extenvita

Methodology

Last updated October 7, 2026

Extenvita is a habits assessment, not a medical test. This page explains exactly what it looks at, where each area comes from, how your result is put together, and what it can’t tell you. We publish it so you can judge it for yourself. The assessment is in testing now, and we will update this page whenever the method changes.

What the Extenvita Score is

The Extenvita Score is a snapshot of how your current habits align with the healthspan behaviors Extenvita assesses. It is not a medical test, a risk prediction or a measure of biological age.

It does not diagnose anything, and it says nothing about how long you will live. A lower score means there is more room to build habits in the areas we look at. Nothing more.

The five areas

We chose five areas that public health guidance returns to again and again. For each one, here is what we look at and the guidance we draw on.

Sleep

We look at sleep as more than hours in bed: how long you sleep, how regular your timing is, how rested you feel, and how alert you are during the day. This multidimensional view of sleep health comes from sleep researcher Daniel Buysse, who described good sleep as a pattern of sleep and wakefulness that fits a person’s life and supports both physical and mental wellbeing [1].

For duration, we use the joint consensus of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, which recommends that adults sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis [2]. Sleep is also one of the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 [3].

Strength & function

We look at how often you do muscle-strengthening activity and how easily you manage everyday physical tasks. The World Health Organization recommends that adults do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity, involving all major muscle groups, on 2 or more days a week. For adults 65 and older, it adds varied activity that emphasizes balance and strength on 3 or more days a week [4]. The US Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans make the same 2-day recommendation [5].

Movement & cardio

We look at how much you move through the day and how much activity raises your heart rate. WHO recommends that adults do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent combination, and that they limit time spent sitting [4]. The US guidelines give the same ranges [5]. Physical activity is also part of Life’s Essential 8 [3].

Nutrition

We look at everyday eating patterns: fruit and vegetables, protein at meals, whole foods, and regular eating rhythms. We do not count calories. WHO advises that everyone over 10 years old eat at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day, and that carbohydrates come mainly from whole grains, vegetables, fruits and pulses [6]. Healthy eating is the first of the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 [3].

Stress & recovery

We look at how you wind down, whether you have regular time to recover, and whether stress is affecting your sleep and daily life. This area reflects the American Heart Association’s recognition that psychological health affects the other health behaviors it measures [3]. There is less agreement on how to measure stress than on the other four areas, so we ask simple questions about routines rather than trying to rate your mental health.

Health foundations

Some things matter a great deal but are not habits we can score fairly in a short questionnaire: nicotine use, routine health checks, and recent changes in weight. We ask about them separately. They never change your score. If you use nicotine, we show that above your priorities, because public health guidance treats it as one of the most important things to address [3].

How your result is calculated

  • Each answer is worth 0 to 4 points.
  • Each area’s score is its points divided by the maximum possible, shown out of 100 and rounded to the nearest 5.
  • Your overall score is the average of the five area scores. All five areas carry equal weight.
  • Scores fall into four bands: 0–39 needs attention, 40–59 room to improve, 60–79 good foundation, 80–100 strong.

The equal weighting and the bands are Extenvita’s own method. They are a practical way to compare areas. They have not been clinically validated, and we don’t claim they predict any health outcome.

Some questions don’t apply to everyone. If you work night shifts, or a question asks about something you wouldn’t feel safe doing, that question is left out rather than scored as zero.

How your priorities are chosen

You get at most three priorities, because trying to change everything at once rarely works.

  1. Any area scoring below 75 can become a priority. The lowest-scoring area comes first.
  2. If you told us which area matters most to you, it moves up one place, but only when its score is within 5 points of the area above it.
  3. If two areas tie, we use this order: sleep, strength, movement, nutrition, recovery.
  4. If every area scores 75 or more, you get a “maintain and improve” result instead of priorities.

Your first next step comes from your top priority: we take the question in that area where you scored lowest and suggest one small action for it, sized to the time you told us you have.

When we point you to a professional

Some answers mean a habit plan is not the right next step. The questionnaire checks for them, and safety guidance is always free.

  • If you have chest pain or have fainted recently, we stop and ask you to get urgent medical help. We show no plans or offers.
  • If a doctor has told you to limit physical activity, we suggest only gentle actions and recommend checking with them first.
  • If you report loud snoring or pauses in breathing during sleep, we suggest talking to a doctor about your sleep.
  • If you report high stress together with low enjoyment or meaning, we include a short note about reaching out for support.

What Extenvita does not do

We don’t diagnose or treat any condition. We don’t estimate biological age or life expectancy. We don’t sell supplements. And we don’t show you a number we can’t explain on this page.

Sources

  1. Buysse DJ. Sleep health: can we define it? Does it matter? Sleep. 2014;37(1):9–17.
  2. Watson NF, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep. 2015;38(6):843–844.
  3. American Heart Association. Life’s Essential 8. See also Lloyd-Jones DM, et al. Life’s Essential 8: updating and enhancing the American Heart Association’s construct of cardiovascular health. Circulation. 2022.
  4. World Health Organization. WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. 2020.
  5. US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. 2018.
  6. World Health Organization. Healthy diet fact sheet.