In this compelling and highly-praised book, best selling author Colette Dowling shows how girls are weaned from the use of their bodies even before they begin school. By adolescence, girls' strength and aerobic powers start to decline - unless they are exercising vigorously, and most aren't. Yet it appears that strength and physical skill - for all females - is only a matter of learning and training. Men don't have a monopoly on physical ability - new studies show that when women and men are matched in size and level of training, the strength gap closes. Drawing extensively on the latest research in motor development, performance assessment, sports physiology and endocrinology, Dowling reveals an astonishing picture of the new woman. She is confident, both physically and mentally - she is a person we would like our daughters to become.