Staying healthy boosts chances of sporting success
One of the greatest fears of an athlete is that injury can strike just at the wrong time which could greatly impede their preparation or if it happens just before competition, it can rule them out of the opportunity to achieve their goal. Even a niggling injury can be disruptive and as a result it is no surprise that so much research, money and time has been invested in order to dramatically reduce injury in athletes. Another factor that is now receiving a considerable amount of attention is the area of general health and recent research suggests that avoiding niggling illnesses and ensuring the athlete is in a good state of health are significant indicators in terms of achieving ultimate success.
For many people a simple sneeze or cough may be no more than an inconvenience, but for an athlete it can be the barrier to success, and a recent study highlights the importance of staying clear of what may appear to be only a minor ailment. The conclusions of a study on the training records of 37 elite Norwegian cross-country skiers over a nine-year period provide interesting reading as it finds that an athlete was more likely to win a medal if they avoided sickness over the months/years leading up to a competition. In reviewing the findings, which were published in the British Medical Journal, Alex Hutchinson sums up the conclusions by stating simply,
if you keep getting the sniffles, you’re less likely to climb onto the podium
The research involved a total of 37 Norwegian cross-country skiers whose detailed training records over a nine-year period were analysed. What it found was the 16 athletes that claimed individual medals at the Olympics or World Championships recorded symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infection on an average of 14 days per year. In comparison, the 21 athletes who were unsuccessful in claiming a medal had an average of 22 days reporting such symptoms.
Illness leads to a decrease in performance
The results of this study back up the approach of the English Institute of Sport which has a department dedicated to preventing the threat of illness among athletes. In Preventing injury and illness in athletes physiotherapist Ashleigh Wallace, who leads the research and innovation team on athlete health, reveals that the institute views injury and illness as the biggest threats to an athlete and as a result they have a system whereby they look at both the health and performance of an athlete on a daily basis to help prevent problems. The type of problems that can arise and cause disruption for an athlete are highlighted in Sick and Tired Athletes which states:
Frequent upper respiratory infections (URIs) are among the signs that your body is being pushed too hard. Coaches have observed that some athletes appear to be frequently ill and, historically, in both the summer and winter Olympic Games, team physicians have noted the common occurrence of URIs. All too often this tarnishes the athlete’s chance at gold
It is a problem recognized by Dr Niall Elliott, Head of Sports Medicine at Team Scotland during the Commonwealth Games, who reveals that athletes are more susceptible to picking up infections because of the strain put on their bodies by training.
Athletes push their bodies so hard that training has the same impact as chemotherapy, and their immune systems are susceptible to coughs and colds. A 1% decrease in performance can mean milliseconds on the track for a 100m runner, or several strides for a marathon runner
he explains and in real terms that could be the difference between success and failure.
Take measures to avoid illness
Being aware of the potential consequences of poor general health is important for a coach and athlete, but taking measures to deal with the issue is vital. For example Sport Scotland’s Institute of Sport put a huge emphasis on hygiene by encouraging all to use hand sanitizers and by teaching hand-washing techniques in a bid to avoid the spread of germs. The Norwegian cross-country skiers research illustrated that there is a higher risk of infection following competition, and also from air travel. As a result, the skiers are advised not to fly home directly after their race, but to wait until the following day in an attempt to minimize the risk. In Sick and Tired Athletes there is advice for both the elite and recreational athlete in how to avoid infections that will affect preparation for the big competition, or just disrupt your regular exercise routine.
The main piece of advice is quite simply to listen to your body as recognizing early warning signs will help you alter the training schedule to keep you healthy. Such indicators include:-
- disordered sleep
- lack of energy
- moodiness
- excessive muscle soreness
- altered appetite
- frequent injury or illness
One of the most important factors is to follow a suitable training programme as a sudden increase in training load may put you at higher risk by weakening the immune system. The article also suggests keeping a training log which pays attention to fatigue levels, and recording your resting morning heart rate as an indicator of your ability to recover.
Take responsibility
In conclusion, the message is simple: Staying healthy helps achieve success and according to Ida Svendsen, a physiologist with the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee who led the study on the cross-country skiers, it is no coincidence that those who maintain a superior level of general health achieve success.
I don’t think it’s entirely luck of the draw. I think the very best athletes are typically the ones who are most meticulous about pretty much everything – training, sleep, nutrition, hygiene
she stated, which underlines the fact that there is a huge responsibility on the athlete to ensure they stay healthy.
References
Athletes who get sick less often win more medals, study finds by Alex Hutchinson
Sick and Tired Athletes
Preventing injury and illness in athletes
Training-related and competition-related risk factors for respiratory tract and gastrointestinal infections in elite cross-country skiers by Ida S Svendsen, Ian M Taylor, Espen Tønnessen, Roald Bahr, Michael Gleeson
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