Just before the vacation, of all things, I caught a cold with a heavy sniffle, which - together with long, intense workdays - caused me to sleep poorly for days. My test results deteriorated noticeably and exactly matched how I felt - tired and exhausted. So the vacation in the south came just at the right time.

Listen to the body

As the cold continued to plague me, I reduced my training program to a minimum during these days. Instead, I concentrated entirely on taking it easy and regenerating - both physically and mentally. Fittingly, my vacation reading as well as my vacation sports activities revolved around stress reduction through mindfulness exercises, especially body scans, breathing exercises and meditations. Snorkeling in particular gave me the opportunity to harmonize my breathing with my movements, to focus intensely on my body, and to immerse myself for a while in a world that made me quickly forget everything else. In addition, I combined the morning measurement with a little meditation outdoors, with a view of the palm trees, the beach and the sea. The result: My resting pulse rate dropped in a very short time from over 80 before the vacation to 60 and the stress level from over 53% to 10. The bio-age was also reduced by almost two years. After a week of vacation, I am now top recovered and fit enough to resume my regular training program and face my schedule, which is already full to the brim again. The mindfulness exercises have proven their worth, and in the future I will pay more attention to taking a break instead of one or the other training session.

Recommended reading on the subject of stress

On the subject of morning measurement and stress, here is an interesting quote from the highly recommended book "Stress bewältigen mit Achtsamkeit" (Coping with Stress through Mindfulness) by Linda Lehrhaupt and Petra Meibert: "In the stress reaction, which is also called the 'fight or flight' reaction, the organism is running at full speed. This stress program of the body with the release of cortisol is also important for getting up in the morning, so that the organs can go into action again after the rest phase. The cortisol level of a healthy person is highest in the morning so that we are able to start the day actively. A reassuring hint for all those Vitalmonitor users who "have to wait" a little with the morning measurement because the stress level is too high directly after getting up.