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Bhakti Mathur

From a childhood marked by loss to an abusive marriage that nearly claimed her life, Shyy Sachdev’s journey has been anything but ordinary.
When told at 49 she might only have five years left to live, the then overweight chain smoker chose to reinvent herself.
She began exercising regularly at age 50, strength training at 52, running at 53 and cycling at 61. Today, at 62, she is a force of endurance and resilience.
Stronger and happier than ever, the UK resident and fitness influencer now shares online how she transformed from a woman silenced by fear into a trailblazer of midlife fitness.

Born in Kenya, she was one of 13 children of parents from Gujarat in India. Her father’s death when she was six left her family fractured and vulnerable. At 13, she and five siblings left Kenya to live in England, under the care of her brother and sister-in-law.
For most of her life, Sachdev believed exercise was not meant for women.
“Growing up in a strict Indian household, I wasn’t allowed to take part in PE at school. Wearing a sports kit was considered inappropriate,” she says.
She was taught to cook and clean from the age of 12. “Movement, fitness and self-care were never options.”
School for her ended abruptly at age 15. At 18, she ran away. At 29, she got married, hoping for freedom. Instead, marriage became another cage. Her husband was abusive, and fear defined her existence.
“He tried to stab me when I was 38 weeks pregnant,” she recalls. The violence escalated until one night, she knew she had to leave. At 42, she walked out of her marriage, taking her two young children with her.

She worked long hours as a small-business owner running a shop selling household goods. To cope with stress, she smoked heavily – a habit she had picked up at age 21.
“I was a rebel. I wanted to look cool,” she says. Over the years, she became a chain smoker, puffing through 30 to 40 cigarettes a day.
She felt constant lethargy. When she entered perimenopause – the transition into menopause when fertility ends – she was plagued with insomnia, brain fog and anxiety, making daily life even more challenging.
In her early forties, she had been prescribed medication to help manage her high blood pressure. Just before her 50th birthday, she learned she also had high cholesterol and a predisposition to diabetes. Her doctor warned her that without serious lifestyle changes, she had only five years to live.
“I did not grow up with any parental guidance. The thought that my children would grow up without me was terrifying,” Sachdev says, adding she feared the UK authorities would put her children in foster care.

When her doctor recommended she start medication to lower her cholesterol, she hesitated. Already suffering from painful knees, she worried about the drug’s side effects. The doctor said that instead, quitting smoking, changing her diet and exercising regularly would help.
A prescription medicine that reduced nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms helped her stop smoking, though she stresses that “quitting wasn’t simple”.
“The cravings returned, and I used nicotine gum and inhalers. I cut out tea and wine altogether, the rituals that accompanied my smoking. Most importantly, I replaced nicotine with exercise.”
Sachdev gets moving
She took up walking for 90 minutes daily. “Soon I started to feel good.”
She then began strength training. She joined a local gym, where she took part in body pump and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) classes, and did cardio sessions on a treadmill three times a week.
“You don’t have to spend money to get fit. You don’t need a personal trainer. In group sessions, you have an instructor and others sweating it out with you. It’s fun,” she says.
She started feeling calmer and more confident right after her first class. “Within weeks, my sleep improved, my skin looked better and my perimenopausal symptoms eased.”
In her first attempt on the treadmill, she fell off, but got back on. Dressed in baggy leggings and long-sleeved tops, she pushed through despite feeling awkward.
Overcoming knee pain through strength training
Strength training was a boon for Sachdev’s knees, which had begun hurting in her early forties.
“Walking and sitting for long had become painful. It was because of the excess weight I carried. The high blood pressure compounded the pain,” she explains.
The leg press machine became her ally. “I started using it with a light weight. That gave me a lot of relief.”
She added stretching exercises at home, often while cooking in the kitchen. Squats and knee raises became part of her routine. “I made it easy for myself and did the stretches whenever I found time.”
The knee pain soon subsided. “My knee hurts occasionally. What is important is that now I know how to treat it. I rest, do my stretches and get back to the gym.”
How she lost 40 per cent of her body weight
The biggest factor in her return to health was losing weight: she went from weighing 100kg (220 pounds) in 2014 to 60kg in 2018, a weight she has maintained since then.
“I want to tell people never to measure their self-worth by their weight. Weight loss was never my goal. My goal was health and vitality,” she says.
She went off blood pressure medication in 2018 – four years after she started exercising.
She overhauled her diet, too. She stopped skipping meals and eating cheese sandwiches, bread, potatoes or pre-cooked lasagne late at night. “Money was tight, and I opted for the convenient option.”
Now, her meals are intentional: a breakfast of scrambled eggs with sourdough and yogurt with nuts and berries; salmon with rice and salad for lunch; and chicken wraps with vegetables for dinner.

