I’m on my way to somewhere magical – first stop: health check

You might know from my previous post that I’ve set a goal to run a mile in 5 minutes – or as close as possible to it, by end November. It’s a mad idea, but stretch and the possibility of failure are central to dreams and goals. Fundamentally, I am doing this to demonstrate the importance of physical activity. More importantly, I’m doing this to encourage people to set goals. The response thus far has been overwhelming, with scores of people responding and setting their own goals. I was particularly touched by those who have overcome health adversities and pursued a physical challenge, like completing a mile while battling a debilitating autoimmune disorder, and running a half marathon after a stem cell transplant and months of blood transfusions. Frankly, these make my own goal look pedestrian. Over the 8-week period, I plan to interview a range of experts about setting goals, achieving success, and dealing with failure. My hypothesis is that setting goals evokes loss aversion, motivates behaviour change and gives meaning to life – and setting them right now is crucial. I am starting out with a conversation with renowned behavioural economist, Dan Ariely, about the science of motivation and the role of goal setting. He’s a brilliant lateral thinker, and will no doubt have great insights on this.

I set the goal given the benefits of physical activity are unequivocal, as per Vitality’s science and research. Firstly, it’s a proven trigger event, with Vitality SA research showing that when inactive members become active, this results in a 15% to 30% increase in other healthy activities, such as buying healthier foods and going for screenings. Secondly, it has a profound effect on extending our lifespan: sustaining two or more exercise sessions a week reduces mortality risk by 38% and can add 3.5 life years for an individual in their 20s. Thirdly, it has a positive influence on both physical and mental health, with a recent longitudinal study by Vitality showing that increasing physical activity from low to moderate levels could prevent up to 19% of cases of depression in women. Fourthly, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that exercise has a powerful protective effect when it comes to communicable disease: our data showed that physical activity reduced the risk of death from COVID-19 by up to 42%. Finally, growing evidence shows that cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) is potentially a stronger predictor of risk of death than other factors like smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, with a 13% reduction in all-cause mortality per 3.5 unit increase in VO2 max (a measure of CRF, representing the maximum work rate one can achieve).

Against the backdrop of this science, and given the arduous demands of this challenge, I wanted to get a sense of my current level of health using Vitality’s assets and tools – and to track how it improves over the course of this challenge. In the spirit of transparency, I am sharing my results with you in full.

· The first step was completing the Vitality Health Check (VHC) – a comprehensive assessment of one’s physical health. Over 220,000 people completed their VHCs in the past year in SA and the UK, earning more than 2.7 billion Vitality points. We have some amazing stories of members who discovered a health condition through their VHC, or were inspired to make important lifestyle changes in response to their results. In the past two years, my glucose and BMI have remained in range and both total and LDL cholesterol have reduced to within range. The key issues are my triglyceride levels and blood pressure. Regarding the former, the clinical team has recommended that I conduct a fasting lipogram at a laboratory as the result will be more accurate. My blood pressure outcome was surprising – it has always been lower than average. Fortunately, increasing physical activity should positively affect both areas of concern. Other metrics included musculoskeletal health, posture, stress management, and vision screening – all of which were thankfully low risk or in range. My lifestyle results (alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise frequency and diet) also met recommended levels.

· Next came the fitness assessment, which tests everything from CRF to flexibility and strength. In terms of CRF, an above-average VO2 max result for men between 56 and 65 years is 32 to 35, and excellent is above 41. When it comes to my max heart rate, running science says this should be around 162, if you consider the calculation of 220 minus one’s age. My cardiologist has given me the all-clear to embark on this goal, with a resting heart rate of 65 beats per minute, a VO2 max of 47.7 (this was taken from my watch, not done in a lab), and a max heart rate of 185 beats per minute on a fast run. Finally, my flexibility and strength assessments came out fair, with some room for improvement – single leg strength and stability will be key to my mile challenge.

· Rounding out the assessments is our incredible Healthy Futures tool , which calculates the number of years individuals can expect to live in good health (called healthspan). The model shows that even modest levels of behaviour change can materially reduce health risk over time. For example, an average 30-year-old man could increase his healthspan by 1.5 years, just by introducing 20 minutes of vigorous exercise a day. My Healthy Futures result gave me a remaining 27 years of life, 22 of which would be spent in good health. While my exercise levels were in range, I could do with some dietary improvements, such as increasing my fruit, vegetable, and whole grain intake. I am also skimping on quality sleep (an unfortunate occupational hazard). If I improve my biometrics and lifestyle behaviours, I could add another 1.5 years of healthy life to my result. It may not sound like a lot, but when I'm 80, it will mean the world. I encourage you to do your Healthy Futures assessment here . It’s an enlightening exercise

In setting my baseline, I ran a mile in just over 6 minutes – a long way off 5 minutes! I have a mountain to climb – I need to shave off more than a minute in 8 weeks, which is a possibly undoable stretch. Goals that are easily achievable are targets, goals that border on the impossible are dreams! My coach, JP van der Merwe, thinks that with a solid training plan, I could run 10% faster, getting my time down by about 30 to 40 seconds. I am hoping that he is a pessimist, although I fear he is the opposite. I have now begun the training; it is brutal but strangely satisfying, as if I’m on a journey to somewhere magical.?

That’s the power of setting a goal – things aren’t as they used to be.?