Resting heart rate tracking
Logging morning heart rate and watching for the days it runs high
One number, taken at rest, read as a line rather than a single reading. Watches, chest straps and bedside sensors all record it. Endurance athletes look for mornings that sit well above their own baseline, which often shows up before an illness or at the end of a hard block. The baseline is personal, so months of history do the work. A single week says close to nothing. Nothing needs buying beyond a device that already records overnight.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Ray MakerDoes it
Sports tech reviewer · DC Rainmaker
Reads resting heart rate ahead of heart rate variability, which he told Ben Greenfield in 2016 was maybe a bit old school of him. His own sits between 39 and 42; a drift toward 50 tells him illness or fatigue is on the way. He was clear the pattern took months of data to see, not a week.
Source: Ben Greenfield Life: The Man Who Has Single-Handedly Tested Nearly Every Self-Quantification Device On The Face Of The Planet“I found that for me, my resting heart rate is between 39 and 42, typically. But if I etch closer to, say, 50 or 51 beats per minute as my resting heart rate, then I know I'm about to get sick or I'm just incredibly fatigued.”
Ben Greenfield Life: The Man Who Has Single-Handedly Tested Nearly Every Self-Quantification Device On The Face Of The Planet (opens in a new tab) · 2 Apr 2016
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under fitness or energy.
- HabitFREE, no cost
Daily walking
A long walk most days, often without headphones
On record from 19 of 62 tracked people: 14 do it, 5 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily step target
Hold a fixed daily step count so everyday movement does not quietly shrink on a diet
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 2 recommend it - HabitFREE, no cost
Menstrual cycle tracking
Logging cycle days and symptoms, then reading training and fueling against them
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - HabitFREE, no cost
No fried food or artificial sugar
Dropping fried food, artificial sweeteners and artificial drinks, at least while competing
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - Habit$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Protein coffee
Coffee blended with protein powder, drunk instead of an early breakfast
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it - Protocol$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Resistance training
Lifting weights 2-4 times a week to build and hold muscle
On record from 43 of 62 tracked people: 37 do it, 4 recommend it, 2 have discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.