The ithlete blog
Welcome to the ithlete blog, the central place to get the latest company news, read real user stories, get our take on heart rate variability news and research, get top tips on using ithlete and share your thoughts.
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Heart rate variability & Health – pt.1 Inflammation
Recent research sheds light on a vagus nerve ‘hack’ which reduces arthritic inflammation. This new evidence further backs up that an increase in your HRV through exercise can reduce inflammation.
Christmas Shipping & Gift Giving
Discount to facilitate giving HRV this Holiday season What is your favourite thing about tracking heart rate variability (HRV) with ithlete? Making training more efficient? Improved performance and competitive edge? Avoiding injury and illness? Or maybe the guilt free...
Sports Nutrition Seminar
On Saturday I attended and presented at, a Sports Nutrition event in London aimed at sports professionals and athletes aiming to get the very most out of their bodies. It was run by nutritionist Matt Lovell, with a substantial contribution by ultra-runner Barry...
We need your data!
Since we introduced subjective scales for sleep, fatigue, soreness, stress, mood & diet in ithlete v3.0 at the beginning of the year, we have been intrigued with the idea of seeing how these factors relate to changes in our daily HRV. We included a facility in the...
Impact of offshore sailing on HRV
Tom Hayhoe who has been sailing for over 40 years discusses the impact of offshore sailing on HRV.
Observations from training & racing the Haute Route Alps
Creator of ithlete, Simon Wegerif shares some interesting observations regarding his HRV during training and racing in the event itself.
Using HRV to Manage Workplace Stress
Learn to keep your stress levels in check at the workplace which can improve your productivity and your health!.
Heart rate variability, colds & acupuncture
Heart rate variability, colds & acupuncture – a look at how acupuncture can affect your ithlete HRV.
How accurate are consumer pulse sensors?
Not very - according to a review recently undertaken by CNET. Senior Editor Sharon Profis collaborated with Cardiologist Dr Jon Zaroff to compare some popular health tracker devices to medical ECG equipment at rest and during treadmill exercise at quite high heart...
Energy drinks and HRV
A short summary of Dr Mike T. Nelson’s paper on the impact of a Monster energy drink on heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV) and ride time to exhaustion.
The Science of Compliance
by Carl Valle In the article SaaS: How Quantified Self data is disrupting Professional Sports Part 2, I briefly went into compliance but personal feedback from coaches felt that I should have expanded that part into it’s own guide. I don’t know what the ideal...
HRV after exercise: implications for training prescription
Introduction Researchers Jamie Stanley & Jonathan Peake from the University of Queensland, with the guidance of heart rate variability (HRV) sports research supremo Martin Buchheit have put together an important review article with over 120 references. The paper...
John O’Regan won the Red Bull Wings for Life World Run!
Monday April 28th HRV= 72 Green. Taper time and a good result after yesterday’s race and I was half expecting it to be lower based on the effort I put in. Woke before the alarm but still managed to sleep a little bit more than usual as the alarm was set for a few...
ithlete v3 is now available on Android!
Introducing ithlete v3 on Android Since releasing ithlete v3 on iOS earlier in the year the team have been working on delivering the same major updates for our Android users. Whilst the app basics (1 minute convenient HRV measurement to identify training readiness)...
London Marathon Sub 3hr Pacer John O’Regan week report
Monday April 07th HRV 67 Green. A reasonable result after yesterday’s steady session and late night. Feeling good but will take it easy today. Easy lunchtime run of 7K staying slow and keeping an eye on HR which seemed than expected. That’ll be all for today...
Want to know more about ithlete?
Follow these four easy steps to get started with ithlete today!
Choose a heart rate sensor
To measure heart rate variability (HRV) with ithlete you’ll need a heart rate sensor. You have the option to use an ithlete finger sensor or chest strap monitor. If you have a recent iPhone, iPad or Android device you may like to use our Bluetooth Smart chest strap monitor, or alternatively grab a Polar type analogue strap (we also offer one of these) and an ithlete ECG receiver to pick up the signal. Visit the ithlete store to find your preferred sensor.
Download the ithlete app
ithlete is available on both iOS and Android devices and can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. If you do want to check your model of smartphone or tablet is compatible check our FAQ page.
One minute daily measurement
After waking each morning relax and sit comfortably, slip on a chest strap or finger sensor and follow the on screen instructions to get an accurate reading of your heart rate variability. Taking the measurement couldn’t be simpler and in 60 seconds you will have a personalised training recommendation for the day.
Reap the benefits of training with ithlete
The idea is quite simple. Training is all about stress and recovery. A hard session, lack of sleep, mental stress etc. will lower your number. If your reading drops significantly, take this as an early warning that you are overloading the system. On the other hand a high score lets you know you should make the most out of the day. Benefits of this include avoiding overtraining, workout optimisation, guilt free rest days, improved performance and much more!