Any woman (really, any person) can tell you that our relationships with our bodies are complicated. As we move through adulthood, we often find our bodies don’t bounce back easily, and we might feel betrayed by achy knees, sore backs and jeans that don’t fit the way they used to.

Training in martial arts has given me so much appreciation for what my body can do, the way my body moves and carries me, how high I can kick and how hard I can punch. My pants size doesn’t factor into how well I can spar, and I don’t measure my self-worth by my waistline anymore. I haven’t lost any weight while training, but I have lost my desire to shed pounds. It has been truly revolutionary for me.