training timed to perfectionQuestions or feedback?
info@ithlete.ca
Like many endurance athletes - runners, cyclists and triathletes - I use a heart rate monitor. It helps me measure how hard my body is working during training as well as keeping me just to the right side of the red line during competition. Since I wasn't getting any younger and I liked to keep pace with the top local and yes, younger riders, I began investigating smarter training methods that would improve my performance but without the risk of injury due to overtraining. And this is how I found out about heart rate variability. In time, I became convinced that I needed to incorporate HRV as part of my own athletic training. My bike times had leveled off and I often wondered if I had been training too intensely without allowing for sufficient recovery. So I looked around to see what commercial products were available and came across software from companies such as Omegawave and FirstBeat Technologies. Both products are highly regarded, and used by top athletes under coach supervision. Yet these products cost from $1,000 to more than $20,000. And even though HRV is now included in high-end heart rate monitors from Polar and Suunto, they lacked several important measurement criteria, such as color-coded warning indicators, the ability to visualize your trends graphically, and the simplicity of a quick morning test that anyone can fit into his or her daily routine.
I came to the conclusion that there was not an easy-to-use, affordable product that could give one a direct and daily measure of HRV. But all was not lost. I am an engineer by profession. With my background and work experience at Philips Electronics, building an HRV system did not seem particularly daunting, though the process would turn out to be a longer journey than I first anticipated. I read almost 500 research papers on HRV and consulted with many experts, cardiologists, coaches and trainers. My device had to be scientifically valid, practical, and uncomplicated to use.
By early 2009, I had completed ithlete's first working system (which I immediately submitted to various patent offices in several countries). Several months later, I had created a small receiver, as well as a working app for the iPod touch and iPhone, which I specifically chose because of the great user interface and processing power. During this time, as I used the ithlete prototype, my confidence and belief in HRV continued to grow. Here was a simple measurement that took only 60 seconds each morning, and seemed to know my body better than I did.
The first customer to download an app from the iTunes and obtain a receiver from the ithlete website was a cyclist from Wiltshire, U.K. Since then, thousands of athletes have purchased the ithlete - and the number continues to grow - not just in England but worldwide. Users have ranged from recreational 10K and half marathon runners, who have had injuries and want to avoid repeating them, to cyclists who train heavily to competitive time-trial cyclists, and to regular middle-aged people wanting to lose weight using a frequent exercise program and who want to avoid doing too much too soon.
I hope you enjoy using ithlete as much as I do - it's a great training tool!
Feedback and suggestions for improvement are also very welcome - just email info@ithlete.ca.
Simon.
Simon Wegerif, creator of ithlete and founder of HRV Fit Ltd.
I'm not much of an athlete. I do play broomball through the winter, and I try hard to keep up with regular exercise. Last year, I strapped on a heart rate monitor for the first time. I was shocked to see how quickly my heart rate rose when I ran. Alarmed, I started to look for ways to stabilize my heart rate during exercise.
I started to "run/walk" with a heart rate monitor, trying to keep my heart rate under 135 beats per minute. I wasn't running much! It felt like I was accomplishing nothing. I had no idea how frequently or how far I should be going, so I started to look for answers. My search led to the ithlete.
After using the ithlete for a little while, (and discovering that I really could push myself much further) I started to wonder why I had not heard of it earlier. Shouldn't everyone want one? I contacted Simon, and discovered that the ithlete was not yet distributed in North America.
I believe that HRV measurement is an extremely valuable tool - especially for people who cannot focus all their attention on their body's physical performance. To help spread the word, my husband and I became distributors in western Canada, through our company, Flaveart Inc.
Glenna.
Glenna Stewart, President of 