Jay Jackson
Chairman & CEO
If you’ve been following along for awhile, you know that I pay a lot of attention to the hard truths behind longevity – that very tall people rarely live past 100, that genetics do matter, and that we should be optimizing for longer healthspans than lifespans.
On a recent appearance on The Big Biz Show, I talked about two factors that play an outsized role on longevity: visceral fat and VO2 max. In fact, these two metrics matter more than your age when it comes to how long you’ll actually live.
Visceral fat and VO2 max aren’t glamorous topics. But they’re among the most predictive indicators of how long you’ll live—and here’s what’s radical about them: they’re within your control.
Visceral fat is the fat around your organs. Not the visible fat under your skin. The internal fat that actually impacts organ function and metabolic health. It’s a leading indicator of longevity. And it can be managed through nutrition, sleep, stress reduction, and exercise. It’s not about looking good. It’s about your body functioning properly as you age.
VO2 max is your maximum oxygen intake during intense exercise—essentially your cardiovascular fitness level. It’s absolutely proven to extend lifespan. Higher VO2 max correlates directly with longer, healthier lives. Better news: you can improve it through consistent exercise and training.
The truth is most people don’t know about the importance of these factors because they’ve never been given the information in a way that actually means something to them.
Tell someone at age 50 “improve your VO2 max” and you get a blank stare. Tell them “if you improve your VO2 max by 15%, you could add two years to your life, and those will be active years where you can travel, play with grandkids, and actually do things”—suddenly it’s real.
The question becomes visceral: what would you pay for two more years of active, healthy life?
Most people answer: anything. Literally any amount. “I’d pay $100,000 for two more good years.” “I’d do whatever it takes.”
So here’s the disconnect that fascinates me: you’re willing to pay a fortune for two more years of life. You’re willing to move mountains for it. But you’re not willing to invest in the data and information that tells you how to actually get there. You’re not measuring your visceral fat. You’re not training to improve your VO2 max. You’re not taking the concrete steps that move the needle on longevity.
You have the indicators. You have the leverage points. You have the data showing exactly what matters. The question is whether you’re willing to use it.
And here’s the thing about visceral fat and VO2 max: unlike your genes or your family history, these are within your control. You can’t change who your parents are. But you can change your body composition. You can improve your cardiovascular fitness. You can add years to your life.
The gap between knowing what matters and actually doing what matters is where most people’s health—and their lifespan—falls apart. You should feel empowered to let go of what’s not within your control and motivated to change what it is.
