What are PacePoints?
PacePoints are an overall exertion score that helps you track and visualize your energy expenditure throughout the day.
How do PacePoints work?
Your PacePoints are calculated based on the length of time you spend in various heart rate zones.
When your heart rate begins to rise, you start accumulating PacePoints. PacePoints accumulate roughly 4x faster in your exertion zone than in your activity zone. The calculation is actually on an 'exponential curve' in your exertion zone so they accumulate faster and faster depending on how long you spend in this zone.
Put simply, the higher your heart rate and the longer it stays elevated, the more quickly you will accumulate points.
What is the PacePoints budget?
Your daily PacePoints budget provides you with a personalized energy "allowance”. By assigning a numerical value to your daily energy expenditure, you can prioritise activities that are most important to you and adjust as needed to stay within your budget.
Once you've collected four days of data, you can see the typical amount of PacePoints you use each day and then set a daily budget of PacePoints in that range. A good guide for setting your budget could be to find a day when you feel like you did too much and then set the budget slightly below that level.
Why are my PacePoints high/low compared to other people?
You shouldn't compare your points to other individuals. The number of PacePoints you gain for different activities and throughout the day depend on how you've set your Heart Rate Zones, your level of activity and your condition.
Having low or high points doesn't mean you have less or more than someone else, because you accrue points differently based on your personal Heart Rate Zones.
In general, at Visible, we try to recommend focusing on your individual trends and personal health goals rather than comparing them to others. For example, depending on how well you're pacing your goal may be to reduce your daily PacePoints rather than increase them.
If your budget feels too low or high compared to your day-to-day activities, you may need to adjust your PacePoints budget.
When should I change my PacePoints budget?
Like Heart Rate Zones, you shouldn't need to change your PacePoints budget unless there's been a significant change in your life. Examples of this include:
You've started or stopped a long-term medication that may impact your heart rate.
A significant, long-term change to your illness which has caused a definite increase or decrease to your heart rate.
Your points budget doesn't feel right:
You are using significantly more points without a worsening of symptoms
You are using way fewer than your budget but feeling a worsening of symptoms
You have changed your Heart Rate Zones, which has changed how many points you use each day, without a change in activity.
Because PacePoints generate based on your Heart Rate Zones, you should always adjust your Heart Rate Zones first, then your PacePoints budget. Both can take some time before you find what works best for you.
We don't recommend changing your PacePoint budget too regularly. The goal is to find a stable amount of activity you can do each day that won't worsen your symptoms.
Keeping your budget consistent will help you gain better insights into how effectively you're pacing and help you balance your exertion levels throughout the day.
How do I change my PacePoints budget?
You can manually adjust your PacePoints budget here:
1. .Profile > Pacing settings > Budget and PaceSetter
2. Then, simply tap the + - until you've got the number you're looking for.
If you'd like some support setting your budget, then please reach out to us at Member Support via the Profile section of the app.
What is the PaceSetter?
To help you spread your energy expenditure, the PaceSetter moves around the donut chart at an even pace throughout the day. Days run from 4am until 4am the following day.
By monitoring where you are in relation to your PaceSetter at any given point, it can help you plan the rest of the day.
How can I set up PaceSetter alerts?
You can set PaceSetter alerts to keep you up to date on whether you are on track to exceed your budget. To turn on your PaceSetter alerts, go to your Profile screen, select Pacing settings and then Pacing notifications.
