Here, TrueSport Expert Kristen Ziesmer, a registered dietitian and board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, explains what exactly these supplements are providing, if they’re necessary, and what natural alternatives exist.

What are hydration supplements?

The hydration supplements that are currently popular are low-to-no calorie electrolyte tablets and powders. The common electrolytes found in these drinks include sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride. Electrolytes are required to help your body maintain fluid balance. They are necessary—but are also found in most foods, and likely don’t need to be supplemented.

Electrolyte tablets are supplements

It’s important to remember that even though these hydration tablets may seem innocuous, they still fall into the supplement category and that means they aren’t subject to the same regulations as foods. Supplements are regulated post-market, so no regulatory body reviews the contents before they reach consumers and that increases the chance of both intentional and unintentional contamination. If the supplement isn’t certified as NSF Certified for Sport, it may contain substances not listed on the label, substances in different quantities than identified, and substances that are prohibited in sport, says Ziesmer. “People often don’t realize that even things like electrolyte tablets or sports drink mixes can fall into the supplement category,” she says. A food-first approach to fueling is safer than supplements, and especially when it comes to electrolyte-infused drinks, it’s easy to get the same nutrients through real food.

Electrolyte tablets are expensive

Unfortunately, these tablets also come at a high cost, often nearly a dollar a tablet or packet, depending on the brand. “I strongly urge families to stop spending so much money on these fancy hydration supplements,” says Ziesmer. “They’re prohibitively expensive and they can truly be replaced by adding a bit of salt to water.”

Electrolyte tablets are not necessary for young athletes

Ultimately, while these electrolyte tablets and mixes may give water a fun flavor, they aren’t necessary for performance, says Ziesmer. And they’re certainly not necessary outside of practice or competition, since a standard diet will typically provide plenty of sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Often, these packets or tablets of electrolytes primarily contain high amounts of sodium, which is inexpensive and easy to add to any meal just by sprinkling a bit more salt on your food.

That being said, there are some situations where electrolyte products can be helpful, especially if you have a picky eater who doesn’t get enough sodium through food or a very heavy or salty sweater.

Electrolyte drinks should not replace other sports drinks

You may have seen low-or-no calorie electrolyte drinks and assumed that they would be healthier due to their low sugar content. However, those carbohydrates from sugar are actually necessary for athletes to perform! “You can make your own homemade sports drink by diluting fruit juice with water and adding a pinch of salt and a bit of granulated sugar,” says Ziesmer. “But you do need carbohydrates in addition to electrolytes, especially if you’re training for more than 45 minutes or you’re going to be sweating a lot.”

Replacing electrolyte supplements with food

Fortunately, there are two very simple ways to ensure your athlete is getting enough electrolytes in their diet: Add a pinch of salt in their water bottle or pack a salty snack. “I like putting a pinch of salt and a splash of fruit juice in a water bottle,” says Ziesmer. This gives your athlete the sodium they need, plus a fun flavor and a small amount of simple carbohydrates, which speeds the transport of sodium through the body. “If your athlete is already eating salty snacks like pretzels or chips, or any processed food, they’re likely getting plenty of sodium,” she adds. “You don’t need to add additional sodium on top of that.” Athletes can also get sodium from many sauces and condiments, such as soy sauce, BBQ sauce, and hot sauce.

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Takeaway

While your athlete may benefit from sports drinks that contain electrolytes and calories from simple carbohydrates during practice, they likely don’t need expensive electrolyte beverages or mixes outside of sport. A pinch of salt added to a water bottle is going to be just as effective while saving money and avoiding any issues of contamination in supplements.

Most sport parents have heard their athletes talk about how much they need this or that supplement to perform better, stay healthier, or train harder. If your athlete is set on supplements, you can help them minimize the risks from those products by understanding red flags, identifying high-risk supplements, and using only third-party certified supplements.

Here, Tammy Hanson, Director of Elite Education at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), explains how to minimize the health and anti-doping risks from supplements.

1. Understand the Potential Risks from Supplements

Dietary supplements come in many forms, including gels, protein powders, and multi-vitamins. These products are regulated post-market, which means that neither the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor any other regulatory body evaluates the contents or safety of supplements before they are sold online and at major retailers.

