Until, that is, he began paying attention to heart rate variability, one of the many health data points tracked by his smartwatch. A more complex metric than heart rate – the number of times the heart beats per minute – heart rate variability reflects how the time between heartbeats fluctuates. A growing body of research suggests it’s an indicator of cardiovascular health, stress levels, exercise capacity and more, allowing dedicated trackers to make more informed decisions about their fitness regimes and lifestyles.
Now, if Kirillov is on the fence about whether it’s better to take a day off or grind it out in the gym, he consults his heart rate variability score. Since adopting that habit, “I feel like I’m in better balance with myself”, he says. He’s such a convert, he even launched an app dedicated to tracking stress using heart rate variability data.
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