There are a lot of devices and apps measuring your body's physiological data on the market, but can they really help you recover and perform better?

Heart rate variability (HRV) is getting a lot of attention these days, as are metrics that measure 'recovery' and stress. I wanted to get clear on the differences between these data, how athletes can use them, how accurate they are and what the most accurate devices and apps on the market are.

To make sure I got the straight facts, I reached out to Dr. Marco Altini who has been working in the HRV space for over a decade. He's on the board for OURA ring, has worked with Strava and has his own app HRV4Training.com as well. I'd read several of his studies and was impressed with his background that integrates both computer science and exercise physiology. Add to that, he just ran his first 100km race and gets what it means to be an athlete.

You've come to the right podcast to learn about what HRV is, how to interpret the numbers you read, why you shouldn't compare your HRV to anyone else's, how accurate the data really are, what can throw the numbers off, how nutrition and sleep can impact HRV, how HRV and heart rate differ and why one is a more telling metric than the other, how the menstrual cycle impacts HRV, when to measure your HRV and what improvements need to be made to make the data you receive even better.

If you've been confused about this topic, get your pen and paper out because in this podcast we've simplified it as best as possible. Also, sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of any page at AnneGuzman.com because I'll be recapping HRV 101 in writing for you there too. Let me know what you thought and leave a comment at Apple or Spotify or tag me on your favorite social media platform. I'm @guzmannutrition on Twitter and @guzmananne on Instagram.

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