Pacing Guard
Protect your energy — without constant calculation.
GO and REST cycles designed for unpredictable fatigue.
Crashes can set you back for days.
Pacing Guard provides structured activity and rest intervals to help you stay within your limits. Gentle voice or haptic cues guide you — so you don't have to watch the clock or mentally track time.
Unlike generic timers, it's built specifically for ME/CFS and Long COVID. Created by someone living with Long COVID, for people with ME/CFS, Long COVID, and post-viral fatigue.
- No accounts
- No ads
- No tracking
- No internet needed
- No hidden costs
How it works
Set it up once. Let it guide you.
Set your intervals
Choose how long to be active and how long to rest. The default is 30 seconds each. You can adjust any time in Settings.
Connect a heart rate strap
Pair a Bluetooth chest strap for real-time monitoring and alerts as you approach your personal limit. The app works without one.
Start, then follow the cues
Press start, put your phone in your pocket, and continue your activity. Voice or haptic cues tell you when to GO, when to REST, and when you are approaching or have reached your limits.
Review and adjust
Every session is saved — heart rate over time, pacing calendar, streaks. Adjust your intervals as you learn your limits.
Already using a sports watch?
Sports watches are great pacing tools — and many people use them successfully. Pacing Guard takes a different approach: instead of alerting you when your heart rate is too high, it guides you through structured GO / REST cycles — timed activity and rest phases delivered as voice or haptic cues on your phone.
Monitor your heart rate and alert you when you exceed a limit — you decide when and how long to rest.
Guides you through timed activity and rest phases with clear cues — so you don't have to interpret or watch the screen.
Activity and rest, clearly structured
The app alternates between GO and REST phases with a visual countdown ring. Voice cues and haptic feedback tell you when to switch. No need to watch the screen. Adjust each phase to the duration that works for you.
Why this app was built
In 2023, I became ill with COVID-19. I didn't expect my life to narrow the way it did. Suddenly, everyday things came with a cost. A short walk. A conversation. Even thinking too hard. And every time I crossed an invisible limit, I paid for it with days or weeks of worsening symptoms. One thing became painfully clear: pacing wasn't optional. It was survival. Not pushing. Not crashing. Learning where the line is before you cross it.
I tried to manage it in my head. Notes. Timers. Guesswork. But when your nervous system is already overloaded, the last thing you need is another mental burden. So I built the tool I needed. Something that could help me see my limits instead of constantly running into them. I've used it every day. Refined it through real crashes, real data, real life.
And now I'm releasing it for others who are trying to live inside a body that no longer gives clear signals. This app exists so you don't have to do pacing alone.
— Kim, developer of Pacing Guard
$1.99 · one-time · no subscription · yours forever
Monitor your heart rate in real time
Connect a Bluetooth heart rate strap to see your current heart rate and session maximum. Set a personal heart rate limit and the app suggests a starting point based on your resting heart rate, or use your own value. Set your limit, and the app alerts you as you approach it — giving you time to rest before going further.
Note: The suggested starting point is based on Workwell Foundation guidance — not a personal prescription. Your actual threshold varies by physiology; consult your healthcare provider for personalized advice. Requires any standard Bluetooth Low Energy chest strap (sold separately).
Set it up your way
Simple to use, yet highly customizable. Choose voice cues, haptic feedback, spoken countdown, or silence. Adjust GO and REST durations independently. Save pacing sessions as workouts to Apple Health. The app adapts to what feels comfortable and not the other way around.
A simple log of your sessions
Every session is logged with duration, intervals, and heart rate stats. Tap into any session to see your heart rate over time and how long you stayed within or above your limit. Export your data to CSV whenever you need it — useful for sharing with your healthcare team. Sessions can also be saved to Apple Health (optional, off by default).
Built for the whole picture
Beyond the timer — track your sleep, your patterns, your progress.
Sleep monitoring
Track your heart rate overnight. High resting heart rate can signal poor recovery.
Pacing calendar
Color-coded daily view of your pacing history. Spot patterns and trends at a glance.
Dark mode
Follows your system setting automatically. Easy on the eyes for evening sessions.
Your data stays yours
All your session data is stored locally on your device. Nothing is uploaded, shared, or sent anywhere. No accounts. No analytics. No third-party tracking. No one can see your data by design.
Read the privacy policyStart pacing with confidence
One-time purchase. No subscription. Yours forever.