Even though there are many safe supplements on the market, post-market regulation makes it very hard to determine which products are truly safe and actually contain what’s listed on the labels. Contamination and the use of unhealthy, low-quality, or unlisted ingredients continues to be a big problem in the growing supplement industry.

“We know that the majority of ingredients are being outsourced from other countries, which increases the risk of cross-contamination,” explains Hanson. “Supplement companies can leave out or omit ingredients on the ingredient list. They can change the name of ingredients. Yes, the FDA can pull something off store shelves if they deem it unsafe—but only after they’ve deemed it unsafe, which could be too late.”

Given the potential for unknown ingredients and quantities of those ingredients, some supplements pose a health risk, and unfortunately, there are many documented cases of this issue. Some supplement companies may also intentionally use potent ingredients that increase the effects of the product but are prohibited for athletes subject to anti-doping rules.

2. Recognize Red Flags

Researching supplements and recognizing red flags can help consumers reduce their risk if they decide to use supplements. You can start researching supplements by checking to see if the product or manufacturer is on the USADA High Risk List or the FDA Tainted Supplements list before use. These lists are not all inclusive, but they are a good starting place for ruling out risky supplements known to be contaminated or contain harmful ingredients.

You should also consider these red flags while evaluating and researching any supplement you might use.

1. Products sold exclusively on the internet may be risky, as some companies try to avoid regulations this way.
2. Some products list ingredients by chemical names to deliberately confuse consumers.
3. Products that make claims like “newest scientific breakthrough” and “quick fix” are risky.
4. Products that claim to treat or prevent a disease, or be “an alternative to prescription medication” are risky.
5. Products that claim to be “FDA Approved” or “USADA Approved” are risky – these organizations don’t approve supplements.

More information about red flags is available here.

3. Use Third-Party Certified Supplements

Third-party certification simply means that products are tested by an independent company to confirm that the product’s label matches its contents. If athletes choose to use supplements despite the known risks, USADA has always recommended that athletes use only dietary supplements that have been certified by a third-party program that tests for substances prohibited in sport. Even if your athlete isn’t subject to anti-doping rules or being tested, avoiding potentially contaminated supplements is good practice, and safer for your athlete.

USADA doesn’t test products or offer certification, but it does currently recommend NSF Certified for Sport as the program best suited for athletes to reduce the risk from supplements. Look for the NSF Certified for Sport label on products, which means it has been tested by NSF not only to confirm that the product contains what it claims to contain, but also that it’s free of any substances that are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Some brands use “NSF Certified” and “NSF Certified for Sport” interchangeably in their marketing, so be sure to check on NSF for Sport’s website or app to ensure that the product is specifically tested for banned substances. Finally, when purchasing supplements, the safest way to purchase NSF Certified for Sport products is directly through that supplement company’s website rather than a third-party provider.

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Takeaway

USADA and TrueSport recommend a ‘food-first’ approach to fueling whenever possible. The fewer supplements your athlete uses, the lower the potential for contamination risks. For example, if your athlete needs more calcium in their diet, prioritizing calcium-rich foods like yogurt and nuts and seeds provides not just calcium, but also other vital nutrients. Similarly, rather than using a whey protein supplement, opting for regular milk, silken tofu, or low-fat Greek yogurt in smoothies can provide the same amount of protein without risk of contamination.

Athletes often assume that anti-doping only becomes relevant to them once they’re over 18 or start playing at the professional level. The reality is that any athlete who is a member of a National Governing Body (NGB), such as USA Swimming or USA Cycling, is subject to testing. That’s also true for any athlete who signs up for a national or international level event. Additionally, athletes who play NCAA college sports may be subject to testing and anti-doping rules.

So, whether it’s now or later, there’s a chance that your athletes will experience testing and anti-doping responsibilities. That’s why it’s important for athletes, even those in their teens, to become aware of anti-doping rules, resources, and best practices.

As a coach, you can help them prepare for these possible responsibilities. Tammy Hanson, Director of Elite Education at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), is focused on educating athletes, caregivers, and coaches on anti-doping rights and responsibilities around clean competition. Here, she’s sharing a few ways that coaches can help their athletes prepare for an anti-doping program.

1. Teach Athletes to Practice for Future Responsibilities

For student-athletes who aren’t being tested, things like checking for third-party certification on supplements may not seem important. But Hanson points out that learning these valuable skills and getting into the routine of assessing supplements and medications will be helpful for athletes if and when they get added to an anti-doping program.

