Stress.
We all have it but not all stress is bad.
However, with the upcoming holidays, it’s important to get ahead of stress by becoming more aware of what triggers it and how often you’re under stress throughout the day. We’ve teamed up with Vital Scout to test their wellness monitor to not only track our stress, but also recovery, sleep and activity levels for specific time periods and, wow, have we learned a lot about our physiological health! Vital Scout takes wellness tracking a step further by using a medical-grade ECG sensor to give you a comprehensive view of your well-being. Not only has it helped us better understand what causes stress, but it’s also opened our eyes to see how hard we’re really pushing ourselves whether in the gym or out hiking in the mountains!
We all have a lot going on in our lives that could cause stress. Here are just a few things that come to mind:
- Work
- School
- Children
- Parents
- Friends
- Traffic
- Working Out
We’ve probably all worn or have at least heard about activity monitors. Many are worn on the wrist but Vital Scout is a wireless patch that you apply to your chest and wear for 24-hour monitoring. The patch can be worn continuously and holds a charge for quite a long time, which is a great thing in my book!
I tested ours out over many different activities such as working, driving in traffic (which measured as high stress!), climbing a mountain, and relaxing. It was very interesting to see how the device measured each activity. I loved the fact that I could easily pull up the app to see a comprehensive view of my day. Below are a few examples of what the data in the app looks like.
Here’s another look:
I found it interesting that my stress would pick up in the morning when getting ready for work and commuting. Anytime I was in the car it registered higher stress levels! It was also interesting to see how much energy we were exerting while hiking. My weight lifting workouts often registered as stress and cardio workouts registered as an activity. The respiratory rate was eye-opening because I realized that I wasn’t breathing as deeply as I should be. This helped me correct my breathing habits and focus more on deeper breathing throughout the day.
Below is a picture from our hike up Blood Mountain in Blairsville, Georgia.
I love that this is just another reminder that sometimes I need to take a deep breath and relax. I’ve really enjoyed exploring the data provided and can’t wait to keep using it during different activities. You can learn more and purchase your own here.
P.S. Did you partake in our challenge last month which involved detoxing your stress? Vital Scout would be an awesome addition for you when you start the challenge – it’s never too late to get started!
Connect with Vital Scout:
- Learn more and purchase your own on Vital Scout’s website!
- Facebook: @VivaLNKINC
- Twitter: @Viva_LNK
- Instagram: @vitalscout
Let’s all get that stress under control!
– Scott
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