Athletes – Find your balance to sustain performance

Open conversations between athletes, coaches, support teams and wider support networks are critical to athletes finding the right balance to sustain their performance.

That’s the word from HPSNZ’s Dr Sue Robson, whose team has launched a campaign in collaboration with NSOs this month to promote awareness of the importance of balanced athlete health.

“The message to athletes is, ‘your wellbeing matters’. We’d like to take you on a journey over the next four months to help make some clear connections between your wellbeing, health and performance,” Sue says.

“Our goal is to make you think, generate triggers for some critical conversations and help you as an athlete recognise, appreciate and make use of your support network.”

Sue says athletes can start the journey simply by thinking about:

• What’s important for you as an individual to nurture your wellbeing while striving to sustain your performance in HP sport
• What does balance in HP sport mean and look like for you?

“As an athlete, take the time to think and talk to those around you about what balance means for you in high performance sport. What does balance look like for you right now? Start the conversation. Own your wellbeing, health, and performance.”

Former Olympic middle distance runner Adrian Blincoe acknowledges balance for a high performance athlete is a unique proposition.

“What high performance athletes do at times is anything but balanced – they push performance boundaries with very high loads, with what can often feel like a singular focus. The key is to recognise and acknowledge the reality of that and find your own personal approach to balancing things out at the appropriate time.”

Adrian acknowledges balance isn’t fixed – it shifts with your training and competition commitments, your health, your goals, and the pressures you face.

It is important to regularly reflect and have intentional conversations about what necessarily (or unnecessarily) adds to your load versus what helps you recover and adapt and then be intentional about what you need in this day, week, or training block to strive toward your goals.”

“Discussions, with your support team, assist in making informed decisions that support your performance and health – balance matters.”

To support the athlete journey Sue’s team have produced a series of Balanced Athlete Health Infographics which will be rolled out as wall posters at HPSNZ facilities and in NSOs between now and the end of the year. Each infographic focuses on an aspect of Balanced Athlete Health.

Sue and her team have also developed an Athlete Performance Library which houses the infographics and supporting resources specifically designed and curated for athletes.

“A key ongoing feature of this will be the inclusion of video stories from athletes themselves so athletes can hear directly from those who are facing or have faced similar health and wellbeing challenges or questions to their own.”

The first of these video stories featuring Olympic Cyclist Jaime Nielsen [Link] is live now.

Coming in October:  Te Whare Tapa Whā – Discover how you can use the four dimensions of hauora that influence and support each other to help you get the best out of yourself by understanding your balance.