ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the impact of athletes’ physical health on sports performances and general health and well-being. It examines the importance of sleep and the roles that nutrition and hydration play in performance and health. Nutrition is important contributor to athletes’ health. Simply put, nutrition is the fuel that propels sports performance. The chapter focuses on athletes addressing stress both within and outside of their sports lives and discusses the roles of well-being in performance and health. It provides insight into contemporary thinking that will help consultants to better understand the interaction between sports performance and the health and well-being of athletes. The chapter presents consultants with valuable information and useful tools they can use to ensure that athletes’ health and well-being is their foremost priority. Few consultants in applied sport psychology or mental training also have expertise in the physical health aspects of athlete performance such as nutrition and sleep.
