among the new health features in watchOS 9 and iOS 16 is something Apple calls Cardio Recovery. Follow along for an in-depth look at what the feature is, how to track it with Apple Watch, why it’s valuable, how good the Cardio Recovery numbers are, and tips for improving it.
It turns out that Cardio Recovery is something that was previously available on the Apple Watch under the widely used term “heart rate recovery.” With watchOS 9 and iOS 16, Apple renamed the feature Cardio Recovery, possibly to match your Cardio Fitness (VO2 max) metric in the Health app. Notably, the feature was previously missing from the Health app, only the Fitness app, but was added with iOS 16.
I like it HRV Y VO2max, Cardio Recovery or heart rate recovery is a lesser-known health metric that Apple Watch measures every time it tracks a workout. If you’ve never used the feature before or are curious about why it’s valuable, how to ensure you get accurate readings, or how to improve yours, keep reading 😁.
What is Cardio Recovery and why is it important?
Cardio Recovery measures how much your heart rate drops immediately after exercise. The same as heart rate variabilityHeart Rate Recovery (HRR) offers a look at the health of your heart based on how quickly it responds to the autonomic nervous system.
medpage today explains HRR thus:
Measures of that activity reflect the balance between the sympathetic nervous system (which activates fight-and-flight responses) and the parasympathetic nervous system (which activates “rest and digest” activities) and have been shown to be powerful predictors of mortality. .
An abnormally low HRR was found to predict that individuals were twice as likely to die within six years in one of the most cited studies – mentioned over 1000 times – by Cole, Blackstone, Pashkow, Snader and Lauer.
Related:
What are good cardiovascular recovery numbers?
Plus recent studies validating the Cole et al. findings show that Cardio Recovery or heart rate recovery from 13 or morer (means a drop of 13 bpm or more) after 1 minuteeither 22 or more after two minutes is in the normal/healthy range.
Keep in mind, however, that to more accurately test your heart rate recovery, you’ll want to stop your apple watch workout recording right after your workout. For example, if you leave your workout running after you’re done, stretch, sit, relax, and then finish the workout, you’ll see low HRR numbers since Apple Watch isn’t comparing your workout heart rate to your heart rate of 1 minute and heart rate 2 minutes after exercise.
Likewise, workouts that include a cooldown will also skew HRR numbers. And third-party apps that support starting workouts on Apple Watch like Peloton etc. they may also end workouts before the wearable device can measure heart rate recovery. In these cases, the heart rate recall numbers will not appear on Apple Watch or iPhone.
Don’t worry if you notice a low HRR here and there, and these numbers can vary depending on your age, among other factors. But if you consistently find yourself falling below the numbers above and stopping Apple Watch workouts right after finishing your workout, it may be worth checking with your doctor.
One more note, one 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association concluded that heart rate recovery measured just 10 seconds after exercise may be more accurate in predicting mortality, but Apple Watch sticks with the more traditional 1-minute and 2-minute approach.
Apple Watch Cardio Recovery: How to track and watch
apple watch
Apple Watch will automatically track your Cardio Recovery. This happens when your exercise tracking ends, so be sure to leave your wearable device on for three minutes afterward (per apple).
To view your data (Heart Rate Recovery on iOS 15/watchOS 8 and earlier, and Cardio Recovery on iOS 16/watchOS 9):
- On Apple Watch, go to the heart rate app
- Swipe or scroll to the bottom
- Whenever you have a workout logged for the day, you should see a Recovery section in watchOS 8, labeled Post-Workout on watch OS 9
- Tap it to see the details
- Cardio/Heart Rate Recovery shows how much your heart rate dropped 1 and 2 minutes after your workout
- Please note that you will need to leave your Apple Watch on after workouts for the HRR reading to be measured
- To view data from previous days, you will need to go to your iPhone, follow below
iPhone
In the Health app (iOS 16 only)
- In iOS 16, go to the Health app on iPhone
- Choose the Browse tab In the bottom right
- Now it’s time Heart
- Search cardiac recovery
- Now you can see any data you have collected with Apple Watch, tap on the D/W/M/6M/Y tabs at the top to see different time frames
option 2 – iOS 16, 15 and earlier
- To view Apple Watch heart rate/cardio recovery data for previous workouts, go to the Fitness app on iPhone
- Choose the Summary tab in the background
- play a recent training from the home screen or touch your activity rings > choose a day > scroll down to find your workout(s)
- Find your heart rate data near the bottom > swipe left to right to see your heart rate/cardio recovery
Interestingly, Apple does not include cardio/heart rate recovery data in the Health app in the heart section in iOS 15 and earlier.
How to improve Cardio Recovery?
There are several ways to improve cardiovascular recovery (heart rate recovery). Handheld device maker Whoop has shared this list of tips to improve the responsiveness between the heart and the autonomic nervous system:
- quality sleep
- Keep hydrated
- Eat a nutritious diet
- Practice meditation or breathing.
- Reduce stress
- avoid alcohol
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