Top tips for using your HRV sensor

The ithlete sensors are the best around, independently validated for accuracy, convenient and durable. Some users don’t get the hang of taking measurements right away, so to ensure you don’t waste any time follow the tip tips found here.

5 ways to improve Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is an excellent measure of overall health and fitness. Upward trends have consistently been shown to correlate with increases in health, fitness and sporting performance. So how do you get your baseline rising?

Why ithlete? Know when to train and when to rest

There are many great reasons to choose ithlete, so many that we’ve written a blog series looking at why we do things the way we do. Follow the series to learn more about the type and length of measurement, how breathing influences your HRV and much more. In an earlier...

Why ithlete? The choice of sensor

There are many great reasons to choose ithlete, so many that we’ve written a blog series looking at why we do things the way we do. Follow the series to learn more about the type and length of measurement, how breathing influences your HRV and much more. The different...

The ithlete one minute measure

When we launched ithlete in 2009, early users struggled to believe that a metric as insightful as heart rate variability (HRV) could be measured in less than 60 seconds. Here we explain why it can!

Tuesday Tip: Diaphragmatic Breathing

In this installment of our Tuesday Tip series we will focus on diaphragmatic breathing. A great habit for athletes to get into since it will help you take in lots of oxygen during exercise.

Tuesday Tip: Reducing Stress in the Workplace

Our recent research summary focused on the investigation of how work affected individuals in both psychological & physiological respects. In addition, the full research paper from the University of Queensland, Australia shared some useful tips to reduce workplace stress which we have summarised for this weeks Tuesday Tip

Nutrition, Stress and HRV

This week’s Tuesday Tip focuses on nutrition the impact on stress. Do you reach for those ‘convenience foods’ after a stressful day? If so take a look at some useful nutritional tips we’ve put together

Tuesday Tip: Event Day Nerves & HRV

Race day arrives but your ithlete score is amber. Familiar? Don’t panic! Here’s why that might be happening and some useful tips to help you balance it out ahead of the race.

HRV, Exercise, and Hydration

How key to recovery is hydrating immediately after exercise? Our latest Tuesday Tip takes a look at the relationship heart rate variability, exercise and hydration

Tuesday Tip: Sleep deprivation

Many of us operate on less sleep than we would like (up to 1/3rd according to the American Sleep Disorders Association), but how many of us realize the impact sleep deprivation is having on our health and on our ability to enjoy life?

Tuesday Tip: Maintaining a flexible training plan

Some customers tell us they struggle with the idea of adapting training each morning, preferring instead to have a set plan in mind and sticking to it. Others often relay that time is the biggest restraint on their training and they can’t simply drop things to train...

Tuesday Tip: The importance of sleep

Sleep & Recovery Recovery is essential in any training programme and sleep is arguably the most important element of recovery. As most athletes know you don’t get fitter during workouts but actually when your body recovers, rebuilding and super compensating to get...

Tuesday Tip: Record your training load

Why record training load with ithlete? It is strongly recommended athletes record training load in ithlete to add depth and meaning to their heart rate variability (HRV) data. Recovering from a hard session? Recording training load can often explain daily ithlete...

Tuesday Tip: Using and maintaining your HRM strap

Many athletes use a heart rate monitor (HRM strap) during exercise to monitor the intensity of their training.  We often assume this is a ‘fit and forget’ accessory, but there seems to be a lack of useful tips for use and care of the strap itself. With particular...

Tuesday Tip: Breathing affects heart rate variability

Breathing and heart rate are intrinsically linked Heart rate (HR) varies with breathing, as you breathe in HR speeds up, as you breathe out HR slows. This is known as Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA for short). This is also why deep/slow breathing is linked with...

Tuesday Tip: Time of measurement

Time of measurement We recommend taking your ithlete heart rate variability (HRV) reading first thing in the morning, preferably right after waking. There are a number of reasons behind this recommendation… Following a full night of rest It’s a well-known fact that...