Catch up with Coach M - Edition 40 - Your Story, Using the training hand-break and HRV Status

Embracing Every Step of Your Health and Fitness Journey

We all carry a story within us—a journey marked by struggle, strength, discovery, and transformation.

When it comes to your health and fitness, your story becomes more than just a timeline of workouts or weight changes. It becomes a narrative of how you’ve evolved physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Your Journey Is Uniquely Yours

In a world saturated with before-and-after pictures, comparison traps, and curated highlight reels, it’s easy to forget that your journey is not supposed to look like anyone else’s. It’s deeply personal, shaped by your life experiences, your body, your mindset, and your environment.

Some people start their health journey from a place of desperation, others from a desire to improve, and some out of sheer curiosity. No matter the starting point, what matters is that you started—and that you keep going.

Stop Measuring Your Progress Against Someone Else’s

One of the quickest ways to lose motivation, joy, and confidence in your journey is to measure your progress against someone else’s highlight reel. What you see on social media, in gyms, or even among friends is often only a snapshot—a carefully selected moment that doesn’t show the full picture.

That person who seems to have it all together? They’ve had their struggles too. The transformation photo you’re admiring? It doesn’t show the sleepless nights, the doubts, the setbacks, or the years it may have taken to get there. Everyone is working through something—even if you can’t see it.

Your body is different. Your life is different. Your starting point, your goals, your challenges, your time constraints, your metabolism—they’re all yours. Comparing your chapter 3 to someone else’s chapter 30 is not only unfair, it’s completely unproductive.

Progress should be measured against who you were yesterday, not against someone else’s journey.  Celebrate your own milestones—no matter how small they may seem. Did you show up for a workout you didn’t feel like doing? Did you prepare a healthy meal instead of ordering out? Did you choose to rest when your body needed it instead of pushing through out of guilt?

Those are wins. Those are signs of progress. Own them.

Stagnation and Setbacks Are Not Failure

Let’s be real: the road to health and fitness is rarely linear. You’ll have weeks where everything clicks—your workouts feel strong, your meals are on point, your energy is high. Then there are times when motivation dips, life gets chaotic, or progress slows to a crawl. You might even feel like you’re moving backward.

But here’s the truth: those moments are not wasted time. Stagnation and regression are not signs of failure. They are part of the process.

These phases often bring the greatest insights. When progress halts, you're given a chance to reassess. When old habits creep back in, you learn what still needs healing or strengthening. Every dip is an invitation to go deeper—not just into your fitness practice, but into your mindset, your discipline, your resilience.

Lessons Are Only Powerful When Applied

Learning is inevitable when you're on this path—but learning alone isn’t enough. The real power comes when you apply what you’ve learned.

If you’ve discovered that skipping sleep derails your progress, make rest a priority. If you’ve noticed that all-or-nothing thinking leads to burnout, embrace consistency over perfection. If you’ve realized that community keeps you motivated, lean into that support.

Be proud of the insights you’ve earned. Honour them by taking action—consistently, intentionally, and without shame for the moments you didn’t know better. Growth doesn’t come from getting everything right the first time; it comes from the courage to adjust and keep going.

Be Proud of the Whole Story

Too often, we celebrate only the outcomes: weight lost, muscle gained, records broken.

But the real magic lies in the process. Celebrate the late-night workouts you didn’t want to do but did anyway. Celebrate the healthy choices you made when stress tried to pull you back. Celebrate the times you got back up after falling off track.

Every part of your story matters. The messy beginnings, the quiet victories, the relapses, the comebacks—they all deserve space in your narrative.

Your journey is a living testament to your strength and self-awareness. It doesn’t need to be perfect to be powerful. It just needs to be yours.

Finally Remember!

Your story is still unfolding. You are not behind. You are not broken. You are in motion.

So show up for yourself. Embrace every part of the process—the highs, the lows, and everything in between. And remember: this journey isn't just about changing your body. It's about building a life you're proud of.

