I hated PE at school - it was difficult, intimidating and not designed to be something I was supposed to enjoy. If you are female the chances are you feel the same.
I was at school in the 1980s. Those were the days when the 'sporty' kids (which in my case meant Michael Vaughn, later to become England Cricket Captain) got to choose the teams while the rest of us stood on the side-lines. The boys seemed to play any sport they wanted, the girls were limited to rounders, gymnastics and, if we were lucky, a bit of tennis.
Of course, that's all changed now, hasn't it? PE is more inclusive and all kids get to try out all the sports on offer.
Well, sadly, it hasn't changed - or certainly not enough. And the impact for girls is significant.
We've just released new research with the Youth Sport Trust, which examines the experiences of more than 25,000 secondary students in schools across England and Northern Ireland. It reveals the large number of barriers girls still face in getting active and taking part in PE. Consequently, only 8% of girls are meeting recommended daily exercise guidelines while the figure for boys (although still shockingly low) is double that.
For girls, the hurdles are many and varied. Periods, the pressure of school work (which the research tells us girls feel more keenly than boys) and not getting the support they need from teachers and parents, means girls are being held back from realising their full potential in ways that boys are not.
I was shocked when reading the results of our research that body confidence is one of the biggest issues. As early as 11 years old, one in four girls is unhappy with her body, and this figure increases to a staggering one in three by the time girls start their GCSEs - a fact that fills me with sadness. Boys on the other hand are much happier with their bodies with only 16% reporting feeling unhappy and this figure remaining pretty constant throughout their time at secondary school.
Low self-esteem and the pressure to look a certain way feeds into girls' feelings of self-consciousness. Girls report that they don't like being "watched" or feeling like they are on display, which many associate with PE and physical activity in school. With so many concerns there is little wonder activity levels are so low for teenage girls.
The good news is that we have a way to reverse these shocking trends. Women in Sport's mission is to ensure girls and women feel empowered to reach their potential through sport. And we're working with the Youth Sport Trust to do just that. The Girls Active programme developed by the Youth Sport Trust and delivered in partnership with This Girl Can and Women in Sport encourages girls to engage in school sport. We're helping teachers get teenage girls enthused, excited and energised about sport and physical activity by putting girls at the centre of the design and delivery of PE and physical activity. And it's working. So far 50,000 girls in 200 schools have been reached through the programme with a further 200 schools soon to join.
Megan Lowe is just one the many thousands who have benefited from the programme. The sixteen-year-old from South Dartmoor Community College in Devon has helped to set up a girls only fitness suite club - busting the myth that weight lifting is just for boys. She's also been involved in changing aspects of the PE uniform that girls in her class were uncomfortable wearing - introducing simple black leggings.
We need to do more as a society to proactively support and encourage girls to take part in PE and sport and not miss out on the many and varied benefits it offers. These include not only being fit and healthy, but also vital mental health benefits, and the development of core life skills, which will help girls be successful in their future careers. I don't know a single person who doesn't want the girls in their lives - nieces, daughters, pupils or friends - to reach their full potential. So, let's stop holding girls back through outdated gender stereotypes and PE options and let's start getting them active, so that every girl can access the benefits of a happy, healthy, active life.