Athlete Toolkit

• Get a sports physical every year, and tell the doctor about any past concussions, injuries, fainting, or chest pain during exercise.
• Meet your athletic trainer and save their number. Athletic trainers are licensed to evaluate injuries and guide a safe return to play.
• Ask the coach: "What’s our emergency plan? Is there an AED and a cold-water tub at practices and games?"Question to ask
• Keep medical info handy: allergies, medicines, inhalers, and emergency contacts, in your phone and with the team.
• Wear a mouthguard for contact sports, and gear that fits. Replace worn-out shoes before they cause problems.
• Map the season: games, tournaments, travel, and school deadlines. Plan lighter weeks before you need them.

Questions for the coach

• "How many practices and games are there each week, and how many full rest days?"Question to ask
• "Do you use an injury-prevention warm-up, like FIFA 11+, before practice?"Question to ask
• "Who checks injuries at practices and games, and how do you decide when an athlete can return?"Question to ask

Sleep

• Aim for 8 to 10 hours a night for teens, and 7 to 9 for adults, on a steady schedule, even on weekends.
• Screens off an hour before bed, and phones charge outside the bedroom.
• Make the bedroom dark, cool, and quiet.
• Get morning sunlight outside, without sunglasses, to set your body clock.
• No caffeine late in the day, and no energy drinks for kids and teens (American Academy of Pediatrics).
• Short early-afternoon naps can help on heavy training days.

Breathing, airway, and teeth

• Ask for an airway evaluation before braces or tonsil removal. An airway-focused dentist or ENT can check whether a narrow airway is affecting sleep and breathing.Question to ask
• Practice nasal breathing during easy training and at night. Mouth breathing and snoring are worth getting checked. Read breathing as a performance tool.
• Keep up dental checkups, and see a biological dentist for a comprehensive exam if your athlete has an ongoing health condition.

• Build every plate the same way: protein first (eggs, meat, fish, Greek yogurt), then vegetables, then fruit.
• Add whole-food carbs on training days: sweet potatoes, rice, potatoes, and fruit. Fruit is athlete energy. Pasta works as a small side if it agrees with you.
• Eat a real meal two to three hours before games, and a small snack like fruit closer to game time.
• Refuel after games: protein plus carbs, like chicken and rice or eggs and fruit. Read the recovery window.
• Skip the extras: seed oils, artificial dyes, sugary sports drinks, and ultra-processed snacks.
• Choose organic and pasture-raised when you can, and wash produce well.
• Eat enough. Not eating enough for your training can affect hormones, bones, and performance (called RED-S). For girls, missed periods are a warning sign to see a doctor.
• Ask your doctor about checking iron and vitamin D, especially for girls and indoor athletes. Low levels can drain energy.Question to ask

• Drink water with minerals: on hot or long training days, add an electrolyte mix without dyes or added sugar.
• Check your color: pale yellow urine means you’re on track; dark means drink more.
• Weigh in before and after practice on hot days, and drink to replace what you lost.
• Ease into the heat. The first 14 days of preseason practice are when bodies adapt, so build up gradually (NATA).
• Know the emergency signs of heat stroke: confusion, collapse, or acting strange in the heat. Call 911 and cool first, ideally in cold water, then transport (NFHS).
• Dani’s favorite: DrinkHRW molecular hydrogen tablets in water, part of her daily ritual. See them in the shop.

• Take 1 to 2 days off each week from organized sports (American Academy of Pediatrics).
• Take real breaks from your main sport during the year, a month or more at a time, to prevent overuse injuries and burnout (American Academy of Pediatrics).
• Plan recovery after games: gentle movement, compression, protein, water, and sleep. Read get more from recovery sessions.
• Soak sore muscles: a bowl soak for one sore spot, or a hot full bath for whole-body soreness.
• Downshift after games with a few minutes of slow nasal breathing or the physiological sigh.
• Try LifeWave patches on recovery days. See the X39 + X49 Athlete Protocol.

• Do a neuromuscular warm-up before every practice. Programs like FIFA 11+ cut overall soccer injuries by 39% in randomized trials (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2017). Ask your coach which one fits your sport.Strong
• Build strength year-round, including hips, core, and hamstrings, with a coach or trainer who teaches good form.
• Girls: ask about ACL prevention training. Female athletes tear their ACL more often, and prevention programs lower the risk.Question to ask
• Play more than one sport while you’re young. Waiting until the late teens to focus on one sport lowers overuse injuries and burnout (American Academy of Pediatrics).
• Baseball and softball players: follow pitch counts and rest days from Pitch Smart.
• Don’t play through pain that changes how you move. Ask: "Can you check this before it gets worse?"Question to ask

• Know the signs: headache, dizziness, nausea, blurry vision, confusion, trouble remembering, feeling "foggy," or acting different after a hit.
• When in doubt, sit it out. Tell a coach or trainer right away, even if you feel okay.
• Call 911 or go to the ER for a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, a seizure, weakness, slurred speech, or one pupil larger than the other.
• Return to learn before return to play. Follow the school’s protocol step by step, with a doctor’s written clearance.
• Take the free CDC HEADS UP training for parents and athletes at cdc.gov/heads-up, and read our concussion awareness guide.

• Parents: check in often. "How are you really doing?" School, pressure, and social media add up.
• Keep it fun. Athletes who love their sport stay with it longer.
• Watch for burnout: dreading practice, constant tiredness, falling grades, or one injury after another. A break can be the best training.
• Build a pre-game routine: a few slow breaths, a cue word, and a short picture of the play going right.
• Stay part of the team when you’re hurt. Injuries can feel lonely; keep showing up when you can.
• If an athlete is struggling, get help early from a counselor, coach, or doctor. In a crisis, call or text 988.
• Celebrate effort, character, and growth, not just the scoreboard.

• Food first. Most young athletes need better meals and more sleep before any supplement.
• Choose third-party tested products with the NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport seal, which screen for banned substances. We carry Thorne, which offers many NSF Certified for Sport products.
• No energy drinks for kids and teens. The American Academy of Pediatrics says they have no place in a young athlete’s diet.
• Ask your doctor before any supplement, especially for athletes under 18.Question to ask
• Competing at a high level? Check your league’s banned-substance rules before taking anything.

• Get it checked by your athletic trainer or doctor, especially swelling, a pop, or pain that changes how you move.
• Protect it at first, then move gently as your doctor or physical therapist allows.
• Follow a step-by-step return to play, not a calendar date. Come back when you have full motion, strength, and confidence.
• Ask: "What is my step-by-step plan to return, and what should I be able to do before each step?"Question to ask
• Feed the healing: protein at every meal, plenty of vegetables and fruit, water, and extra sleep.
• Ask your doctor whether recovery therapies fit, like PEMF, red light, compression, or mild hyperbaric oxygen, and then book a session with us.Question to ask
• Adults exploring regenerative care for an injury: we refer our clients to Dr. Tina Hills, D.O., and her practice, PHMX, in Katy. Ask us to connect you.

• Book a free tour or a first visit, and we’ll build your athlete’s protocol together. Call or text (346) 805-8928.
• Print the Elite Athlete Protocol and keep it with your gear.
• See Dani’s favorites for athletes in the shop.