From VO₂ Max to Vascular Age: Real Metrics That Predict Your Healthspan
Forget fad diets and biohacking gimmicks. If you want to know how long and well you’ll live — and what to actually do about it — there are a few key metrics that stand head and shoulders above the rest.
In this article, we break down the three most powerful (and underutilized) markers of real-world healthspan: VO₂ max, vascular age, and heart rate recovery. These aren't abstract data points. They’re actionable, predictive, and scientifically validated to track how well you’re aging — and what you can do to improve them today.
🫁 VO₂ Max: The Ultimate Resilience Marker
VO₂ max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense activity. It's the gold-standard metric for cardiovascular fitness — and one of the strongest predictors of mortality risk.
Research shows that even modest increases in VO₂ max (by 3–5 ml/kg/min) can slash your risk of all-cause mortality by over 10%. Higher VO₂ max isn’t just for athletes — it predicts your ability to survive surgery, fight infections, recover from stress, and maintain independence with age.
How to raise it:
- Do zone 2 aerobic training (walking, cycling, rowing)
- Incorporate weekly interval training (HIIT, sprints)
- UnbeetaBrew™ – supports nitric oxide, blood flow, and oxygen delivery with organic beets, coffee, and adaptogens
- FundAminos™ – provides mitochondrial repair substrates for post-exercise recovery and endurance
🫀 Vascular Age: How “Old” Are Your Arteries?
Chronological age is just a number. Your vascular age — the flexibility, elasticity, and function of your blood vessels — is what determines your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cognitive decline.
Tests like pulse wave velocity (PWV) and flow-mediated dilation can reveal how stiff or youthful your arteries really are. High oxidative stress, poor nitric oxide production, and inflammation all prematurely age your vascular system.
Improve vascular age by:
- Increasing nitric oxide naturally (beets, sunlight, breathing techniques)
- Supporting mitochondrial redox status
- SweetFx™ – fuels cellular energy while reducing blood sugar swings and oxidative burden, thanks to glycine, taurine, and niacinamide
- UnbeetaBrew™ – combines performance mushrooms and beet-coffee synergy for vasodilation without overstimulation
❤️🩹 Heart Rate Recovery (HRR): Real-Time Healthspan in Action
How quickly your heart rate drops after exercise is a window into your autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular resilience. A slow HRR is a red flag for mitochondrial dysfunction, poor parasympathetic tone, and higher mortality risk.
Ideally, your heart rate should drop by at least 15–20 bpm within one minute of stopping moderate activity. If not, it’s time to focus on mitochondrial repair, stress balance, and active recovery habits.
To enhance HRR:
- Incorporate cold exposure, breath training, and HRV-based recovery
- Rebuild cellular capacity with redox-adaptive nutrients
- FundAminos™ – full-spectrum aminos to support mitochondrial enzyme function and autonomic balance
- SweetFx™ – glycine and niacinamide help buffer stress signals and optimize NAD+/ATP cycling
🧠 Beyond Biomarkers: What These Metrics Are Really Telling You
Each of these metrics tells a story:
- VO₂ max reflects your metabolic flexibility and oxygen use
- Vascular age reflects your endothelial integrity and redox balance
- HR recovery reflects your mitochondrial resilience and nervous system health
If you improve these numbers, you don't just extend your lifespan — you expand your healthspan: the years you stay strong, focused, independent, and alive with purpose.
🚀 Our Performance-to-Longevity Protocol Stack
Support the foundation of performance and regeneration:
- UnbeetaBrew™ – your AM energizer for nitric oxide, focus, and endurance
- FundAminos™ – rebuilds tissue, supports vascular elasticity, and restores post-training recovery
- SweetFx™ – balances blood sugar, supports liver detox, and fuels mitochondrial NAD+ regeneration
On the side then feel free to add in PURECLEAN BEET, CHOCOBERRY, & PURECLEAN PROTEIN (supplement in combo daily with FundAminos).
Designed by Dr. Rick Cohen, M.D. Guys, all is backed by science for over 18 years we've been doing this. It will be great, step confidently head and build your future with PureClean Performance.