8 Health Metrics to Track in Your 40's (& Beyond)
Cutting through the noise to focus on what matters
👋 Hello, my friend. I’m coming to you on this fine fall Sunday with a new podcast episode that I think you’re going to enjoy and some resources that might help you navigate the increasingly complicated word of health & wellness. Let’s dive right in!
Ep.32 - Michael Karnjanaprakorn - The 8 Health Metrics to Track in Your 40’s
Having a hard time staying on top of all the protocols, practices and routines recommended by the likes of Huberman, Attia… or even… Campion?!?
I get it. It’s not easy.
But it also doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, you can probably achieve 80% of the benefits by focusing on the right 20% of inputs.
That’s why Michael Karnjanaprakorn and I recorded a podcast about our efforts to do exactly this.
You might know him as the CEO/founder of Skillshare & Otis.
More recently, he’s been on a 2-year sabbatical trying to bring the energy and analytical rigor that powered his success in the business world to improving his own health and longevity.
He and I are both guys in our 40’s. And we’ve both been smacked in the face in recent years with the realization that our health and fitness were not where we wanted them to be.
So we’ve been doing something about it. In this conversation, we hit on the tests we’ve had done, the metrics we’re tracking, and the routines we’re experimenting with. We talk about what’s working, and what’s not.
Below, I’ll give you a quick preview of the “8 metrics” we discussed.
But the TLDR is this: Listen to or watch the full conversation, as there’s a ton of context and backstory.
8 metrics to track 📈
1. LP(a) – aka lipoprotein a – Recommended level <75 – long story, short, get this tested. It’s cheap and easy to get done. And you only need it done once as it’s a genetic thing. You have elevated levels or you don’t. If you have elevated levels like Michael does (and possibly as much as 25% of the population) you are at materially greater risk of heart disease than the general population and you need a plan. We discuss what Michael is doing in detail.
2. apoB – aka apoliprotein B – Recommended level <90 (healthcare system), <30 Attia* – it’s a protein that transports lipids like cholesterol and triglycerides through the bloodstream. Probably a better indicator of atherosclerosis than LDL-c. Cheap and easy add-on to a normal blood panel but you have to ask for it.
* When I say “Attia” this is what he recommends in his book, Outlive.
3. LDL-c – low-density cholesterol – Recommended level <99 (healthcare system), <30 Attia – Traditionally what’s known as “bad cholesterol” but most practitioners these days don’t like that term. Either way, in your 40’s you should know and manage this #. It’s a standard measure at your annual physical.
4. V02 max – a measure of how much oxygen a person can consume during intense exercise. Recommended levels are age and sex dependent. Google “VO2 max chart” for details or look at the one I’ve got here. It’s the fitness metric that is the most accurate predictor of mortality risk. You can have this measured at a local clinic or university for a couple hundred bucks. They put you on a bike or treadmill with a mask and you go hard for ~10-12 minutes. Your Apple Watch is probably giving you a bad #, don’t trust it. Get it tested. Get humbled. Start to work on improving it, like us.
* If you don’t feel like spending the money, you can do something called the Cooper Test. Run on a track for 12 mins, as hard as you can go. Then drop the distance you covered into a calculator like this and you’ll have a pretty good estimate.
5. Body Fat % – Also age and sex dependent. I’ve got a chart here for men (and there’s a link below it for women). Get this measured via a DEXA scan twice per year. A couple of hundred bucks. Very low radiation. There’s probably one close to where you live. Warning: This will likely also humble you but what you measure you can manage.
6. 10k time – Dr. Alan Couzens said this: “Sub 50 minute 10K. Assuming average economy, that's equivalent to a VO2max of approx 50ml/kg/min. From a longevity perspective, that's where the good stuff starts.” For me, that’s a stretch right now, but I’m putting it on the 2025 goal list. It’s a fantastic goal for someone in middle age.
7. Protein consumed – Pretty standard advice these days from Attia et al is to go for 1g protein per ideal lb. of body weight. I’m 175 lbs, happy to stay there, targeting 175g per day. Meat, fish, Greek yogurt, tofu, almonds, etc. Trying to get there without tons of supplements but tough to do, so protein shakes can help.
8. Calories in / Calories out – You should know how much you’re taking in vs. putting out even if you only measure for a short time. Apps like MyFitnessPal and CarbManager make it super easy to track what you’re taking in and to target specific macros. Wearables like Whoop can give you a fairly decent idea of how many calories you’re expending. Want to lose weight? Put yourself in a calorie deficit while keeping protein high.
Dive deeper
What I’ve provided here is obviously just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a ton more nuance to each of these. Fortunately, Michael and I have both written a good bit on these topics, so I wanted to share the resources below in case you’d like to dive deeper.
Intentional Wisdom articles:
Last but not least…
Content Diet
Dr. Casey Means x Dr. Gabrielle Lyon - The Missing Piece to Better Health
Have you heard Dr. Casey Means speak yet? If not, it’s worth checking her out. I’ve heard her on several podcasts recently as she’s been making the rounds to discuss her new book, Good Energy. Long story short, she makes some really compelling points about how the root of so many of our mental and physical health problems can be traced to the foods we’re ingesting — most notably processed foods with long lists of additives and chemicals that humans were never meant to consume. It’s got me auditing my own diet for how much processed food is actually there and thinking about ways to remove it. I’m about to dive into her book so I’ll report back but in the meantime, find her on one of your favorite pods (she’s done everything from Huberman to Tucker Carlson… quite the wide range) and let me know what you think.
(Invest Like the Best): Patrick O’Shaughnessy x Gavin Baker — AI, Semiconductors, and the Robotic Frontier
This is a super random addition to this newsletter but I heard this conversation a few weeks ago and was blown away. If you’re trying to keep track of all things AI, listen to this. Baker is a SUPER sharp guy. Also, on a related note, have you tried Google’s Notebook LLM yet? If not… you’re welcome.
Finally, below is the full YouTube version of my conversation with Michael.
If you get a chance to check it out, let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading!
Greg