate while walking or jogging outdoors. While these trackers may not be as accurate, they do provide a helpful trend that gives an indication of improvement over time, which is all that is really needed for the average person.
How is VO2 max improved?
Given that VO2 max is a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness, it is not a surprise that engaging in activities that work the heart and lungs will improve the metric. High intensity interval training (HIIT), running, swimming, and cycling are examples of activities that can improve VO2 max.
The good news is that anybody can improve their cardiorespiratory fitness! It all depends on your baseline activity levels. If running or HIIT workouts are not currently in your repertoire, perhaps brisk walks are the place to start. In fact, those who have low VO2 max levels tend to see significant improvements when some aerobic activity is integrated. On the other hand, those who are aerobically fit will have to work harder to get their VO2 max to budge. The bottom line is that nobody has ever “arrived” when it comes to VO2 max, since there is always room for improvement.
However, there are some good estimates of what a good VO2 max is for each age group. Take a look here.
Where does diet come into play?
Diet is arguably the most important factor for improving a VO2 max, although the correlation is not direct. VO2 max is improved by engaging in cardiorespiratory activities, and in order to push the upper limits of those cardiorespiratory activities, muscles must have an adequate amount of fuel to do the work. That fuel comes from food, and everything from the type of food, the quantity of food, and the timing of food intake matters when it comes to muscle output and growth.
So really, the trajectory of VO2 max improvement looks like this:
Optimal Diet → Excellent Workouts → Improved Cardiorespiratory Fitness → Increased VO2 max → Elite Athlete and/or Longer, Healthier Life!
An optimal diet is one where muscles are adequately fueled with quality carbohydrates, properly repaired with a variety of proteins, and efficiently supplied with the necessary vitamins and minerals that make the chemical reactions within muscles function. An inadequate supply of any of these nutrients will hinder exercise performance and stunt VO2 max.
If you are an athlete aiming for the next level, VO2 max should be a priority for you. And if VO2 max is a priority for you, then honing in on your diet should be of utmost importance.
If you don’t consider yourself an athlete – first of all, you should (check this out)! But even still, if you are somebody who simply wants to live a long life without disease (don’t we all?!), the same rings true for you. Have a dietary strategy that supports your exercise output, and aim for the best VO2 max you can reach.
Working with a sports dietitian is the best way to start improving your VO2 max. If you would like to work with me on performance nutrition, schedule a FREE discovery call right here.