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.
Why am I using more or less PacePoints than usual?
It’s completely normal for your PacePoint usage to vary from day to day. This usually means you’re spending more or less time in your Activity or Exertion zones.
You may also notice changes in your usage for reasons such as:
You are dealing with additional stress, e.g. mental, social, emotional.
You're currently in a crash, e.g. your heart rate may increase during symptom flare-ups.
You're resting more than usual. Remember, you don't use any PacePoints while in your Rest zone.
You are sensitive to changes in the temperature, e.g., there has been recent hot weather.
You have a new acute infection, e.g. a cold or covid re-infection.
You started a new medication that impacts your heart rate or changed your dosage.
Incorrect Heart Rate Zones can also cause issues, such as zones being too close together or too far apart. It's important to check your Heart Rate Zones and PacePoint budget match your level of exertion. If you're unsure on this, you can always reach out to Member Support who are happy to help.
What is the PaceSetter?
The PaceSetter is a tool for planning and prioritizing energy expenditure throughout the day. The PaceSetter moves slowly around the donut chart at an even pace throughout the day, starting when you first put on the band and ending, by default, at midnight.
Monitoring your position in relation to your PaceSetter at any given point can help you plan the rest of the day and avoid using up your budget too quickly.
The PaceSetter runs until your PaceSetter end time, which is initially set to midnight when you start using Visible. You can adjust your PaceSetter end time in your Pacing settings to better fit your daily routine as follows:
Go to Profile > Pacing settings > Budget and PaceSetter
Adjust your PaceSetter end time. You can choose any time between 6 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Note: Days in Visible run from 4 a.m. to 4 a.m. This means if you're still wearing your armband after midnight, your heart rate data will be shown on the previous day's Heart Rate page.
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.
