Fitness

Why Fitness Matters

Fitness serves as a cornerstone of overall wellbeing, influencing virtually every aspect of daily life. Regular physical activity strengthens your cardiovascular system and builds muscle and bone density, while simultaneously improving memory, concentration, and creative thinking. The neurochemical changes from exercise effectively combat depression and anxiety, creating cascading benefits in mood, relationships, and life satisfaction.

Fitness also boosts confidence, whilst extending both lifespan and “healthspan”—the period of life spent in good health. These combined benefits make fitness one of the highest-leverage investments you can make in your quality of life.

Fitness values

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to fitness. Your optimal path depends on which aspects of fitness you value most. This guide balances three core values, with percentages indicating the relative weight given to each in our recommendations.

This guide also focuses on five core components: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and mobility, body composition, and balance and coordination.

For personalised recommendations based on your unique priorities, visit Fitness Personalised, where you can adjust these value weightings to see which interventions work best for your specific goals and preferences.

Health & Longevity (40%)

Fitness that supports long-term wellbeing and disease prevention.
Cardiovascular health, maintaining muscle mass for healthy aging, joint integrity, and metabolic health.
People who prioritise this value focus on sustainable practices that provide health benefits with minimal injury risk.

Physical Performance (35%)

Developing functional capabilities such as strength, endurance, power, speed, coordination, and specific skills.
What your body can do rather than how it looks.
Those who prioritise performance may focus on sport-specific training, measurable improvements in capacity, or achieving particular physical feats.

Enjoyment & Psychological Benefits (25%)

The pleasure, mental health benefits, and positive experiences derived from physical activity.
Stress reduction, mood enhancement, community connection, and the inherent satisfaction of movement itself.
Those who prioritise this value select activities they genuinely enjoy and that support their mental wellbeing.

Looking for fitness interventions focused on weight loss or muscle gain? Visit Body Image, where the same fitness interventions are scored on appearance-specific values like fat loss and muscle gain.

Benchmarks by Level

Level 1: Awareness

Health & Longevity: You know how many minutes of exercise you typically get per week and whether that meets the CDC minimum guideline of 150 minutes. i

Level 2: Foundation (80th percentile capability)

Health & Longevity: You complete at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity and at least 2 strength-training sessions per week, every week. i

Level 3: Proficiency (95th percentile capability)

Health & Longevity: You follow a structured training programme of 5 or more sessions per week, totalling at least 300 minutes. i

Level 4: Excellence (99th percentile capability)

Health & Longevity: Your VO2 max is above the 99th percentile for your age and sex (e.g. ~60 ml/kg/min for men aged 30-39). i

Level 5: Mastery (99.9th percentile capability)

Health & Longevity: Your VO2 max exceeds the 99.9th percentile for your age and sex (e.g. ~70 ml/kg/min for men aged 30-39). i

Levels and personalisation

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