Lockdown Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

by Jan Birkmyre According to my daily heart rate variability (HRV) readings from ithlete, it is very clear my body loves this lockdown.  On reflection, I suppose, that should not come as a complete surprise but even so, the magnitude of the improvement is a shock....

Are you Inflamm-Aging well?

What is inflamm-aging? And what can you do to ensure you’re inflamm-aging well? A reseaarch summary of the origional paper and how tracking HRV relates.

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?

Athletes: Fit but unhealthy?

Prof Paul Laursen & Dr Phil Maffetone have consistently preached the message that elite level performance needn’t be at the cost of your long term health. Their recent opinion piece highlighting why is summarised here.

How to Increase your Exercise Safely

Whether it’s a new years resolution or you’re returning to your training regime after the obligatory festive break, an increase in exercise and/or intensity needs to be carefully thought out to ensure you get the best out of every workout or training session.This post...

5 Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

With the festive period now over, it’s definitely time to dust off your training kit and get back to it! To help you out, we’ve put together some of the top benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for those of you looking to mix up your training regime for...

The Most Advanced Yoga Practice Is Breathing

Last summer I spent 2 weeks at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in France on their Sadhana Intensive. The sanskrit word ‘sadhana’ refers to spiritual practice and the word ‘intensive’ refers to practising yoga for over 9 hours every day for 14 days....

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.

Superfoods and Sports Performance

Can superfoods increase sports performance? Take a lot at our review of the recent channel 4 documentary Superfoods: The Real Story to find out.

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

Sleep infographic

The physiological benefits of sleep, effect on heart rate variability (HRV), impact of sleep deprivation & tips for a better nights sleep! Do you have any other tips for a good nights sleep? Or if you like our sleep infographic but there are areas you’d...

Nutrition, Sleep and Heart Rate Variability

A great step towards better sleep is eating balanced, nutritious meals and snacks evenly spaced throughout the day. Research has found that certain nutrients can affect sleep, from how easy it is to fall asleep at a reasonable hour to the quality of rest we get throughout the night. Equally important to all this is what impact certain foods and drinks have on our beloved heart rate variability (HRV).

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?