Cut From Steel

THE MAN WHO TAKES THE STAIRS

You are this week’s hero. I mean the man reading this right now. You opened a Friday letter about your heart when the weekend was already calling. Plenty of men would have scrolled past it.

You are not chasing a trophy or a magazine cover. What you want is to carry your own bags up to a hotel room at 70. You also want to climb the hill with your grandkids without stopping halfway. I respect those goals more than any trophy.

I have watched men your age decide the fight is over. They park as close to the door as the lot allows. Every trip up a single floor happens in the elevator. Then they wonder why their legs feel heavy at the top of a short climb.

You get to make the other choice. Each flight you climb on purpose is a small deposit in an account your doctor almost never checks. The man who keeps climbing keeps his options. That is true at 50, and it is still true at 80.

Your second act started the day you decided it would, not the day a doctor gave you permission. Today’s letter shows you how to measure the engine that will carry you through it.

“Rehearsal Dinner”

I missed my daughter’s wedding rehearsal. I could barely walk.

That’s the story of a 66-year-old ex-marine who’d run 5 miles a day for years.

That day, he couldn’t even make it from the car.

His daughter’s wedding rehearsal was about to begin.

And he was going to be late.

He took his medication. He followed the advice.

But then he asked himself a question that changed everything:

What if the guys who said he needed it were paid by the guys who made it?

He was shocked by what he learned.

THE NUMBER THEY NEVER TAKE

You know the routine at a checkup. A nurse wraps the cuff around your arm, counts your pulse, and maybe takes your temperature. Johns Hopkins Medicine lists four main vital signs: body temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.

I want you to notice what is missing from that list. Nobody checks how well your heart, lungs, and muscles work together when you push hard. Doctors call that cardiorespiratory fitness. In plain words, it is the size of your engine.

You may think fitness is a gym topic, not a medical one. The American Heart Association disagrees. In 2016 it published a statement making the case for fitness as a clinical vital sign.

IT'S NOT AGE. IT'S THE ENGINE.

You can blame the calendar for some lost wind. Three facts explain why the rest deserves a place on your chart.

01 / It is the factor nobody measures

Stephen Farrell, writing an AHA commentary on that statement, called fitness the only major risk factor that is not routinely assessed in clinical practice. It also said low fitness is a more powerful predictor of death than the usual risk factors. In other words, the strongest number may be the one missing from your file.

02 / Low fitness rivaled smoking

Cleveland Clinic researchers studied 122,007 patients who took treadmill tests between 1991 and 2014. The least fit carried a risk of death comparable to, or even higher than, smoking or diabetes. Elite performers had about an 80 percent lower risk than the low performers.

03 / Small gains count

JAMA published a 2009 review that pooled 33 studies. Each step up in fitness, a unit doctors call one MET, was linked to about 13 percent lower risk of death from any cause. That same step was tied to about 15 percent fewer heart events. You do not need to become an athlete to move the needle.

TIME YOUR STAIRS THIS WEEK

You can get a rough reading without a lab. Spanish cardiologists presented a simple stair test in 2020. Patients climbed four flights, about 60 stairs, at a fast pace without stopping and without running.

You read the result by the clock. The researchers said under one minute suggests good heart health. More than a minute and a half suggests your fitness is lagging and is a reason to see your doctor. Those patients already had heart symptoms, so treat the test as a rough guide, not a diagnosis.

You can also ask your doctor to estimate your fitness. Farrell’s commentary says simple formulas built from a few questions can be about as accurate as a submaximal treadmill test.

I would build from there. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as brisk walking. Add a hill or a few flights of stairs when you can. Strength work on two or more days a week helps your legs carry the load.

You should talk to your doctor first if you get chest pain, dizziness, or unusual shortness of breath when you push.

One last thing. Your doctor measures what is easy to measure. The engine is yours to measure, and yours to build.

— Travis

Insider Member's Corner

6 free habits that build the engine:

You built the engine. Now give it somewhere to go.

01 / Car · Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

Chevrolet moved the Corvette’s engine behind the driver for the 2020 model year, a first for the car. The Stingray’s 6.2-liter V8 makes 490 horsepower. Pricing for the 2025 model started at $68,300 before delivery fees. It is still the most attainable supercar on an American road.

02 / Watch · Longines Legend Diver

Longines has been making the Legend Diver look right since 1959. Its turning bezel sits inside the case, so a knock on a door frame cannot shift your timing. The current 42mm steel model runs on an automatic movement with a 72-hour power reserve. It wears like a vintage tool watch without the vintage repair bills.

03 / Drink · The Margarita

The classic build is two parts tequila, one part triple sec, and one part fresh lime. Difford’s Guide calls for 100 percent agave tequila and a pinch of salt. Squeeze the lime yourself, because the bottled stuff tastes flat. Have one after the hike, not instead of it.