In my post from Jan of this year, I had reviewed how I was spending my time shooting, working out at the gym and biking including some direction for this year. If you missed that post, you can find it HERE. Well, August was the time to get some objective measurements on how I was doing – at least on two fronts!
Two years ago, I started getting annual DXA scans. My friendly AI defines DXA as:
A dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan is a medical imaging test that measures bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition.
Basically – it tells you what you are made of in terms of fat, lean tissue and bone. You simply lie down on a table, and a low energy x-ray scanner passes over your body in a little over 5 minutes. The results are truly amazing. A report is produced that shows how much lean tissue, fat and bone are in every limb / region of the body. My purpose in getting this test done was to track my progress in modifying my body composition to be a little more lean. In August, I had my third test. I will get to the results shortly.
A week after I had the DXA scan, I subjected myself to a V02 max test. Calling on my friendly AI for a definition again:
A VO2 max test measures your body’s maximal oxygen consumption during intense exercise, assessing cardiovascular fitness and endurance. The test involves exercising at increasing intensity (on a treadmill or bike) while wearing a mask connected to a machine that measures oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output. A higher VO2 max score indicates a more efficient oxygen uptake, better endurance, faster recovery, and improved overall health and longevity.
Here are a couple of pics to show what it all looks like (these were taken two years ago at my initial test:
I had my first test done in August 2023 to get a baseline. I had a follow-up test done in 2025 skipping 2024. While the testing is extremely valuable, it is not something I relish doing in that I get a little claustrophobic wearing the mask. Why is the testing invaluable? Numerous medical professionals and longevity experts such as Peter Attia espouse that it is best single indicator of longevity and health span potential. Having a high V02 max equals serious reduction in all-cause mortality.
So, how do you get a high V02 Max? It can be boiled down to endurance and interval cardio training. For me, that means riding the bike at moderate effort (known as zone 2 ) for a long time (e.g., my average ride is a bit over 40 miles at around 16 MPH) and also doing High Intensity Interval Training – also known as HIIT (so alternating sprints and walking / light jogging on the treadmill at the gym for 10 minutes at the end of each strength training session). I also incorporate elements of HIIT during my bike rides in which I sprint for periods of time as well.
And the results are…
So, how am I doing? If you read anything on training for longevity, the basic advice boils down to the following:
Eat right (especially focusing on adequate protein)
Exercise (with a blend of cardio and resistance training)
Get adequate sleep
Control stress
I have followed these prescriptions for the last two years, and am pleased to report that my two years of training are paying off!
For the DXA scan results, my % body fat has dropped from 26.1% in 2023 to 15.5% in 2025. From 2024 to 2025, I was able to achieve the holy grail – I lost weight while increasing lean muscle mass! For the year, I dropped 14 lbs of fat mass while actually adding 4 lbs of muscle for a net 10 lb loss. Another interesting point from scan results are my adipose fat (the bad fat surrounding your organs) dropped from 0.87 lbs in 2023 to 0.09 lbs in 2025 – basically nothing. You can actually see the difference in my silhouette in the following images from the two years:
My V02 max was already pretty high for my age due to my history of cardio training on the bike, with a score in 2023 of 43.2 – right at the top end of excellent. I wasn’t sure what to expect as it is normal to see a decline in V02 max as one gets older. I was hoping to hold steady – but was pleasantly surprised to see an increase of 9.7% to 47.4 – in the superior range. The cardio is working!
So why is this all important to mental skills? I have commented in previous posts that increasing fitness makes more energy resources available for mental processing – a very good thing! Just today, I ran into this article explaining that improvement in V02 max simply makes doing daily taxes easier.
Peter Attia uses V02 max as a way of predicting what you will be able to do in the future – google him to find any number of podcasts in which he has spoken on the topic – great stuff!
So, how about it? What do you want to be able to accomplish ten years from now? What is your training program to get there? Getting objective evidence such as DXA and V02 max testing can help you understand where you currently are, and how you are progressing.