‘I did my first ever workout at 50 – and it changed my life’
Shyy Sachdev lived most of her life without exercise. Now stronger - and happier - than she’s ever been, she wants to help more midlife women discover the transformative benefits of movement.
Growing up, I genuinely believed that women didn’t exercise. In the strict Indian family I was raised in, I wasn’t allowed to do PE – it was deemed inappropriate for girls to wear the kit. Instead, we focused on family life; as one of 13, I was taught to cook and clean at the age of 12 – and even in my teenage years, exercise remained something that other people did.
But if I didn’t know the value of movement in childhood, my adult habits were actively harmful. Working long hours in my job as a travel agent, I developed an unhealthy relationship with work, which I coped with by smoking - heavily. I was already experiencing chronic lethargy by the time perimenopausal symptoms surfaced – and the insomnia, brain fog and anxiety made daily life feel even harder to navigate.
It was a GP appointment – a month before I turned 50 – that changed my life. With my borderline high cholesterol and blood pressure, the doctor recommended statins, but I was reluctant; I knew they could cause sore joints and I already suffered with painful knees. As an alternative, my doctor suggested changing my diet and starting an exercise regime. If it meant avoiding medication, I was willing to give it a go, so I committed to quitting smoking and joining a local gym.
Biggest learning: Swap unhealthy habits for healthy ones. I replaced smoking with training.
The former felt achievable; I associated cigarettes with cups of tea, so I stopped drinking it. The latter presented more of a challenge; I’d have to keep it from my parents and extended family. But determined to stay medication-free, I joined TM Fitness in Barnstaple and started doing three 40-minute sessions a week – body pump (a full-body strength class), HIIT and cardio on a treadmill. No matter that I fell off the first time I stepped on one, I felt proud to be out of my comfort zone, albeit wearing the baggiest leggings and long-sleeved tops I could find.
Top confidence tip: Find somewhere to exercise that you feel comfortable and safe; small, women-only group classes are my go-to.
I felt calmer and more confident after my very first class. And as the weeks turned into months, the changes began to feel transformative. For the first time, maybe ever, I felt excited about life. My sleep improved, my complexion too and my perimenopausal symptoms significantly reduced.
Around the same time I started exercising, my GP put me on bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (HRT), using plant-derived hormones as opposed to the synthetic hormones used in traditional HRT. While I know it can work for some women, I didn’t get on with it – and my mental health drastically derailed. It was exercise that saved me. When I called my daughter in tears one day, she suggested I go for a run; now, I follow the same advice every time I feel stressed or anxious.
A decade on from that first class, I feel more optimistic about life than I ever thought possible. I work out five days a week, I’ve run three half marathons, and I can deadlift 110kg. Not only will I wear sleeveless tops and shorts while doing all of this; I do it all without worrying what anyone else thinks of me. That’s how I want every woman to feel.
Proudest strength PB: I can now do handstand push-ups, but I’m most proud of my mental strength.
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