“What can a 12-year-old athlete do to start preparing? That athlete can start to learn to check every single medication they’re taking on the Global Drug Reference Online (Global DRO) website,” Hanson says. “They can get in the habit of checking medications and ingredients. And they can start to learn about nutrition and what they’re putting into their bodies.”

Global DRO identifies the prohibited and permitted status of substances based on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List, which is a rigorous global standard and great way for athletes to learn where to exercise caution.

2. Teach Athletes to Focus on Food-First Fueling

“A young athlete can start associating how they eat before practice or a game with how their performance is and how they feel on the field,” says Hanson. “Making those connections between nutrition and performance can help them start to understand their individual fueling needs and make them less susceptible to using illegal or extraneous supplements.” While it’s true that some supplements can be helpful in some circumstances, people regularly overestimate the benefits and safety, which you can learn more about in the TrueSport Supplement Guide.

Essentially, dietary supplements are regulated in a post-market fashion, which means that no regulatory body approves the accuracy of the label or safety of the contents before they are sold to consumers. To be considered a dietary supplement, a product must a) contain ingredients that have a history of use in the food supply, b) be taken by mouth and swallowed (like a food), c) be advertised only to improve the diet or to provide nutrients, and d) must have a supplement facts panel. Athletes should understand that supplements can include gels and protein powders, as well as more obvious things like multi-vitamins and herbal supplements. USADA and TrueSport recommend a ‘food-first’ approach to fueling whenever possible, and it’s never too early to teach your young athletes how to focus on food rather than supplements.

3. Remind Athletes that Friends and Influencers Aren’t All Experts

Because of post-market regulation, supplements are at risk of cross-contamination, and if they aren’t third-party certified as free of banned substances, they can potentially contain those substances even if they aren’t listed on the label.

Unfortunately, supplements are often more appealing than real food: An athlete’s friends may love a certain energy drink or powder, or a social media influencer may say that a certain protein powder is making them faster/stronger/better. Help your athletes understand that this kind of peer pressure or trend following can lead them to risky supplements that could result in both health impacts and anti-doping issues. You can also help your athletes find real food options that have the same benefits as these trending supplements claim to have.

You can learn more about third-party certification here.

4. Teach Athletes to Check Medications

“Athletes are responsible for anything that goes in their eyes, ears, mouth, nose, or skin, so it’s a good habit to start checking products for prohibited ingredients,” says Hanson. Some of the 300+ banned substances on the WADA Prohibited List are found in common medications, so it’s important that your athletes become competent at checking for them.

For example, would your athletes guess that everyday medications for colds, asthma, and acne can be prohibited in-competition or at all times? On Global DRO, athletes can search medications by brands and active ingredients.

5. Teach Athletes about Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)—Before They Need One

Some medications may contain substances that are banned in and/or out of competition, but they are necessary for an athlete’s health. In these cases, athletes can apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).

“If an athlete has been prescribed a medication that’s banned, we recommend that they start by filling out the TUE Pre-Check Form on USADA’s website,” says Hanson. This form takes a few minutes to fill out and includes information about the prescribed medication, your athlete’s competition level, and information about any upcoming competitions. The team at USADA will look at the answers and will typically respond within three business days to inform the athlete if they need to file for a TUE.

“If you have additional questions, you can always call USADA’s Drug Reference Team,” explains Hanson. We don’t want this to be a guessing game for anyone.”

6. Teach Athletes What to Expect with Testing

Athletes who may experience testing should learn about how the system works early, since it may seem a little intimidating. Testing methods include both blood and urine testing, and testing can be done both in and outside of competition. To ensure the integrity of the sample and prevent cheating, international rules require that athletes are supervised from the time of notification, through the provision of the sample, and until the sample is secured for shipment.

Athletes have rights throughout this process, but providing a sample in front of a stranger can be uncomfortable at first, so it helps if athletes know what to expect. More information is available in USADA’s Clean Sport Handbook.

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Takeaway

Whether your athlete is currently in an anti-doping program or not, you can start preparing them early by helping them understand how to recognize supplement risks, check medications for banned substances, focus on a food-first approach to fueling, and prepare for testing.

