For so many girls, including me, growing up means learning to navigate a body that feels unpredictable. Between hormones, cycles, pain, school stress, sports, friendships, and everything else life throws at you, it’s easy to feel like your body is something happening to you rather than something you’re in control of.

 Weight training changed that for me.

 Lifting helped me rebuild my relationship with my body, not by trying to shrink it, perfect it, or compare it, but by learning how strong and capable it truly is. And once I discovered that, everything else in my life felt different.

Strength Training Helped Me Rewrite My Body Image

 Like a lot of girls, I spent years feeling frustrated with my body because of constant pain, unpredictable symptoms, and the feeling that something was always “wrong.” Endometriosis, anxiety, and fatigue can be isolating. They can make you feel fragile or broken (even when you’re not).

Weight training helped flip that story completely.

 When you lift, you focus on:

• What your body can DO not what you think it should look like
• The power in your legs, arms, and core
• How you feel after you finish something hard
• The strength you’re building from the inside out

Lifting made me proud of my body. Not because of how it looked, but because of how it worked.

I started to appreciate my muscles.

I started to see myself as strong.

I started to trust myself more, both physically and mentally.

For the first time, I saw my body as something I could rely on… and that completely changed the way I showed up in the world.

Being Strong Makes You Feel Capable in Every Area of Your Life

 People underestimate what strength training does for a girl’s confidence.

 Lifting weights teaches you:

• How to push past discomfort
• How to stay disciplined
• How to overcome fear
• How to celebrate your progress
• How to trust your own effort

Every time I picked up a weight I didn’t think I could lift and realized I could, it shifted something in me. Slowly, I became more confident in school, more grounded socially, and more willing to advocate for myself with my health.

Strength changes you. Not just in the gym, but everywhere else.

 Learning to Lift Helped Regulate My Hormones and Mental Health

 This part doesn’t get talked about nearly enough…weight training can massively support hormonal balance and mental well-being, especially for teen girls.

Here’s what it does for your brain and hormones:

• Boosts serotonin and dopamine - which helps with anxiety, motivation, mood stability, and sleep.

• Regulates cortisol -the stress hormone that can flare pain, worsen fatigue, and mess with your cycle.

• Supports insulin sensitivity and metabolism -both of which influence your energy, mood swings, and cravings.

• Builds lean muscle, which helps keep your hormones steadier and protects you from long-term issues like bone loss.
• Improves cycle symptoms including cramps, PMS, bloating, and low mood, because strength training supports pelvic stability, lowers inflammation, and improves circulation.

Lifting didn’t cure my endometriosis, but it helps me feel more stable in my body and more capable of handling the hard days. It gave me an outlet (physically and emotionally).

And honestly, it helped me feel more ‘me’.

How It All Started (Thanks, Dad)

 My dad was the one who introduced me to lifting.

He showed me how to use proper form, explained why strength mattered, and made it feel less intimidating.

From there, I fell in love with learning everything I could, from creators, girl lifters, coaches, and researchers online. I built my own routines, followed people who inspired me, and made lifting a part of my life that belonged to ‘me’.

Today, weight training is one of the most important parts of my self-care. It keeps me grounded.

It helps me manage stress.

It strengthens places that used to feel weak.

It makes me feel powerful again.

And honestly? It’s fun.

Why More of Us Should Lift

If you’ve ever felt:

• disconnected from your body
• overwhelmed by hormones
• low-confidence
• anxious or stressed
• frustrated with pain or fatigue

 Strength training can help.

 It’s not about looking a certain way, it’s about feeling strong, capable, balanced, and confident.

 And every girl deserves that.

 If You’re Curious About Lifting, This Is Your Sign to Start

You don’t need a perfect routine.

You don’t need expensive equipment.

You don’t need to look like you know what you’re doing.

You just need to be willing to learn.

 Start small and start slow. Even a short workout with light weights is better than nothing at all. You can build into more complex exercises or heavier weight. Make fun playlists to motivate you.Follow other women on your socials that inspire you and that can teach you.

But start knowing this:

You are strong.

You are capable.

Your body is on your side…even if it hasn’t always felt that way.

And every rep you lift is a reminder of what you’re made of.