4 Keys to Coach Wellness in Sports

Hi Coach,

Before you dive in, two quick notes:

In today’s issue…

Coaching is hard.

It’s long hours, it’s holding standards, it’s nurturing relationships, it’s being judged by people who have never done the work, it’s tough conversations, it’s believing in others, and it’s helping others grow.

Coaching requires a lot of a person.

It’s almost constant pouring out into others.

But if we don’t fill our own cup first, we can’t pour into others well.

I’ve been thinking about this concept of “coach wellness” over the past few weeks after I listened to a podcast with Dr. Michael Gervais, a sports psychologist, and Dr. Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep.

The episode is primarily focused on the research behind the benefits of sleep and the downsides of lack of sleep, but Dr. Gervais and Dr. Walker also spoke about some general wellness topics that I think can serve every coach.

In the work Dr. Gervais does with high-performing coaches and leaders, they look at 4 areas of well-being:

This one is a bit of a “duh,” but it’s a lot harder to practice because of the realities of the coaching lifestyle.

We need to put good fuel in our tank!

I’ve used the analogy of a luxury car with athletes before, and I think coaches would be well served by it as well.

You don’t put regular fuel in a Ferrari, you put premium fuel in it.

Put premium fuel in your body.

We should be eating nutritious, whole foods that give our body energy and doing our best to avoid processed foods that zap our energy.

This can be challenging for coaches with the schedules and late nights.

I know that after coaching games, I often return home feeling ravenous and will eat too much or things that aren’t good fuel.

The other key factor is proper hydration. Drink more water!

It’s also wise to limit caffeine intake after your morning. Caffeine consumed in the afternoon is still in your system at bedtime and can negatively impact your sleep.

We should also be wise and moderate with our alcohol consumption.

This is not a moral judgment on alcohol, but the research is clear on the negative impacts it has on our body and sleep.

Eat better food and drink more water, and energy levels begin to increase.

If you want a deep dive into this topic, I’d encourage you to give the podcast a listen.

In short, we all need it and lots of it. Most of us need more than we’re currently getting.

According to Dr. Walker, the percentage of people who are not negatively impacted by getting less than 8 hours of sleep a night is exactly 0%.

A lack of sleep negatively impacts our immune system, energy levels, and can even make us socially repulsive to our peers.

For a lot of people, the lack of quality sleep is impacted by the choices we make in the evenings with food, alcohol, and technology.

Being intentional with our sleep is critical for being an effective leader.

Sleep issues are also a real things for many people, which Dr. Walker dives into in the episode. If that’s applies to you, give the conversation a listen and get the help you need.

Sleeping well can transform the way we show up to lead others each day.

Regular exercise and movement is foundational to health and well-being.

It lowers stress, clears the mind, and helps us regulate our emotions.

Personally, nothing clears my mind and regulates me like breaking a sweat.

Walk. Run. Bike. Play a sport.

Move your body daily!

It’s doesn’t have to be big, in fact, it’s best if you start small.

Go for a 5-minute run each day. Start mastering the habit of showing up to move and stretch yourself a little each day.

If you can, exercise with someone else! It’ll hold you accountable to showing up and you’ll be connecting with people that matter to you (see #4)!

Too many relationships have been sacrificed on the altar of coaching.

To be a healthy coach, we must prioritize the relationships in our life (spouses, children, family, close friends) that matter more than coaching ever will.

But it doesn’t happen unless we’re intentional with it.

I’ll be the first to confess, I was terrible at this until the last year.

Now, my wife and I sit down quarterly and plan out date nights for us for the next three months. We also plan out 1:1 time that we’re going to spend with our kids.

Then, we put it on the calendar and actually make it happen!

It’s hard to be a great coach if your personal relationships aren’t in a healthy place.

On the coaching side of things, it’s also critical that we’re intentional about connecting well with our coaches and players.

Set weekly check-ins with your coaching staff as a whole and 1:1 meetings with assistants.

With players, connect with every player individually before or after practice. Also, plan out time for 1:1 meetings with each player on a consistent, recurring basis.

Finally, one of the most powerful things I’ve done and continue to do to connect well with others is write gratitude notes.

Take 10 minutes, sit down with pen and paper, and write a note to someone expressing your appreciation to them. It could be a spouse, child, friend, coach, player, or parent.

It’ll mean a ton to that person to receive it, and it’ll improve your mental well-being as well (see the research behind this in The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath).

A few thoughts on applying these ideas:

Topics include:

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Thanks for reading, I hope this serves you on your journey.

To your growth,

Luke Gromer, RYG Athletics | A NIKE Sports Camp Provider

P.S. If you’re interested in becoming one of our NIKE Sports Camp directors, reply “NIKE” to this email, and we’ll get on a call! You can see testimonials from over 100 athletes that attended our camps last summer.

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