Clean Sport is about Fairness and Integrity

Clean sport essentially means that athletes compete without the advantage of performance-enhancing drugs, but even more importantly, it’s about bringing integrity and fairness to sport. “We believe that athletes deserve the right to earn success by their own hard work, effort, and dedication to their sport,” says Royer.

USADA Exists to Protect Athletes

Anti-doping efforts, from education to testing, allow organizations like USADA to protect clean sport and athletes’ right to a fair playing field. “If we don’t police sport and hold participants accountable, it creates a culture where it’s very difficult to succeed by merit alone. Without anti-doping, sport could easily become a doping arms race where athletes of all ages feel like they need to use dangerous substances to stand a chance in competition.”

Anti-Doping is About Your Health, Too

Competing clean isn’t just about fairness, it’s about your own health and wellness. Royer notes that many banned substances can actually be dangerous for an athlete, especially when ingested during hard efforts. Certain painkillers, for example, can make you push beyond what your body can handle, which can result in career-ending injury.

Debunking the Old Excuses

You may have heard stories about people who were caught using banned substances in the past offering the excuse of “everyone else was doing it.” But in hindsight, many of those same athletes regret those decisions and wish they had made different choices. Here, Tyler Hamilton, a former professional cyclist, explores his decision to use PEDs, the physical and psychological effects, and why he would do things differently.

Understand the Cost of Doping

While it’s easy to see the impact of doping on the person who is eventually caught and sanctioned, it’s important to remember all the other athletes impacted by that person’s decision. Every time someone who dopes steals a moment on a podium, clean athletes lose the moment and the medal they earned and deserved.

“As recently as the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, athletes were robbed of their moment. They were robbed of the recognition of the years of effort put in by themselves and their coaches, families, and communities,” says Royer. “They didn’t get a medal moment because doping robbed an entire world of a fair and just Olympic and Paralympic Games cycle.”

You Don’t Need Shortcuts

The clean sport mentality extends beyond doping: It’s about any shortcuts to success in sport. “Don’t take shortcuts, and that doesn’t just mean banned substances,” says Royer. “It means everything from not cheating in a game to lying about finishing your reps at practice. This is what ethical participation in sport means.”

Ultimately, Clean Sport is About Respect

At the end of the day, athletes deserve to believe that they are competing in a clean sport. The world also deserves to watch athletes succeed without wondering whether their story is too good to be true. We deserve to have champions we can trust.

“Clean sport is about respect for your competitors. It’s about respect for yourself. It’s about respect for sport,” says Royer. “We want athletes to respect their hard work and earn their success. We don’t want athletes who skirt the system to cheat and get a leg up in a way that damages the people involved in the sport as well as their own health.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Report Misconduct

If you suspect an athlete is doping, Royer says that it’s important to share that information with someone you can trust. It may be a coach, it may be your sport’s governing body, or you can even use USADA’s Play Clean Tip Center to send a completely anonymous tip. “When you report doping violations, you are standing up for a global sports system that is fair and just, and one that is worth participating in,” says Royer.

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Takeaway

Clean sport is about integrity and respect. It’s about authenticity and fairness. Even if you don’t know the ins and outs of anti-doping rules, you can start by standing up for integrity in sport and holding yourself and others accountable for competing fairly.

While intervention and reporting may be uncomfortable, the most important thing you can do for your athlete is protect them, and it’s your responsibility as a parent, coach, official, or other present adult to educate yourself and act. According to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, here’s what you need to know about recognizing, responding to, and reporting abuse and misconduct.

RECOGNIZE Abuse and Misconduct

Recognizing abuse and misconduct is a critical first step to both preventing and responding to it. To start, it’s important to realize that abuse and misconduct can happen between an athlete and many different people, including another athlete, a coach, coach’s assistant, athletic trainer, or physical therapist.

We’ll cover the types of misconduct and abuse below, but keep in mind that even if you can’t label a behavior or it doesn’t violate a policy, you should always report anything that concerns you. Additionally, while the below are referred to as misconduct, they can all be considered child abuse depending on severity, as per federal and/or state law.

