What does imbalanced health look like?  

A young person with imbalanced health:  

• has prolonged tiredness and fatigue 
• often gets inadequate sleep (less than 8 hours) 
• may have irritability or mood changes 
• has an irregular or absent menstrual cycle 
• has recurring injuries or illness 
• doesn’t make time for physical activity, hobbies or social connection  

Who is at risk of imbalanced health?  

Young people at risk of imbalanced health are often individuals who: 

• are involved in early specialisation - usually in one sport. There is greater risk in activities with an aesthetic or weight restricted focus e.g., gymnastics, ballet. 
• participate in multiple sports and activities, with over-scheduling of commitments. 
• have multiple life stressors e.g., physical activity demands, family stress, academic pressure, relationship conflict. 
• exhibit perfectionist tendencies. They tend to be high achievers in multiple areas of life. 
• move to higher level programs or training groups. The number of hours and intensity often increase. 
• have previous injuries (especially bone stress injury) and recurrent illnesses e.g., coughs and colds. 
• have engaged in disordered eating practices such as restricted eating, avoiding food groups, reward eating. 
• demonstrate disordered training practices e.g., over-training, skipping rest days or signs of exercise addiction. 

How to assess balanced health  

As coaches, instructors, or parents you can ask these questions to assess overall balance and better understand a young person’s health and wellbeing. 

Training

• Are they enjoying participating in their sport or physical activity?
• Are they motivated to attend and / or compete?
• Is their activity balanced and are all elements covered? i.e., strength, core, fitness, fun.

Nutrition

• How are they eating to support their physical activity?
• Do they avoid meals or specific food groups?
• Do they have energy throughout training and games?
• Can they recover between activities?

Menstrual Cycle

• Are they experiencing regular menstrual cycles?
• Are they taking a hormonal contraception which may mask issues of the menstrual cycle?

Sleep

• Are they getting 8+ hours of sleep per night?
• Do they feel fatigued or not recovered?
• Do they have at least one rest day per week?

Support

• Do they have a good support network?
• Do they have a trusted adult who they can talk to if needed?

Social Connection

• Are they connecting with friends and social groups?
• Are they feeling any pressures around participating in sport or other physical activitiese.g., body image, playing with friends, loss of fun?

Injury / Illness

• Have they been regularly injured or unwell?
• Is there a history of bone injury e.g., shin splints, stress reaction or stress fracture?
• Do they have a prolonged injury affecting participation and / or wellbeing?

Other Interests

• Are they engaging in social activities and down time away from sport or physical activity?
• Do they come back motivated and engaged?