Now ask yourself: What’s the next chapter of your story going to be? And what will you do today to write it with intention?

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Training diary - Adjusting the Pace, Not the Purpose

If you've been following my journey recently, you’ve probably noticed a shift in pace over the past couple of weeks. That’s because I’ve been dealing with a sacroiliac (SI) joint injury, and more recently, a dip in my HRV (Heart Rate Variability) following a demanding double-race week.

These two factors—physical strain and recovery warning signs—signalled it was time to make a conscious adjustment.

But here’s the key: I didn’t stop. I just pulled the handbrake, eased off the gas, and recalibrated.

Listening to My Body, Not Ignoring It

After the basically back-to-back races, I noticed my HRV had dropped significantly. For those who don’t track it, HRV is one of the best indicators of autonomic nervous system balance, and a reliable early-warning system for accumulated fatigue, stress, or under-recovery. That data, combined with the lingering SI joint discomfort, was enough of a sign: my body was asking for a reset.

So I shifted from my usual structure and intensity. Instead of my standard 3–4 sets of lifting at around 80% of my max, I scaled down to 2–3 sets at about 60%, using rehab-focused, joint-friendly movements to stay active without aggravating the injury.

Likewise, I modified my cardio routine. Where I’d normally complete 4 runs, 2 cycling sessions, and a swim each week, I adjusted to 3 flatter runs, 1 moderate-intensity ride, and kept the swim. Everything was dialled back with recovery and long-term progress in mind.

Smart Adjustments Don’t Mean Slacking

What I did wasn’t “taking it easy”—it was strategic training. I followed what my body (and my data) was telling me, not what my ego might have insisted on. This wasn’t the time to grind through and risk compounding fatigue or worsening injury. It was a time to train smarter, not harder.

This period reminded me of something critical: no one benefits from pushing through red flags. Progress isn't just made through effort—it's made through wise effort.

Your Program Should Be As Unique As You Are

Let this also be a reminder: my program is designed for me, just like yours should be designed for you. Fitness is not one-size-fits-all. It should evolve with your goals, your body, your lifestyle, and your stress levels.

Whether you’re in a growth phase, a recovery cycle, or navigating life’s chaos, your program needs to reflect your reality. That includes being responsive to what your body, metrics, and mind are telling you.

The Power of the Minimum Effective Dose

During this adjustment phase, I leaned on a principle I often return to: the Minimum Effective Dose (MED). That means doing just enough to maintain or stimulate progress, without tipping into overload.

Even with lower volume and intensity, I made sure to hit the essentials:

• ✅ Daily movement

• ✅ Muscle activation and stability work

• ✅ Cardiovascular maintenance

• ✅ Recovery-focused nutrition and sleep

• ✅ Active listening to HRV and other biofeedback

These small but meaningful actions kept me moving forward—not losing progress, but preserving it and setting the stage for a stronger return.

Training through injury or fatigue doesn’t mean giving up—it means stepping back with purpose. Recovery isn’t a passive process; it’s active, it’s intentional, and it requires just as much discipline as any hard training block.

So here’s the takeaway:

When your body speaks—through pain, through fatigue, or through metrics like HRV—listen. Don’t let ego push you into unnecessary setbacks. Train with intention, respect your limits, and know that smart choices today protect your progress tomorrow.

Your journey is never defined by the peaks alone. It’s the way you navigate the valleys that truly builds long-term success Recovery isn’t a break from discipline—it is discipline. It takes maturity to listen to your body, adapt your training, and trust the process. This injury reminded me that progress is not always about intensity; it’s about consistency and sustainability.

So whether you’re in a peak performance phase or a recovery cycle, stay intentional. Your story isn’t paused just because you’ve had to adjust your pace—it’s simply evolving.

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What Is HRV Status, and Why Should You Care About It?

When we talk about performance, recovery, or even managing stress, one powerful but often overlooked tool is HRV, or Heart Rate Variability. You might have heard about it through fitness trackers, or maybe you've seen it mentioned in training apps—but what does it actually mean? And what does your HRV status really tell you?