• Emotional Misconduct: Emotional misconduct can include both verbal and physical acts, from name-calling to throwing equipment at an athlete. Stalking and denying support can also be considered emotional misconduct.
• Physical Misconduct: Physical misconduct is any behavior that does or could lead to physical harm, which includes both contact and non-contact acts. Examples include punching, knowingly letting athletes return to play after injury without medical clearance, and withholding food or water.
• Sexual Misconduct: Sexual misconduct includes a wide range of sexual actions that are done without consent. It also includes grooming, sexual harassment, nonconsensual sexual contact or intercourse, sexual exploitation, exposing a minor to sexual content/imagery, sexual bullying behavior, and sexual hazing.
• Bullying: Bullying involves repeated and severe physical, verbal, social, or sexual behaviors, including name-calling, spreading rumors, taunting, or ridiculing someone based on gender or sexual preferences.
• Harassment: Harassment refers to repeated or severe conduct that causes fear or humiliation, degrades an athlete, creates a hostile environment, or attempts to establish superiority based on an athlete’s age, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, national origin, or disability.
• Hazing: Hazing involves physical, mental, emotional, or psychological conduct that could intimidate, degrade, abuse, or put an athlete in danger in order to be socially accepted. This could include conduct like making people play drinking games, physically restraining them, or depriving them of water, food, or sleep.

RESPOND to Abuse and Misconduct

If you witness or know about misconduct or abuse, never assume that someone else is taking care of it. Be sure to intervene and put an immediate stop to any misconduct or other harmful behavior you witness. If you learn about misconduct after the fact, determine if it has stopped, and if not, take action to stop it.

As you prepare for your role as an active bystander and/or mandatory reporter, keep these best practices in mind:

• Understand your sport organization’s policies and know what actions to look for, how you are expected to respond, and how to report.
• Regularly discuss acceptable and unacceptable behavior and hold everyone accountable for their behavior.
• Respond quickly to inappropriate behaviors to prevent escalation and continued harm.
• Respond consistently to misconduct you witness or learn about so there is no confusion about boundaries and accountability.
• Consider the developmental level of those involved when identifying acceptable behaviors and responses to those behaviors.

If abuse is disclosed to you, respond with these best practices in mind prior to reporting:

• Listen with empathy and let the athlete tell you the details they want to share at their own pace. Keep your body language and facial expressions open and non-judgmental.
• Thank them for telling you and trusting you.
• Remind them that you and others are here to help.
• Inform them of your next steps, including who you will report the information to. Remember, even if a child does not want the incident reported, mandatory reporters must follow legal reporting requirements.

If abuse is disclosed to you, do NOT:

• Doubt the accuracy of the report. Remember that false reports of abuse are very rare.
• Ask leading questions. Only ask open-ended questions and let the athlete tell you what happened in their own words.
• Call a child’s parents. Let authorities like child protective services identify when to communicate with parents and the appropriate steps needed to ensure a child’s safety.
• Check with other people to uncover more information or confront the perpetrator, as this can jeopardize the athlete’s safety.

REPORT Abuse and Misconduct

To best protect athletes, report abuse or suspicions of abuse immediately and regardless of your mandatory reporter status. Make sure you familiarize yourself with federal and state reporting requirements, as well as SafeSport reporting requirements.

For adults affiliated with the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, the SafeSport Code requires you to first follow applicable state or federal laws around reporting abuse and misconduct, but also to report:

• Child abuse, including child sexual abuse, immediately to law enforcement and the U.S. Center for SafeSport
• Sexual misconduct regardless of age immediately to SafeSport
• Emotional and physical misconduct (including bullying, hazing, and harassment) to your National Governing Body or SafeSport
• Violations of proactive prevention policies (such as the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies) to your National Governing Body

Your athlete’s team should have an abuse prevention policy already in place, which should include detailed instructions for reporting suspicions of abuse. If you haven’t seen this policy, ask the coach. Often, part of the reason abuse and misconduct are allowed to continue is that they are reported to the wrong people. Don’t automatically go to the athlete’s parents, the school administrator, or the coach.

If you’re unsure who to report to, go directly to local law enforcement, where they are better trained to handle these situations. You can also direct questions about abuse and misconduct to the SafeSport Helpline at 866-200-0796 or safesporthelpline.org. More information on reporting to the U.S. Center for SafeSport can be found here.

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Takeaway

Additional resources on recognizing, responding to, and reporting abuse are available here. Other local and national organizations are also available to help, including RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

Caveat: While nutrition can be used as a tool to improve sleep quality and help ease mild symptoms of anxiety, if your athlete is struggling with sleep disturbances or anxiety, it’s important to talk to a medical professional in addition to making smart nutritional choices.

