Your fitness age is more than just a number—it’s a reflection of your overall cardiovascular health and physical wellbeing. At Livity, we’ve developed a scientifically-backed approach to calculating your fitness age that gives you valuable insights into your body’s true condition.

The Science Behind Your Fitness Age

Our fitness age calculation is based on extensive research and validated methodologies from leading cardiovascular fitness studies, including the renowned HUNT Fitness Study from Norway. This large-scale study established the most important factors for fitness assessment in healthy adults, creating a foundation for accurate fitness age determination.

Key Factors in Our Calculation

Our algorithm analyzes four primary components to determine your fitness age, inspired by both scientific research and approaches used by leaders in fitness tracking like Garmin:

1. VO₂ Max (Maximal Oxygen Uptake)

Your VO₂ max is considered the gold standard for measuring aerobic fitness—it shows how efficiently your body uses oxygen during exercise. We compare your current VO₂ max with age-specific reference values to assess where you stand compared to others your age. Research from the American Heart Association recognizes VO₂ max as a vital clinical indicator that’s inversely associated with mortality risk.

2. Resting Heart Rate

A lower resting heart rate typically indicates better cardiovascular fitness. Our algorithm evaluates your sleeping heart rate patterns against age and sex-specific references. Studies show that resting heart rate is a reliable biomarker for measuring cardiovascular health and recovery capacity.

3. Vigorous Activity Frequency

How often you engage in vigorous physical activity significantly impacts your fitness age. Our calculation considers the number of days per week you perform activities that substantially elevate your heart rate, aligning with WHO and ACSM exercise guidelines. Vigorous activity days are identified using Garmin-inspired detection algorithms that look for sustained periods of elevated heart rate and physical exertion patterns.

4. Vigorous Activity Duration

Beyond frequency, the duration of your vigorous activity sessions matters. We analyze your average minutes of high-intensity activity per day and compare this with established health recommendations. Vigorous minutes are periods when your heart rate reaches at least 70-85% of your maximum heart rate, indicating you’re working hard enough that conversation becomes difficult. This elevated intensity level has been shown to provide significant cardiovascular benefits even in short durations.

How We Calculate Your Fitness Age

Your chronological age serves as the baseline, which is then adjusted based on your performance across the four key metrics above. The formula applies evidence-based impact values for each component:

1. If your metrics exceed the reference values for your age, your fitness age decreases (improved fitness)
2. If your metrics fall below reference values, your fitness age increases (reduced fitness)

The calculation includes sophisticated smoothing algorithms and limitations to ensure realistic results, preventing unreasonably low or high fitness age estimates.

Understanding Your Results

Your fitness age result provides valuable information about your current cardiovascular health status:

• Fitness Age Lower Than Chronological Age: Your cardiovascular system is performing better than average for your age group
• Fitness Age Higher Than Chronological Age: There may be opportunities to improve your cardiovascular fitness

The app also calculates your “achievable age”—an estimate of the fitness age you could potentially reach with consistent, appropriate exercise.

Scientific Validation

Our approach is built on principles established in peer-reviewed research, including:

• The HUNT Fitness Study, which established the relationship between key health metrics and VO₂ max
• Garmin’s extensive fitness research and methodologies, which have developed similar models for estimating fitness age
• Research showing strong correlations between these fitness factors and long-term health outcomes
• Studies validating the fitness age concept as an effective predictor of mortality risk and cardiovascular health

Similar to how Garmin’s fitness age technology evaluates your physiological metrics against reference populations, our system provides meaningful context to your fitness data. While Garmin primarily uses VO₂ max estimated from performance metrics, our multifactorial approach incorporates additional dimensions of fitness for a more comprehensive assessment.

Improving Your Fitness Age

Your fitness age isn’t fixed—it can improve with regular physical activity and lifestyle changes. The Livity app provides personalized recommendations based on your individual metrics, helping you target the specific factors that would most effectively lower your fitness age.

By monitoring your fitness age over time, you can track improvements in your cardiovascular health and celebrate your progress toward optimal fitness.

Note: While our fitness age calculation is based on scientific research, it should be used as a motivational and informational tool rather than a medical diagnosis. Always consult with healthcare professionals for personalized medical advice.