Let’s break it down.

🔍 What Is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?

Heart Rate Variability refers to the variation in the time between individual heartbeats. It sounds counterintuitive, but your heart isn’t supposed to beat with metronome-like consistency. In fact, healthy hearts beat with a natural variation—and the more variation, the better (to a point).

So, if your heart rate is 60 beats per minute, that doesn't mean there's exactly one second between each beat. It might be 1.02 seconds, then 0.97, then 1.05, and so on. This variability is what HRV measures.

💡 Why Does HRV Matter?

HRV is directly connected to your autonomic nervous system (ANS)—the part of your nervous system that controls things you don’t consciously think about, like breathing, digestion, and heart rate. The ANS has two main branches:

• Sympathetic Nervous System ("fight or flight"): Activated during stress, physical exertion, anxiety, etc.

• Parasympathetic Nervous System ("rest and digest"): Activated during rest, recovery, and calm states.
  

A higher HRV generally means your parasympathetic system is more active—you’re relaxed, recovering well, and your body is adaptable.

A lower HRV typically indicates your sympathetic system is dominant—you may be stressed, fatigued, overreached, or under-recovered.

📊 What Is HRV Status?

HRV status is a trend-based view of your HRV over time. It looks at how your current HRV compares to your personal baseline (not someone else’s). Fitness devices like Whoop, Oura Ring, Garmin, and Apple Watch track this and give you daily feedback like:

• ✅ "HRV is within baseline" → You're well recovered.

• ⚠️ "HRV is trending low" → Your body may be stressed, and today might be better suited for rest or light training.

• 📈 "HRV is improving" → Your recovery is going well, and you may be adapting positively to your training load.
  

In short, HRV status is like a daily readiness score for your nervous system.

🏋️‍♂️ HRV and Training: How It Guides Performance

Let’s say you’ve had an intense week—heavy lifts, interval sessions, maybe even a race. If your HRV status dips, that’s your body telling you it’s under strain. Even if you feel fine, a low HRV could be a signal that your recovery systems are lagging behind the workload.

What smart athletes do: They use this data to adjust intensity, optimize recovery, and prevent burnout or injury.

For example:

• On high HRV days, you might schedule tough workouts, long runs, or big lifts.

• On low HRV days, you scale back: active recovery, mobility work, zone 2 cardio, or even a rest day.

This approach isn’t “lazy”—it’s strategic. It keeps you in the game longer and helps you train more sustainably.

⚠️ What Affects HRV?

HRV is sensitive to a number of lifestyle and physiological factors:

• Sleep quality and quantity

• Nutrition and hydration

• Alcohol intake

• Mental/emotional stress

• Illness or injury

• Overtraining or under-recovery

• Caffeine and stimulants

• Breathing and mindfulness practices
  

Because of this, HRV is also a great early warning sign. If your HRV status drops for a few days, it might be your body telling you something is off—even before symptoms show up.

✅ Don’t Chase Numbers—Use Them Wisely

Your HRV doesn’t need to be the highest ever, and it definitely shouldn’t be compared to someone else’s. The key is knowing your own baseline and watching how your HRV trends over time.

Use it as one tool in your toolbox—not to dictate your every move, but to inform your decisions with greater self-awareness.

So the next time your HRV dips after a race, a stressful week, or a string of late nights—don’t panic. Use that insight to recalibrate, pull the handbrake if needed, and come back stronger.

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That’s a wrap for this week! Thanks for joining me for another edition of my Coach’s Catch-Up. I appreciate you being here and following along with the journey. As always, stay consistent, stay intentional, and take care of both your body and mindset. PS – For those of you looking at the photo of me mid-session and wondering…

Yes 😅—that is sweat dripping down my nose 💦👃.

No filter. Just hard work, heat, and hustle. 💪🔥

Until next time—keep showing up for yourself. 💪