Smartwatches, rings and fitness bands now give you a morning report: resting heart rate, heart rate variability, a sleep score and often a ‘readiness’ number. For busy professionals who like data, it is tempting to let the score decide the day. Used well, wearable data can help you spot trends and plan training. Used badly, it can make you anxious about numbers that were never meant to be precise.
I’m Gawhar Ahmad, licensed pharmacist and head coach at Being Fit. In our executive personal training programme, clients can share their wearable data with their coach if they wish, and it can be genuinely useful alongside how they feel and how sessions go. Many of the professionals we coach live or work around Business Bay. Here is what the main numbers mean and how we use them.
Key takeaways
- A normal resting heart rate for adults is usually 60 to 100 beats per minute; trends matter more than one reading.
- Heart rate variability (HRV) is very individual and depends on how and when it is measured.
- Sleep scores are estimates; consistent sleep habits matter more than a perfect number.
- Use wearables to spot patterns over weeks, not to judge a single day.
- See a doctor about symptoms such as palpitations, dizziness or chest pain, whatever your watch says.
What is a normal resting heart rate?
The British Heart Foundation says a normal resting heart rate for adults is usually between 60 and 100 beats per minute, although some people sit outside this range. It changes with age, health, sex and lifestyle, including smoking, exercise and alcohol. A rate below 60 can be normal in very fit people, and some medicines, such as beta blockers, slow the heart. A resting rate above 100 can be caused by infections, anaemia, an overactive thyroid, anxiety and stress, high temperatures or dehydration.
For training purposes, the useful signal is change. If your resting heart rate is several beats above your usual for a few mornings in a row, you may be fighting an illness, sleeping badly, dehydrated or carrying a lot of fatigue. That is a good reason to ease off and check how you feel.
What is HRV, and should you chase a higher number?
Heart rate variability is the variation in time between consecutive heartbeats. In their review of HRV metrics in Frontiers in Public Health, Shaffer and Ginsberg explain that a healthy heart is not a metronome: its rhythm constantly adjusts to physical and psychological challenges. They stress that baseline HRV values depend heavily on how long the recording is, age and sex, and that values from 24-hour, short and ultra-short recordings are not interchangeable.
In practice, that means two things. First, do not compare your HRV with a friend’s or with a chart online; compare it with your own baseline. Second, a single low reading means little. A run of lower-than-usual readings, together with a higher resting heart rate and poor sleep, is more informative.
How accurate are sleep scores?
Wearables estimate sleep from movement and heart rate, so stage-by-stage sleep data should be treated as an estimate. The total time asleep and how consistent your bedtime is are usually more useful than the score. The NHS sleep advice is practical: keep regular sleep hours, wind down before bed, make your bedroom comfortable and dark, and cut down on caffeine and alcohol later in the day. Our article on sleep, stress and fat loss explains why sleep matters for body composition too.
How should you use the data to plan training?
| What you see | What we usually do |
|---|---|
| Normal resting HR, usual HRV, you feel good | Train as planned |
| One poor night or one odd reading | Train as planned, perhaps with a longer warm-up |
| Several days of higher resting HR, lower HRV and poor sleep | Lighter session, more walking and mobility, earlier night |
| Higher resting HR with a sore throat, fever or feeling unwell | Rest and recover; see a doctor if needed |
This matches what the research on overtraining recommends. A practical review in Sports Health by Kreher and Schwartz notes that watching training load, performance and mood can help prevent fatigue from building, and that one early sign is a familiar workload feeling harder than usual. Wearable data is one more input, not the whole picture. Our post on training five or six days a week covers recovery planning in more detail.
What can wearables not tell you?
They cannot diagnose heart conditions, and they cannot tell you whether your training plan is right. If you notice palpitations, dizziness, fainting, chest pain or breathlessness, see a doctor, even if your watch shows normal numbers. If you take medicines that affect heart rate, tell your coach so targets can be adjusted. Our heart rate zone calculator gives a starting point for training zones.
Business Bay and Downtown
For Business Bay residents, sessions in your residence gym before or after work, at home or at our base at Train SF in The Dubai Mall keep training close by. Our guide to training before work in Business Bay has ideas for early sessions. Every programme starts with a medical-based assessment led by me, with blood tests available, and our guide to tracking progress beyond the scale explains what else we measure. The full range is Essential (3 sessions a week), Signature (4 a week), Premium (up to 5 a week, at your home or building gym, with priority scheduling) and VIP (5 to 6 elite sessions a week), each with a customised nutrition plan. Pricing for every package is on our packages page, or WhatsApp for pricing on 058 572 2691.
Want a coach who reads your data alongside how you actually feel? See how executive personal training in Dubai works. Our Health & Fitness professional-led team is here to help: call 058 572 2691, WhatsApp us on 058 572 2691, email info@beingfit.ae or book your free trial and assessment. Every way to reach us is on our contact page.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good resting heart rate?
For adults, usually between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Fitter people often sit lower. Watch your own trend rather than one reading.
Is a low HRV bad?
Not on its own. HRV is very individual. A run of lower-than-usual readings, with a higher resting heart rate and poor sleep, is more meaningful than one number.
Should I skip training when my readiness score is low?
Not automatically. Check how you feel. Several poor days in a row usually mean a lighter session, not none at all.
Can my coach see my wearable data?
Only if you choose to share it. It can sit alongside your check-ins and measurements in the Being Fit app.
How do I see pricing?
Pricing for every package is on our Packages page, or WhatsApp us on 058 572 2691. Your first session is a free trial and assessment.
Sources
- British Heart Foundation: Heart and pulse rate, what’s normal and how to check it
- Shaffer F, Ginsberg JP. An overview of heart rate variability metrics and norms. Front Public Health 2017;5:258
- NHS Every Mind Matters: How to fall asleep faster and sleep better
- Kreher JB, Schwartz JB. Overtraining syndrome: a practical guide. Sports Health 2012;4(2):128-138
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or take regular medicines, speak to your doctor before starting a new exercise programme.
Choosing a coach? Read our guide to the best personal trainer in Dubai: seven honest checks before you book.
