👋 Hey. Welcome to issue #123 of The Everyday Athlete Newsletter.
To wrap up 2024, I went through each newsletter from this year. Here are three of my favourite (5 min read):
Fitness benchmarks for quality of life
Cardio fitness and strength are two of the biggest indicators of a quality life—free of disease, with more energy and ability to do the things we love, longer.
But how much exercise do we have to do to get these benefits?
There are measly government guidelines like 150 minutes a week.
Or more aggressive numbers from leading health experts like 300 minutes a week.
But as Dr Peter Attia points out, we’re asking the wrong question.
Because 30 minutes spent dicking around the gym, scrolling socials, without much intent is very different to 30 minutes of punching the clock, super setting compound exercises with good form, going 1-2 reps shy of failure on each set.
So the inputs (e.g. time spent training) aren’t that helpful.
Rather, we wanna look at outputs (our level of cardio fitness and strength).
Then we can determine if what we're doing is working, or if we need to up our game.
Peter Attia’s benchmark for this stuff is a pretty good yardstick: be in the top 5% for cardio fitness and strength for your age and gender (which I’m guessing is a pretty accurate goal for most people reading this).
But obviously, the better quality of life we want, the more/better we have to train for it.
So how do we measure our strength and cardio fitness?
The following are the metrics Dr Peter Attia uses with his patients. And fair warning, it may trigger anyone with high school beep test demons.
VO2 Max (measure of cardio fitness)
1. The Cooper test: run as far as you can in 12 minutes
People swear by it. And at it.
It sucks. But it works.
Plug your distance into a calculator and you’ll get a pretty good indicator of your VO2 max.
Then, you can use the grid below to see where you’re at for your age and gender.
Top 5% = Elite
(you can also use your resting heart rate to determine your VO2 max but it's not as accurate).
Strength
1. Dead hang: hang on a bar for as long as you can
Top 5% = women: 1.5 mins, men: 2 mins
2. Farmers walk: carry 75% of your body weight (or 100% for men) for as long as you can
Top 5% = 1 min
3. Broad jump: jump as far as you can from a standing position
Top 5% = your height (e.g. 6ft person can jump 6ft)
4. Step downs: step down off an 18 inch (45 cm) box as slow as you can
Top 5% = at least 3 second descent
Now we've got a more specific direction than "150 minutes a week".
And can tailor our training accordingly (plenty of ideas in the cardio prescription, the strength training handbook, and anti-glycolytic training).
Focus on results, not just hours spent moving.
Measure progress with VO2 Max via the Cooper Test (or resting heart rate), and strength through dead hangs, farmer's walks, broad jumps, and slow step-downs.
And train for the quality of life you want.
Food demonisation
There’s f*ckery afoot.
And it’s social media's demonisation of quality foods, like oats.
Yes but yes but yes but, you say: what about my blood sugar?
And indeed, oats can cause a significant spike in blood sugar…
In some people.
When eaten by itself.
When we sit for the next few hours after eating it.
But oats can also decrease all-cause mortality and inflammation. They’re full of fibre. They're cheap and easy.
The problem with the short-form nature of social media is that there’s no room for context.
So we hear something like oats cause blood sugar spikes.
…which can lead to an energy crash as well as longer-term health impacts.
And we ban them from our lives.
Without considering what happens if we — let's say — add some protein and fat to it.
Yep, we’re now reducing the spike and running one of the most nutrient-dense meals there is.
Like nut butters, greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, chia/hemp/flax seeds, protein powder, etc.
Or a bit of activity (like a 10-minute walk) can completely cut that spike too.
Because when we start to label food as “good” or “bad”, we feel guilty eating anything that’s “not good for us”. Which causes more stress and anxiety.
Always consider the context. Especially on the social pipes.
The elite sleep audit
You’ve gotta sleep like a baby to perform like an athlete.
So I just built a free tool to help you sleep better, The Elite Sleep Audit.
Answer the questions. See what flags. Get specific recommendations based on your answers.
Warning: Not for New Zealanders. As there’ll be less chance to count sheep.
Otherwise, give it a go – HERE
And if it's useful, forward this email to a mate who'd like it too. Helps the newsletter grow 
That's it!
Have a great break 🤙
Matt
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Want more? Check out the Everday Athlete Toolbox and Elite Sleep Audit
The Everyday Athlete Newsletter is not a licensed health service nor a substitute for professional health advice, treatment or assessment. The information shared in this email is general and written for a specific audience. If you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional.
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