Overview
Heart rate zones should be adjusted so that activities match the different zones.
If your zones feel wrong or your resting heart rate has changed, you should recalculate your zones.
If you'd like the Member Support team to help just get in touch.
Finding the right heart rate zones can take some fine-tuning, so don’t worry if your recommended zones ever need updating or personalizing. You know your body best, and our Member Support team is always here to help with any adjustments.
How do I know that my heart rate zones are right for me?
To determine if your heart rate zones are reflective, check if your heart rate zones match how you feel during different activities. For example:
You will usually be in the Rest zone for rest and recovery, sleeping and lying down, or doing relaxation exercises.
Your Activity zone is for day-to-day activities. These activities are different for each person but may include watching TV, cooking, or gentle movement.
Your Exertion zone captures activities that are more difficult to perform for extended periods. These activities raise your heart rate, and you may feel like your body is working harder than usual. Depending on your condition, these could include showering, cleaning the house, climbing stairs, or a brisk or uphill walk. Without effective pacing, these activities can worsen symptoms or trigger a crash.
Reflective heart rate zones are not about comparing them with other people, but listening to your body’s signals and acknowledging if they fall outside of this guidance.
Similar activities might also fall into different heart rate zones. For example:
If you’re sitting and doing some mindfulness or a breathing exercise, you could be in Rest, whereas sitting and reading an exciting book could put you into Activity.
If you’re watching a relaxing show you could dip into Rest. If you’re watching a horror movie you could enter Activity - or even Exertion at times!
Casual walking might record as Activity, but if you’re in a rush somewhere, or carrying more things than usual, this could record as Exertion.
For some members, mental and emotional exertion also increases their heart rate. If you’re having a stressful day, this might show up in your heart rate graph! For example, activities that usually record as Activity may instead record as Exertion.
It’s important to consider context around your zones and why activities might show up slightly differently each day. Reflective heart rate zones should accommodate for these fluctuations but still provide you with a “standard” to compare these to.
Can I recalculate my heart rate zones?
If your functional capacity has changed, or the “Getting to Know You” period during your first 4 days using Visible didn’t reflect your current baseline, you can easily generate a new estimate of your heart rate zones to improve pacing guidance.
To do this, go to your Pacing Settings, where you can update your zones using recent data.
When should I recalculate my heart rate zones?
You shouldn't recalculate your zones often, but you might want to do so for a few reasons:
Your zones were calculated wrong; for example, you might have been in a crash when your first 4 days were recorded, but now you're more balanced, and your zones don't reflect this.
Your resting heart rate has changed, for example, you've started taking a new medication that lowers your heart rate.
Your zones don't feel accurate or don't match your level of activity.
How do I recalculate my heart rate zones?
Go to the Profile page
Go to Pacing settings
Go to Heart rate zones , and make sure Auto-generated zones is selected
Tap Update based on my latest data
How to manually adjust your heart rate zones
If your auto-generated heart rate zones don't feel quite right for you, or you're recommended new zones by our team, you can manually update or change your heart rate zones as follows:
Navigate to Profile > Pacing Settings > Heart Rate Zones in the app.
Adjust your Activity and Exertion zones. We recommend adjusting by 5bpm at a time until you find the right zones.
You should give it at least 2-3 full days to gather enough data to review your new zones and make further changes.
Avoid recalculating your zones too frequently. Gradual adjustments based on consistent data are more effective.
Can Member Support help me adjust my heart rate zones?
Absolutely! We’d be happy to review your heart rate zones with you. Please get in touch with the Member Support team through the Profile section of the app and let us know that you need help adjusting your zones.
When you reach out, it’s useful to share some general information with us, such as any relevant context about your life or illness, to help us understand your needs and make better recommendations.
Since we don't have access to your tracked data, we also require:
A screenshot of your heart rate zones.
A screenshot of two days of recent Heart Rate data. Please tag a few activities where you were resting, active, or exerting yourself.
A member of our team will follow up with guidance on adjustments.
Where to find the heart rate zones and Heart Rate data to screenshot
Heart rate zones
Go to the Profile page
Go to Pacing settings
Go to Heart rate zones
Screenshot your current heart rate zones:
Recent Heart Rate data
On the Today screen, tap on your live Heart Rate.
On the Heart Rate page, zoom out to show the whole day and screenshot the page:
Tip: How to take a screenshot on your phone
For Android users:
Press the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time.
For iPhone users:
With Face ID (no Home button): Press the Side (power) button and the Volume Up button at the same time.
With Home button: Press the Home button and the Side (power) button at the same time.
You can then upload your screenshot using the + icon next to the message box in the in-app support messenger.
A member of our team will review your data and get back to you with any adjustments that need to be made!