Weightlifter Sheetal Anand Shares Her Inspiring Journey, From Overcoming Personal Struggles To Becoming A National Champion

Women achievers are growing by the minute in India. And one name to this list is Sheetal Anand who is making waves in the weightlifting world. Sheetal has proven that marriage and kids cannot stop her. She started a copywriting career in an advertising agency. She later took up content writing and became a digital marketing professional. She also worked as an insurance advisor. This Mumbai-based married weightlifter has two grown-up daughters. She speaks to The Free Press Journal about her tryst with weightlifting and more.

Excerpts from the interview:

What was the driving force that led you to weightlifting?

After the birth of my second daughter, I had gained a lot of weight and wasn’t able to lose it for a few years. I thought I would have to live this way all my life. I also got diagnosed with high BP and sinusitis and couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without getting breathless. I realised I needed to do something, so I joined a gym to lose weight. For a year, I only did cardio – treadmill, bike and elliptical is all that I did. It was my comfort zone.

Yes, I lost some weight. As I also was eating very less. I felt low on energy and looked weak. I had read and heard about weight training. But I was intimidated by the weights room. I thought this was only for males and if I went there, I’d get manly. And, what if I looked like a fool? The others there would judge me and realise I knew nothing and can’t lift. I wouldn’t fit in. I would be laughed at. But somewhere within me I also wanted to try the dumbbells and the barbells. They looked gorgeous and powerful. I finally mustered up courage, went to the weights room and took the help of one lone lady training there. After that, I approached a few trainers.

Slowly I got comfortable with the iron. Every rep, and every set motivated and pushed me. I loved the after-burn, the soreness, the achievement after completing a set to failure, and the feeling of walking tall after hitting a new PR. I felt powerful every time I lifted. I forgot any stress I had. It was like my meditation. With every session over the years, I started getting better at the sport.

Tell us more.

One day, I participated in powerlifting at Mumbai district level and won gold. After this came COVID-19 and I moved to Canada for three years. My passion for lifting pushed me to learn and turn into a personal trainer – I practised as a PT in Canada in a large gym chain for two years.

After I returned to India, I resumed my powerlifting journey and won district-level gold two times and also a national-level gold medal and was awarded the title of Strong Master Woman Of India.

Is the Sheetal now different from the Sheetal before taking up weightlifting?

I feel stronger physically but even more than that stronger mentally and emotionally — able to handle stress and difficult situations far better than before. Yes, I’m a changed person.

Do bust the myths about women in weightlifting.

Firstly, the myth that women feel they get bulky and look like men by even touching a dumbbell. But that is not true. We do not have hormonal make-up for that and it takes tons of effort to build muscles.

Another myth is that it’s only for men. But women have been lifting all their lives – lifting kids, grocery bags, water pots in rural areas and many other kinds of stuff.

Are women in weightlifting looked at differently in India compared to the West?

They also look at women doing weights as loose character / immoral as they are rebels or wanting to hang out with men and many other baseless reasons. In the West, they are more welcoming of this and it is accepted more easily.

What are you looking forward to in your field?

I am on a mission of encouraging women to take up strength training to help them reap the benefits – prevent muscle loss as they age and benefit from increased strength leading to less injury in older age and during perimenopause and menopause. I have converted many avid women cardio enthusiasts into die-hard weightlifting fans.

To this end, I am training women and also helping them with nutrition plans to support their optimum body composition that translates to better health.