Protocol Glossary
Science-backed definitions for every term in your health data: plain English and the mechanism behind it.
Active Recovery
Low-intensity movement that accelerates physiological recovery faster than rest alone
→ Read definitionAllostasis vs. Homeostasis
How the body maintains balance not by staying fixed, but by anticipating and adapting
→ Read definitionBurnout (Physiological Definition)
Systemic physiological failure from chronic unrecovered stress load
→ Read definitionButeyko Method
A breathing retraining technique that reduces breathing volume and trains nasal, low and slow breathing to build CO2 tolerance.
→ Read definitionCold Exposure
A deliberate thermal stressor that activates recovery and adaptation
→ Read definitionCompression Therapy
Mechanical pressure that accelerates fluid clearance after training
→ Read definitionDiaphragmatic Breathing
Breathing that engages the diaphragm and expands the belly, not the chest, to trigger a fast, voluntary calm-down of the nervous system.
→ Read definitionFight-or-Flight Response
Your body's hardwired emergency activation system
→ Read definitionFunctional Overreaching
The productive edge where fatigue becomes adaptation
→ Read definitionHeat Acclimation / Sauna
A controlled heat stress that builds cardiovascular resilience and growth hormone response
→ Read definitionImmune Suppression (Post-Stress)
The temporary dip in immune defense that follows a demanding stress or training bout
→ Read definitionNervous System Fatigue
The fatigue that hides beneath the muscle soreness
→ Read definitionNon-Functional Overreaching
When too much training stops paying off
→ Read definitionParasympathetic Rebound
The nervous system shift that signals genuine recovery
→ Read definitionPassive Recovery
Complete rest as a deliberate training input
→ Read definitionPolyvagal Theory
A framework for understanding how the nervous system governs safety, threat, and social connection
→ Read definitionPsychoneuroimmunology
The science of how stress, emotions, and thought patterns directly change immune function, and immune signals shape mood in return
→ Read definitionRecovery Window
The post-training period when adaptation either happens or stalls
→ Read definitionRest-and-Digest
The parasympathetic state where recovery actually happens
→ Read definitionSoft Tissue Work / Massage
Manual therapy that addresses the texture and mobility of muscle and fascia
→ Read definitionStress Response (General Adaptation Syndrome)
Your body's blueprint for handling any stressor
→ Read definitionMore terms added regularly. Check back for new entries across all categories.
