Understanding Health Age: Insights from Victoria Song’s Optimizer
This week’s edition of Optimizer, a newsletter by Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song, focuses on a new feature that Apple’s upcoming Health app, dubbed Health Age, promises to introduce. This feature aligns with a growing trend in health technology, where various devices and apps claim to quantify our physiological age in relation to our chronological age.
The Concept of Health Age
During a recent announcement at the Steve Jobs Theater, Apple revealed its version of the longevity feature. This metric is designed to show users how their health and fitness levels may make their physiological age appear younger—or older—than their actual age. Other companies like Whoop and Oura similarly offer metrics such as “Whoop age” and “cardiovascular age,” respectively. These devices and apps aim to encourage users to focus on their health and wellness.
For instance, Whoop’s system analyzes your training habits, while Oura emphasizes sleep and recovery. My experience with various health devices yields mixed results: Whoop claims I’m currently 42, while my Oura ring estimates my heart age to be two years younger than my actual age of 38.
Balancing Perspective with Health Metrics
While these health age metrics can result in actionable insights about personal fitness, there’s a caveat. These scores can emphasize different aspects of health, leading to a potential imbalance in how we perceive ourselves. For example, my Whoop age heavily reflects my strength training efforts. To improve that score, I would need to adjust my workout regimen, even though weight training isn’t my primary focus.
Health Age vs. Reality
While health metrics can be informative, they often fail to capture the entirety of our health status. For example, someone could manipulate their Whoop Age yet still face severe health issues, like elevated cholesterol. Additionally, genetics play an undeniable role in our overall health, sometimes overshadowing lifestyle improvements.
My personal experience with these metrics indicates that while they may suggest I’m younger in some respects, they don’t paint a complete picture of my aging journey. Despite feeling healthier than I did at 18, my body undoubtedly shows signs of aging. I can run long distances now but recovery takes longer than before.
The Philosophy Behind Aging
As I reflect on my use of these wearable technologies, I embrace my actual age of 38. While health technologies like Apple’s Health Age feature aspire to provide motivation for longevity, ultimately, they are just that—technologies. We will continue to age, and that’s an indisputable fact. My current philosophy is straightforward: I’m irreversibly 38 and feeling pretty good about it.
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