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7,000 vs 10,000 steps a day: what the research says
Is 10,000 steps a day necessary? Large meta-analyses link about 7,000 steps to much lower risk of death. What that means and how steps relate to VO2max.
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Blood tests for athletes: which markers really matter
Which blood tests matter for endurance athletes, from ferritin and haemoglobin to vitamin D and thyroid, plus sports anaemia, timing and how often to test.
Do supplements raise VO2max? Caffeine, beetroot and iron
Caffeine and beetroot juice can boost endurance, but they don't raise VO2max. What the evidence shows, doses, and why iron needs a blood test first.
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Exercise snacks: 1-minute bursts and your fitness
Exercise snacks and VILPA, the 1-minute bursts of vigorous daily activity, are linked to lower mortality. What the studies show and how to fit them in.
Fibre and gut health for endurance athletes: race plan
Fibre feeds your gut bacteria, but too much before a race causes trouble. How endurance athletes can balance fiber, prebiotics and carbs in training and racing.
Fit but fat? Fitness vs fatness and mortality
Is it better to be fit and overweight than thin and unfit? What the fitness-vs-fatness research shows, where it falls short, and what it means for you.
Food contaminants lab testing: what results really mean
Heavy metals in protein powder and rice, pesticides, microplastics and tainted supplements: what lab tests show, how to read a report, how to cut exposure.
Gut health and exercise: how workouts change gut bacteria
Regular exercise can shift gut bacteria and their products, while very long or hot sessions stress the gut. What the gut health and exercise research shows.
Gut microbiome and VO2max: does fitness shape your gut?
Fitter people tend to have a more diverse gut microbiome. What gut microbiome and VO2max research shows, from Veillonella to exercise trials, and its limits.
HIIT vs steady cardio: which raises VO2max more?
HIIT or moderate continuous training? What meta-analyses say about VO2max and health, how low-volume HIIT compares, and how to combine both in a week.
How to increase VO2max without running: 7 options
How to increase VO2max without running, using cycling, rowing, swimming, stairs, incline walking or the ski erg, with pros, cons and a sample week.
How to measure healthspan at home: a yearly checklist
An at-home healthspan checklist: VO2max, resting heart rate, blood pressure, waist-to-height, grip, sit-to-stand, balance and sleep, tracked yearly.
Is fitness declining? Global trends in cardiorespiratory fitness
Children and adults are less aerobically fit than a few decades ago. What the data on millions of people show, why it happened and what you can do.
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Japanese walking: interval walking and your VO2max
Japanese walking alternates 3 minutes brisk and 3 minutes easy. What the Shinshu University trials found for fitness, strength and blood pressure.
Light exposure for health: daylight, sleep and timing
How light exposure affects your circadian rhythm, sleep and alertness, how much daylight you need, whether blue light at night matters, and when to train.
Longevity biomarkers test: which ones really matter
The best longevity biomarkers ranked by evidence, from VO2max, grip strength and ApoB to blood pressure, waist and epigenetic clocks, and what to test first.
Mold exposure: symptoms, testing and treatment
Mold exposure symptoms, whether a mold test is worth it, and what treatment works. What WHO, CDC and EPA say, what is unproven, and how to fix damp at home.
Overtraining syndrome signs and symptoms: HRV and REDs
Overtraining symptoms explained: functional vs non-functional overreaching, overtraining syndrome, what HRV and resting heart rate show, and the REDs overlap.
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Ozempic, GLP-1 drugs and fitness: protect your VO2max
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy cause large weight loss, but part of it is lean mass. How to protect muscle and VO2max while you take them.
Red light therapy: what the evidence really shows
Does red light therapy help recovery or performance? What photobiomodulation studies show, how home panels differ from lab devices, and eye safety.
Reverse osmosis water: is it healthy to drink?
What a reverse osmosis water filter removes, what it doesn't, the WHO view on demineralised water, remineralisation, waste water and what athletes need.
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Sauna and heart health: what the Finnish studies show
Finnish cohort studies link frequent sauna use to lower cardiac and all-cause mortality. What the data show, why it is not proof, and how to sauna safely.
Testosterone and VO2max: low T in endurance athletes
Testosterone raises haemoglobin, but heavy endurance training and under-eating can lower it. What the research shows, and why boosters are not the answer.
VO2max and brain health: what fitness does for memory and dementia risk
Fitter people tend to have bigger hippocampi and lower dementia risk. What trials and cohort studies show, what they don't prove, and how to train your brain.
VO2max and cancer risk: what midlife fitness tells us
Fitter people get some cancers less often and do better after diagnosis. What the Cooper Center data show, what they don't prove, and why it matters.
VO2max and mental health: fitness, depression and anxiety
Low fitness is linked to higher risk of depression and anxiety, and exercise trials show real benefits. What the evidence says and how to use it.
VO2max and sleep: how fitness and sleep improve each other
Sleep loss hurts endurance and recovery, and regular exercise improves sleep quality. What the research shows in both directions, and a practical routine.
VO2max in women: menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause
Why women's VO2max is lower on average, whether your cycle changes fitness, how to train through pregnancy, and how to protect VO2max after menopause.
VO2max, heart disease and blood pressure: fitness as medicine
Low fitness predicts high blood pressure and heart disease, and training lowers both. What the meta-analyses show and how much exercise it takes.
VO2max, insulin sensitivity and type 2 diabetes risk
Low fitness is one of the strongest predictors of type 2 diabetes. How aerobic training improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar, and what the trials show.
Water quality and health: tap, bottled or filtered?
What really matters for drinking water quality and health, from microbes and lead to nitrates, PFAS and hardness, and how to check your own tap water.
Detraining: how fast do you lose VO2max when you stop?
What happens to fitness after a break for injury, illness or holidays — week by week — and how to come back after the flu without setting yourself back.
Resting heart rate, HRV and recovery: what your watch is telling you
How resting heart rate and HRV reflect recovery, illness, alcohol and training load — and how to use them without obsessing over the numbers.
VO2max and ageing: how fast it declines and how to slow it
VO2max falls with age, slowly at first and faster after 60. What longitudinal studies show, why it happens, and how training keeps you decades "younger".
VO2max and longevity: what the research says about fitness and living longer
Large studies link cardiorespiratory fitness to lower risk of death, with no upper limit of benefit. What they found and what it means for you.