Show Notes
Creatine for teens, supplements for teen athletes, and navigating gym culture pressure on social media… Dr. Lisa Damour answers the question parents of teen athletes are searching for.
Your teen's teammate is taking creatine. Now your kid wants it too. Maybe they're a serious athlete with real goals. Maybe you even take supplements yourself. But something still feels… off. This is genuinely a hard call, and you deserve expert guidance on how to start this conversation with your kid.
In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and journalist Reena Ninan dig into one of the fastest-growing pressure points for teen athletes: supplements. From creatine to protein powder to "pre-workout," teens (especially boys) are being flooded with messages about muscle, performance, and products — all through social media, influencers, and even their own teammates. And most of them aren't asking their parents before they start taking them.
Dr. Lisa walks you through exactly how to think about this, how to talk about it with your teen, and where to draw the line.
💡 YOU'LL LEARN:
- What should always come before a "yes" or "no" to any supplement
- How to find out what's really driving your teen's request (performance, body image, peer pressure, all of the above?)
- What to say when your teen insists "everyone on the team is doing it"
- How to talk about supplement marketing and why influencers aren't looking out for your kid
- When to go from "keeping an eye on it" to "this needs an intervention"
- The red flag Dr. Lisa says worries her most about teens and gym culture
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DR. DAMOUR'S BESTSELLING BOOKS
- Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood – https://bit.ly/UntangledBook
- Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls – https://bit.ly/UnderPressuretheBook
- The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents – https://a.co/d/cbOmTKp
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Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday.
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Episode keywords: creatine for teens, should my teenager take creatine, teen athlete supplements, creatine safe for teenagers, supplements for teenage athletes, pre
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