We’ve had a few guests on the show who've chatted about Heart Rate Variability as a way of measuring fitness and recovery. Today's guest, Anna Hemmings, is Britain’s most successful female marathon kayaker with a staggering eleven World and European Championship medals, 9 of them gold. She is now a leading inspirational speaker on resilience and high performance. 

By the age of 24, Anna had been World Champion 3 times and competed at the Olympic Games.  In 2010 she was awarded an MBE for her services to sport.  She achieved this success against all the odds. At the peak of her career, Anna was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and was told by medical experts she might never race again.  She battled her way to full recovery and went on to win a further 3 world titles and compete at her second Olympic Games in Beijing 2008. 

Since retiring from sport Anna has become recognised as a specialist in the field of resilience and the psychology of high performance. She is an accredited Leadership Coach and founded Beyond the Barriers high performance training consultancy. Anna has worked with CEO’s and senior leaders through to middle management, designing and delivering resilience, leadership and high performing teams programmes.

There are some fascinating crossovers with previous podcasts on breathing and stress management and you can use some of Anna’s lessons in your sporting performances as well, like managing anxiety before an open water swim.

Some of the topics discussed include:

The value of group training for mental health

Overtraining vs chronic fatigue and how to recognise the signs

Recovery from chronic fatigue

How to use a simple 2-minute breathing practice to raise your HRV

Learning to listen to your body and understanding the connection between mind and body

Self-compassion and resilience

If you’d like to follow Anna Hemmings she has a couple of websites:

www.annahemmings.com

www.beyondthebarriers.co.uk

And you also can find her on the following social media channels:

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-hemmings-mbe/

Twitter: @annahemmings

 

The HeartMath Institute - founded in 1991, the HeartMath Institute has developed reliable, scientifically validated tools that help people reduce and avoid stress while experiencing increased peace, satisfaction, and self-security.

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