A new kind of longevity program is taking shape in the Colorado mountains.
Vail Health has launched Healthspan, a proactive, science-driven program designed to improve quality of life and extend the years you live with strength, energy, and resilience – not just the years you live. Built around structured lifestyle change (movement, nutrition, recovery, and behavior change), Healthspan pairs objective testing with high-touch guidance from a dedicated care team.
At PNOĒ, we exist for exactly this kind of model: using breath analysis, metabolic testing, and actionable coaching workflows to turn complex physiology into a plan people can actually follow. And we’re especially excited about Vail Health because this is not a boutique pop-up concept – Vail Health is a nonprofit community health system anchored by a 56-bed hospital, serving a large regional population with a mission to elevate community health.
What makes Healthspan different: data + a real plan + accountability
Many wellness programs either offer motivation without measurement, or measurement without a clear plan. Healthspan aims to close that gap by starting with structured diagnostics and translating the results into personalized training and nutrition that participants can sustain.
According to Vail Health’s own program materials, participants begin with the Thrive Assessment, described as a comprehensive evaluation of metabolic health, fitness, body composition, strength, and more using “advanced diagnostics and testing.”
From there, the program organizes care around a team approach – coaching, nutrition support, and clinical oversight – so participants aren’t left alone with a stack of test results. Vail Health Foundation’s coverage highlights the program’s emphasis on preventing chronic disease upstream and creating a personalized plan that includes workouts, nutrition planning, and medication review.
The two metrics that change everything: VO2 max and resting metabolic rate
Two assessments stand out because they directly shape what you should do tomorrow – and because they’re often misunderstood when people rely only on wearables.
1) VO2 max: the “how fit are you, really?” number
VO2 max is widely considered a gold-standard indicator of aerobic capacity, and Healthspan emphasizes it because aerobic fitness is tightly linked with long-term health outcomes. Vail Health has positioned this as a cornerstone of their assessment strategy.
But what matters practically isn’t just seeing a VO2 max score – it’s using it to individualize training intensity. Many people train in “zones” that are estimated from age formulas, which can be wildly inaccurate for the individual. Healthspan’s model is designed to reduce that guesswork by anchoring training guidance to real testing.
2) Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): the missing link in nutrition planning
Nutrition advice often collapses into generic calorie targets and vague “eat clean” guidance. Healthspan explicitly ties nutrition planning to RMR test results – meaning your baseline energy needs can be measured, not assumed.
That’s a big deal, because RMR is one of the most practical numbers you can have when your goal is fat loss, body recomposition, or performance – especially for people who feel like “nothing works” despite effort.
Where breath analysis and metabolic testing fit in
When a program includes VO2 max and RMR testing, it’s implicitly making a commitment to clinical-grade metabolic measurement – not just heart rate trends and step counts.
Breath analysis is the method that allows VO2, CO2 production, and energy expenditure to be measured directly, which then supports:
- personalized training zones (so “Zone 2” is truly your Zone 2),
- clearer fueling strategies,
- and nutrition targets grounded in measured metabolism rather than population averages.
That’s why this program design aligns so strongly with what we do at PNOĒ – and why our team has been actively engaged with Vail Health as part of their Healthspan initiative.
A program built for real people, not just athletes
One of the strongest signals in the Healthspan approach is that it’s built to serve a wide range of starting points, while still applying performance-grade structure.
Healthspan’s program track design (Foundation, Elevate, Summit) scales support intensity based on what a participant needs – up to weekly coaching touch points and continuous monitoring in the top tier.
This matters because behavior change is rarely a knowledge problem. It’s a consistency problem. Healthspan is designed around repeated check-ins, structured planning, and accountability – so participants build habits that last.
Why this partnership matters
When a major regional health system invests in proactive longevity programming – and builds it on objective metabolic and fitness testing – it signals where healthcare is going:
From reactive care → to prevention. From generic recommendations → to personalized physiology. From data overload → to coached action.
Vail Health describes Healthspan as a preventive, data-driven approach to optimizing well-being and performance before problems develop.
That’s the future we’re building toward at PNOĒ as well: making metabolic testing and breath analysis a practical, repeatable tool – not a one-time lab experience.
Want to learn more about metabolic testing and breath analysis?
If you’re curious how VO2 max, resting metabolic rate, and breath analysis can help personalize your training and nutrition, explore PNOĒ and see how metabolic testing can turn your goals into a measurable plan.
Visit pnoe.com to learn more about metabolic testing and breath analysis.
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