Wellness Questionnaires: Turning Subjective Data Into Action

Objective data tells you what the athlete did. Subjective data, how they feel, often tells you why. A simple daily wellness questionnaire is one of the highest-value, lowest-cost monitoring tools available to any coach.

What to ask

Keep it short. Five to seven questions takes under a minute and maximises compliance. Common domains:

• Sleep quality (1–5)
• Muscle soreness (1–5)
• Stress level (1–5)
• Fatigue (1–5)
• Mood / motivation (1–5)
• Energy (1–5)

Add an optional free-text note for anything the numbers don't capture.

Scoring and traffic lights

Combine the scores into a simple wellness index, then colour-code: green (good to go), amber (modify), red (intervene). Traffic lights give coaches an instant read without analysing spreadsheets.

When the data flags risk

A single red day is rarely a problem. Watch for trends, three amber days in a row, or a cluster of reds across the squad, often signals accumulated fatigue, illness going around, or off-field stress.

Making it actionable

• Share the athlete's own trend back to them so they learn self-awareness.
• Trigger a conversation when scores drop, don't just silently adjust the program.
• Pair subjective data with load and HRV to build a complete readiness picture.

Compliance is the real challenge

A questionnaire only works if athletes actually fill it in. Make it frictionless, push it to their phone, keep it brief, and show them that the data changes their program. When athletes see their answers influence their training, compliance climbs.

Prospect sends daily wellness questionnaires straight to the Athlete View and flags at-risk athletes on the team dashboard, so you can act before a small dip becomes a setback.