Reduce Anxiety

1. Eat Enough and Keep It Balanced

“The first line of defense for your overall physical and mental health is to make sure that you have a well-balanced diet,” says Ziesmer. “Consuming a variety of different foods over the course of the day, particularly a lot of different fruits and vegetables, is going to help ensure that your athlete gets the nutrients they need. It’s also important to make sure your athlete is eating enough: Under fueling can exacerbate sleep and anxiety issues.” She also recommends a check-in with your family doctor to get bloodwork done to make sure that your athlete isn’t deficient in certain vitamins and minerals, including zinc, magnesium, and vitamins D and B.

2. Get the Right Fats

“Omega 3 fatty acids are extremely beneficial for brain health, and have been shown to help reduce anxiety,” says Ziesmer. Fatty fish are the best source of Omega-3s, so if your athlete likes salmon, tuna, and mackerel, add those to the shopping list. If your athlete isn’t a fish fan, Ziesmer says that flaxseed, walnuts, flaxseed oil, or walnut oil also contain high amounts of Omega-3s.

3. Get Some Sun

“A huge percentage of the U.S. population is deficient in vitamin D,” says Ziesmer. “And low vitamin D levels have been linked to anxiety. Fortunately, vitamin D is relatively easy to obtain: Just spend time outside in the sun.” She recommends roughly 30 minutes per day in bright sunlight. If that’s impossible in your area, especially in the winter, there are plenty of foods that contain or are fortified with vitamin D.

4. Include Magnesium and Zinc Sources

Magnesium and zinc are both important minerals for preventing and reducing anxiety. “Leafy greens, nuts, and seeds are a great source of magnesium, while zinc will primarily come from meat sources,” says Ziesmer. “Liver, oysters, cashews, and egg yolks are especially good sources of zinc.”

Promote Sleep

5. Cut Back on Caffeine Early

If your athlete tends to drink a caffeine-infused sports drink during afternoon practice, that caffeine could be wreaking havoc on their sleep schedule. Some people feel the impact of caffeine longer than others, so if your athlete is always wide awake around bedtime, try cutting out caffeine after noon. “Caffeine makes our brain go into overdrive. And even if you don’t feel the obvious effects of it, it can still keep you awake at night,” Ziesmer adds.

6. Create a Routine

Cutting caffeine helps promote sleep, but the best way to help improve your athlete’s snooze time is to help them create smart routines and rituals around bedtime. This means things like setting a schedule for bed/wakeup times and adding soothing pre-sleep activities, like reading a book rather than scrolling on Instagram, or taking a warm shower after practice. Ziesmer says a set schedule and routine—including bedtime snacks and beverages—is the best way to promote sleep.

7. Enjoy a Warm Beverage

While chamomile tea is touted as the best herbal option for making someone feel sleepy, any relaxing herbal tea that your athlete likes is a great option. The ritual of having a cup of tea before bed can help put your athlete in a state of relaxation—and of course, provide some bonus hydration! Any herbal tea will work well before bed, but make sure it doesn’t contain caffeine. Adding a bit of milk to the tea can also be sleep inducing, Ziesmer adds.

8. Add a High Protein Dessert

A higher protein snack before bed can help a young athlete sleep better, especially if there’s a late game or practice, or if they tend to underfuel during the day. If your athlete complains of waking up in the middle of the night feeling hungry, a protein-dense snack before bed will help. A mug of hot chocolate made with one percent milk, for example, is a tasty and protein-dense treat in addition to being a soothing warm beverage. Ziesmer also recommends a small bowl of Greek yogurt with berries and granola.

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Takeaway

Nutrition can help improve sleep and reduce feelings of anxiety by giving the body more of what it needs (like antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables) and less of what it doesn’t (like caffeine).

As a parent, you can help your athlete hone in on what really matters to them, and cut out the noise. Here are some easy ways to help your overwhelmed athlete set realistic goals.

Lead with empathy

Remember that while you have the benefit of hindsight as a parent, your young athlete may be experiencing this level of overwhelm for the first time. From your point of view, it’s easy to think their stressors are trivial and overblown, but remind yourself that your athlete’s feelings are real and valid. This is a critically important step, because if you don’t validate your athlete’s feeling of overwhelm, they may stop sharing those struggles with you.

