How Creatine Helps Me Lift Heavier & Recover Faster*

Every Sunday, I sit down with my planner and map out my entire week—meals, meetings, workouts…all of it. I love a plan. And typically, that plan includes three to four gym sessions, plus a couple active recovery days and, of course, a standing pickleball game.

But loving a plan doesn’t mean I always stick to it. For years, I consistently struggled to hit all of those workouts, not because I didn’t care, and not even because life got too busy. It was because I was too sore to follow through.

My Monday leg days would wipe me out for nearly 48 hours, making my Tuesday full-body session a coin toss. On the days I did still drag myself to the gym, I couldn’t train anywhere near my full intensity, which meant my progress stalled. It felt like I was constantly taking one step forward, two steps back.

As a health editor at mindbodygreen, I write about creatine all the time. I interview experts, review new studies, and constantly recommend it as one of the most well-supported supplements for women.

And yet…I (for some reason) dragged my feet when it came to taking it.

Within a couple of weeks, my recovery looked completely different. After workouts that would normally leave me waddling for two days, I was back in the gym the next morning feeling surprisingly capable. The lingering stiffness that used to derail my routine was suddenly manageable, sometimes barely noticeable.*

Creatine supports the energy system your muscles rely on during high-intensity training. It helps your body regenerate ATP1 more efficiently, which is a fancy way of saying your muscles can repair and rebound faster after hard work.* It also supports the kind of training volume that actually drives muscle adaptation2—an extra rep here, a slightly heavier weight there, the ability to maintain form when you’d normally start to fade.* 

Consistency was the first big shift. Creatine is a supplement that should be taken daily (yes, even on rest days). creatine with taurine+ was incredibly easy to work into my routine—it dissolves so well that I can add it to anything: my morning water bottle, a smoothie, even my coffee.

Within about two to three weeks of this consistency, I noticed that I was recovering faster between workouts. That debilitating soreness that used to keep me hobbling around for days after leg day? Significantly reduced. As creatine became part of my daily routine, I wasn’t just showing up to the gym more often; I was lifting heavier, moving with more power, and was able to push through tough sets.*

The combination of better recovery and better output created a kind of upward spiral. I could train more often and train more effectively, which is something I had been chasing for a long time without realizing what was missing.*

Although I initially turned to creatine for performance, one of the biggest reasons I plan to take it long-term has nothing to do with the gym. 

A large study recently highlighted creatine’s connection to better reproductive health outcomes in women, showing that those who consistently met a certain daily intake had more regular cycles and significantly fewer gynecologic issues later in life.*

Creatine is deeply involved in cellular energy, and hormone-producing tissues are some of the most energy-demanding in the body.* And supporting this system is crucial for longevity. 

When you add in creatine’s roles in cognitive health, bone strength, and healthy aging overall, it starts to look a lot less like a “fitness supplement” and a lot more like a foundational nutrient many women simply aren’t getting enough of.*

Creatine is now the very first step in my morning routine (yes, even before coffee) because it’s the one habit that reliably moves the needle for me. I’m finally hitting the workouts I plan. I feel stronger. I recover faster. And I’m supporting far more than just my muscles in the process.