This episode has been so much fun to record! I have been reading a book called Mental Toughness for Young Athletes to two of my grandsons. As I’ve been reading it aloud to them, I’ve found myself regularly saying, “I need to share this with my bariatric patients!” And so I did! In this episode, I share the beginning of the information that the authors have prepared for young kids to develop some mental and emotional toughness to get through the struggles and “failures” related to playing sports. My daughter, their mother, reminds us, “Baseball is a game of failure,” meaning that even professional players strike out more often than they hit the ball. Kids need to learn not to turn these “normal” failures in sports into negative self-talk or the fast track to low self-esteem. This relates to bariatric patients, many having felt like “failures” in the past when it comes to losing and regaining weight, struggling with weight fluctuations after surgery, continuing to struggle with the behavior changes required to live a healthy post-op life, and comparing themselves to others in the bariatric community. Join me for the first part of what has turned into a two-part podcast series and learn what mental toughness for young athletes and life as a post-op patient have in common!

Resources:

BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com

Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com

BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare

BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare

Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people

Instagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)

Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)

Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)

Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)

ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton) https://procarenow.com/?ref=conniestapleton

Mental Toughness for Young Athletes by Moses and Troy Horne

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