Ask good questions

Most overwhelmed athletes struggle to explain how they’re feeling or even understand how many pressures they’re dealing with. Before you can help them tame their schedule and set goals for the next semester, start by helping them understand where they are right now. What are all of the activities they’re doing now, including sports, school, extracurriculars, and part-time work? Where are they falling behind? Where are they feeling caught up? How much time is each activity taking?

Help them identify what matters to them

After identifying what’s on their plate, it’s time to identify what really matters. Young athletes may struggle to identify the things that truly matter to them, rather than what matters to other people in their lives. For example, they may want to excel in a sport because their coach mentioned they have natural talent or because a best friend asked them to try out. And of course, they likely believe—whether accurately or not—that there are certain things that they should do because they matter to you. The best way you can help your athlete is by helping them identify the things that truly are important to them.

Help them prioritize

As you help your athlete prioritize, make sure the activities (including homework and time to sleep/relax) actually fit into their schedule. Try using a daily, weekly, or monthly planner to gain a better perspective on what’s realistic. Often, student-athletes are trying to fit 28 hours of activities and work into a single day. There may be some difficult decisions or conversations that come from this activity. For instance, your athlete may need to talk to the club coach about skipping some practices in favor of training with the school team. This might feel uncomfortable for your athlete, but that discomfort is a critical first step in them learning how to establish their priorities and set boundaries.

Turn their goals into SMART goals

Often, students struggle with setting goals that are challenging but realistic and actually within their control. Help your athlete think SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. Once that goal is set, help them come up with a plan to get to that goal, one step at a time. Also encourage them to regularly revisit their goals and edit the original goal as circumstances change.

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Takeaway

Feelings of overwhelm are common for athletes of all ages. You can help your athlete evaluate their commitments, establish their priorities, and set realistic goals that prioritize their wellness and grow their ability to set healthy boundaries.

Here are some simple steps to help your athletes set goals that matter.

Understand how athletes are feeling

As a coach, it’s easy to focus on goals that matter to you and your program. But before you start setting goals, think about what matters to your athletes. Take a moment to consider how they are feeling and what other pressures they may be dealing with. Pressures come at young athletes from all directions, including parents who want them to get that athletic scholarship, school administrators who are trying to improve school rankings, and teammates who want to win. Amidst this pressure, make sure you’re initiating conversations about what the athlete wants and what matters to them.

Set goals that focus on athlete wellness

Athletic goals shouldn’t just revolve around national championships or state titles. While it can be fun to have some goals that are based on specific outcomes, like making it to the championships, it’s equally important to have goals that are focused on process, development, and wellness. For example, you can help them set process goals for practices, set a team goal of getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night, and  create goals around creating an inclusive and healthy team culture.

Set goals for the team as a team

As the coach, you likely have certain hopes for the season, and it’s tempting to show up to the first practice of the season proposing those goals for the team. But instead of presenting your list of goals, try a goal-setting exercise with athletes. By allowing your athletes to set the goals for the team this season, you’re giving them ownership and making them more emotionally connected to the outcomes. And this approach works in the team’s favor: The Association for Applied Sports Psychology points out that when athletes set their own goals, they’re more likely to achieve them.

Help athletes set goals as individuals

While team goals are important, each athlete should also feel as though they have their own set of independent goals that align with their values. These personal goals may feed into the overarching team goal, but more importantly, they should focus on what matters to the athlete and what’s within their control. Make sure individual goals are challenging but realistic, while also keeping the athlete’s wellness at the forefront. Process goals are a great way to find this balance. For example, a swimmer might set process goals around improving their kick turns or a certain stroke. With both individual and team goals, it’s also important to make time to reflect on progress and adjust goals to reflect changing circumstances.

Remember athletes will have different needs

While it’s easy to think of your team as a singular entity, remember that each athlete will have different styles of learning and different needs and abilities. Some athletes will require extra help and attention to meet process goals, while others will do better with minimal involvement from you. Be aware that some goals will highlight inequities on the team. For example, some athletes may struggle to meet goals like adding in extra gym sessions because they’re busy working a part time job, so goals and expectations should account for those different circumstances. Encourage athletes to let you know what they need in order to thrive and achieve these goals—or when they need to tweak the goals that are set.

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Takeaway

As a coach, you have the ability to help each athlete on your team set goals for the season that establish a positive team culture and help them develop as healthy, happy people. To set goals that matter, let athletes know that you actually care about them and their personal goals, set goals for the team with the team, and focus on process goals that promote overall wellness.

