Rest and Recovery

As part of my daily routine I measure my HRV every morning when I wake up. In simple terms HRV is the variability in your heart rate. Basically what happens between heart beats. The higher the variability the better. Higher HRV shows better day to day recovery it shows less stress and in theory it will show healthier you. Since the COVID-19 shelter in place and the resulting canceling of my business my HRV has been plummeting. Funny thing is it’s still higher than what is considered normal. Doing a simple google search normal is 59. Mine right now fluctuates daily between 63 and 78. When I’m not feeling the stress of the current situations my HRV is consistently in the 80’s. 

I used to not worry about it. I would get a low reading and would carry on. Right now I use it as my guide that I’m tired. If my HRV drops below 65 I take the day off. No running, no riding and no strength work. Just walking the puppy. It seams to be working quite well. When I do that my HRV pops back up into the upper 70’s the next day.

Feeling really stressed. Take the day off of doing. There is no run or bike ride that is really all that important. As long as you are consistent over time, taking a day off here or there won’t hurt and it just may be the difference in your ability to execute the next day easily.

I have used the Sweet Beat app for years. There are many free HRV apps. Just find one that works for you and get started.