What’s YOUR fitness age? Take this test to find out: Calculator reveals whether you're fighting fit - or if your body is older than it should be

  • Test asks people to enter information such as their gender, height, weight, heart rate and exercise levels 
  • From this it calculates their VO2max score - a measure of how well the body takes in oxygen which indicates fitness 
  • Comparing a person's VO2max scores to that expected for their age can reveal their 'fitness age'
  • For every 5 point drop in VO2max scores, the risk of metabolic syndrome increased by 56%, studies show

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Many of us don't feel a day past 21 - yet our bulging waistlines and the wrinkles around our eyes tell a different story.

Now, a test can tell us our 'fitness age' - an age based on how fit the body is rather than how many years we have lived.

The calculator, created by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, asks people to enter information such as their gender, height, weight, waist circumference, heart rate and how frequently they exercise.

From this, the university's Cardiac Exercise Research Group is able to calculate VO2max, a measure of how much oxygen the body is able to take in.

Measured in milliliters of O2 per kilogram of body weight per minute, the researchers say it is 'the most precise measure of overall cardiovascular fitness'. 

It reveals how well the muscle cells can take in oxygen, and how well the lungs and heart can transport oxygen to tissues.

Comparing average VO2max scores for each age group, the test can reveal our fitness age - and whether it is lower or higher than the number of candles on our last birthday cake.

TAKE THE TEST BELOW OR BY GOING TO THIS WEBSITE

A new test can tell us our 'fitness age' - an age based on how physically fit our bodies are rather than how many years we have lived. In order to calculate this age, it asks people to enter details such as their gender, education, height, weight and exercise

A new test can tell us our 'fitness age' - an age based on how physically fit our bodies are rather than how many years we have lived. In order to calculate this age, it asks people to enter details such as their gender, education, height, weight and exercise


A previous study by the Norwegian researchers found the average VO2max scores in women and men aged 20 to 90 were 35 and 44 mL/kg/min respectively.

And the score declines by seven per cent every decade a person is alive, they revealed.

Yet while our fitness score declines as we age, it is mainly influenced by how often a person carries out physical activity. 

The more often, the more oxygen the body is able to take in, and the fitter the person is.  

Women and men who had scores below those expected of their age were four to eight times more likely to have three or more risk factors for cardiovascular problems - such as high blood pressure or obesity - compared to the most fit quartile of people, the researchers found.

And that every for every 5 mL/kg/min drop in VO2max scores was associated with a 56 per cent higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome, the medical term for a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.  

The calculator shows a London-based 27-year-old female, who weighs 9.7st (62kg), is 5"7 tall (170cm) and exercises (getting out of breathe and sweaty) two to three times a week has the fitness age of a 20-year-old.

Her VO2max score is 47 mL/kg/min, higher than the average 43 mL/kg/min expected for her age.

However, a 50-year-old Manchester-based man, who weights 15st (95kg), is 5"11 tall (156cm) and never exercises has the fitness age of a 75-year-old, the calculator reveals. 

He has a VO2max score of  31 mL/kg/min, much lower than the 43 expected of his age.

This result indicates his risk of dying from a lifestyle-related disease in the next 20 years is twice as high than if they had the fitness age expected of a 50-year-old. 

'If you manage to get your fitness level up to 34, you will reduce your risk of dying from lifestyle related diseases the next 20 years with 20 per cent,' the website advises. 

But there is hope for those with low scories - as  studies show VO2max scores can be improved by exercising intensely for 20 minutes three to five times a week. 

The test calculates VO2max, a measure of how much oxygen the body is able to take in. Measured in milliliters of O2 per kilogram of body weight per minute, the researchers say it is 'the most precise measure of overall cardiovascular fitness'. It reveals how well the muscle cells can take in oxygen for reactions, and how well the lungs and heart can transport oxygen to tissues. Pictured are the results for a healthy 27-year-old woman
Pictured are the results for a 50-year-old man with a BMI which puts him in the 'overweight' category

The test calculates VO2max, a measure of how much oxygen the body is able to take in. Measured in milliliters of O2 per kilogram of body weight per minute, the researchers say it is 'the most precise measure of overall cardiovascular fitness'. It reveals how well the muscle cells can take in oxygen for reactions, and how well the lungs and heart can transport oxygen to tissues. Left, are the results for a healthy 27-year-old woman, and right, are the results for a 50-year-old man with a BMI which puts him in the 'overweight' category

While people's VO2max score declines with age, it is mainly dependent on how often they exercise. Exercising intensely (raising the heartbeat) for more than 20 minutes for at least three times a week can raise a person's score, studies show

While people's VO2max score declines with age, it is mainly dependent on how often they exercise. Exercising intensely (raising the heartbeat) for more than 20 minutes for at least three times a week can raise a person's score, studies show

A 27-year-old female, who  exercises (getting out of breathe and sweaty) two to three times a week has the fitness age of a 20-year-old, the calculator shows. Her VO2max score is 47 mL/kg/min, higher than the average 43 mL/kg/min expected for her age
However, a 50-year-old man who never exercises has the fitness age of a 75-year-old, the calculator reveals. He has a VO2max score of 31 mL/kg/min, much lower than the 43 expected for his age

A 27-year-old female, who exercises (getting out of breathe and sweaty) two to three times a week has the fitness age of a 20-year-old (left). Her VO2max score is 47 mL/kg/min, higher than the average 43 mL/kg/min expected for her age. However, a 50-year-old man who never exercises has the fitness age of a 75-year-old, the calculator reveals (right). He has a VO2max score of 31 mL/kg/min, much lower than the 43 expected for his age

 

 

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