HRV and Menopause

HRV and menopause by Janet Birkmyre Looking back, I can remember a 50+ track cyclist telling me “It all changes and becomes so much more difficult after 50”.  I did not think too much on it at the time, I was in my early 40’s and still improving (I did not start...

HRV and Covid – an ithlete user’s perspective

Covid is still in the news, but mostly because of the revelations about Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages. Otherwise, you might get the impression that Covid has gone away.  I work in the NHS.  Until a few weeks ago I was required to undergo a lateral flow test twice a...

HRV and Understanding Illness

Using ithlete to measure HRV and predict or understand illness and guide a return to training by Janet Birkmyre I suppose that most of us will have thought a little more about the effects of viral infection on our health and training over the past couple of years,...

HRV and Covid – Training during and after infection

During the early part of the pandemic, in June 2020, ithlete won a grant to try and determine whether or not changes in daily HRV could be used to detect the onset and subsequent severity of the illness. What we didn’t know about at the time we conducted the survey of ithlete users, was how Covid would affect an otherwise healthy athlete’s ability to train during the illness and subsequent recovery.
Let’s take another look.

HRV, Life Stress and Training

by Janet Birkmyre ithlete’s HRV measurement turns training data into intelligence – it adds value by personalising data that (while being based on solid research) is otherwise too generic to allow for optimal decisions about training to be made when the human...

HRV and COVID-19 in athletes. Is there a connection?

We have been asked by the UK Government to test the hypothesis that HRV may be a powerful diagnostic tool for Covid-19. This article will explain the relationship between HRV and Covid, focusing particularly on the implications for people who exercise regularly and...

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.

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and HRV

AF affects the performance of the heart, especially amongst older, less healthy people. But it also affects a significant percentage of Masters athletes. A large study over a 20 year period shows an interesting correlation between Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and HRV. There are optimum values of HRV and resting heart rate, above and below which the chances of developing AF increase significantly.

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 well does HRV reflect overall health?

Who, what and why? Heart rate variability, or HRV, has long been considered to reflect overall health. Since the 1980s, Professor Steven Porges described HRV as an index not only of stress, but of vulnerability to stress. In other words, the higher someone’s HRV, the...

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...

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.

Heat Stress and Sport

As the temperature increases, how well you deal with the heat will play a significant role in determining your sporting performance. This month’s hot topic looks at why it’s crucial that athletes of all abilities adapt to the heat and more importantly how best to do it.

Infographic: All Stress Matters

This month we’ve been looking at all things stress, and in particular how all forms stress has a similar effect on the body. This infographic provides a great visual overview.

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