Here, Dr. Michele LaBotz, a TrueSport Expert and sports medicine physician, shares six simple goals to set around sleep, recovery, nutrition, and strength training that will improve your overall wellness and support your athletic goals.

1. Get Enough Sleep

Did you know that teenagers are actually supposed to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night for optimum health, not the 7 to 9 hours recommended for adults? And did you know that children 6-12 years old should get 9-12 hours of sleep each night? That’s right: You need more sleep. “More and more evidence is coming out on the importance of meeting these sleep recommendations for injury prevention, athletic performance, and overall mental wellness,” says LaBotz.

If you are currently getting less than these recommended amounts, LaBotz warns that you may be chronically sleep deprived. The trick with chronic sleep deprivation is that you do not actually feel tired. Although cutting back on sleep for a night or two may make you feel drowsy, going with less sleep over longer periods does not create that same feeling. You may feel well-rested, but your body is not. When you are chronically sleep deprived, your body sends false messages about how awake you feel.

The challenge for many young athletes is that between school, sport, family, and friends, it often seems there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. However, for athletes looking to optimize performance and minimize injury, LaBotz emphasizes that making sleep a priority is key. If you are not consistently getting the recommended amount of sleep, pick a week (or two) where you are going to follow a sleep schedule based upon the clock, and not on how tired you feel. You may need to gradually build up your sleep time over a few days, but after experiencing the changes sufficient sleep can deliver, most athletes feel that it is time well spent!

2. Get Enough Recovery Time

If you’re on a travel team and a school team, you may accidentally fall into the “no recovery days ever” trap, says LaBotz. This isn’t good for your body, which means it’s also not good for your long-term development as an athlete. You should have at least one recovery day per week, even if it means skipping a practice to make that happen. This is important for maximizing your physical and mental performance and reducing your risk of injury.

Often, coaches aren’t aware of how much extra work you’re doing with the other teams you’re on, and if they did, they wouldn’t recommend training as much as you are. Talk to your coach or athletic trainer about what your current total training load looks like and find out if you should be skipping certain sessions in favor of time off or less intense active recovery.

3. Prioritize Strength Training

“For the vast majority of sports, strength training should be part of training,” says LaBotz. “It should be built into your training week rather than an addition to everything else you are already doing.”  If you are not currently involved in strength training, set a starting goal of doing strength work twice a week for 20 to 30 minutes.

If your coach hasn’t built it into your training plan already, talk to them about how you can best fit it in. You may also want to talk to an athletic trainer to help you build a routine that hits all the major muscle groups. Focus on technique and not just on how heavy the weights are! Remember, strength training should be part of your training for sport, and not just an “added on” activity.

4. Find a Recovery Protocol That Works

Some athletes love to foam roll their legs after a workout. Others prefer hopping in an ice-cold bath to soothe sore muscles. Some prefer doing an easy yoga flow. Find what works and feels good for you, and make time for it in your routine, says LaBotz. Set a goal of doing a few minutes of active recovery, particularly after a hard workout.

5. Improve Your Post-Workout Fueling

“For athletes who are training every day, it’s important to have a snack that’s rich in carbohydrates and includes a little bit of protein after practice,” says LaBotz. If you typically have dinner within 30 minutes of finishing practice, that’s usually plenty. But if it’s longer than that before you’re home and at the dinner table, you should have a snack on hand that you can eat when practice is over.

“Make sure you have something in your locker or something in your gym bag that you can eat or drink right after you’re done,” says LaBotz. This could be as simple as half of a sandwich, a carton of chocolate milk, a handful of trail mix, or some cheese and crackers. (Get more locker-friendly ideas here.)

6. Have a Life Outside of Sports

If you’re so busy playing sports that you never have time to see a movie with friends, or to participate in any other extracurriculars, it’s time to set a goal that actually takes you away from your sport. “You should have variety in your life,” says LaBotz. This variety protects your mental and physical wellness, as well as reduces the risk of burnout in sport.

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Takeaway

In addition to setting goals for your athletic performance this season, consider setting some that focus on overall wellness. Goals around sleep, recovery, strength, and nutrition will ultimately make it easier to achieve your athletic goals—and make you a stronger, healthier human in the process.