Running through menopause
When she entered menopause, Sachdev tried bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (HRT), using plant-derived hormones. Instead of relief, she experienced anxiety. One day, in tears, she called her daughter, Savannah, a long-distance runner, who suggested they go for a run. And so, at 52, Sachdev went for her first run with her daughter.
“I took baby steps. I told myself to put one step in front of the other. The first time I ran 5km [3.1 miles], it took more than an hour. But I kept at it. I got the will to run from my daughter. She became my running buddy, and getting to spend time with her was precious.”
She now runs about 35km a week and has taken part in 54 races, including four half-marathons (her best time is 2 hours and 30 minutes), 25 10km runs, and 25 5km races.
“Running calms me. It is my medicine. It has helped me heal, rebuild my confidence and reconnect with myself. I love being a part of the running community,” she says. She is a member of the Viewtube Runners running club and runs 10km and 5km routes with them weekly.
“My children have been my parents. I have learned from them,” she adds.
Savannah says: “Mum’s an absolute weapon. We can’t keep up any more.”

A year ago, she learned how to ride a bike and now cycles 15km to 20km twice a week.
Her son, Syan, says: “Mum started her fitness journey late in her life but it’s the best thing she has ever done, and it has brought us closer as a family.”
Multiple health benefits
Sachdev has been in therapy for more than a decade and has been able to stop the anxiety medication that had previously helped her cope. She learned the importance of being consistent and has overcome cultural beliefs.
Today, as a fitness influencer with more than 26,000 followers on Instagram, she is having an impact on women across the world. Her story challenges societal narratives, especially around mature women.
“We are told what’s appropriate at 30, what’s impossible at 50 and what’s unthinkable after 60,” she says.

She smashes those conventions by living life “her way” and her message to women in their 50s and up is clear: “Start. Start small, start stuck, just start.”
Midlife, she shows them, is not an ending, but a powerful beginning.
Like what you read? Follow SCMP Lifestyle on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also sign up for our eNewsletter here.


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How 100kg chain smoker lost 40kg, fixed knee pain and became a fitness influencer

Shyy Sachdev in New York (left) when she weighed 100kg in 2009; and in London (right) weighing 60kg in November 2025. A mid-life health pronouncement that she might have only five years to live was the motivation this single mum of two needed to switch up her life. Photo: Shyy Sachdev

Sachdev has maintained her weight at 60kg since losing 40kg from 2014 to 2018. Photo: Shyy Sachdev

Shyy Sachdev on a trip to Kenya with her son and daughter in 2009. Photo: Shyy Sachdev

Sachdev is now a regular gym-goer who can deadlift more than twice her body weight. Photo: Shyy Sachdev 

Sachdev celebrates her healthy transformation on a beach in Lithuania in summer 2025. Photo: Shyy Sachdev

Sachdev runs a half-marathon in London with her daughter, Savannah, in 2023. Photo: Shyy Sachdev

Sachdev is now a fitness influencer with more than 26,000 followers on Instagram. Photo: Instagram/shyysachdev

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When first diagnosed with a probable meniscus tear, Biswas found even short walks unbearable. Now she is able to cross this bridge near her home on her own. Photo: Kavita Biswas

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Patrick and Lily Chan pose for a photo. For most of her life, Lily Chan had trouble kneeling and squatting. Photo: courtesy of the Chan family

Lily’s health improved as she progressed in her aikido training. Photo: courtesy of the Chan family

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Aikido is a family affair for the Chans. Photo: courtesy of the Chan family

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Lifestyle

Health & Wellness

Health

At 49, Shyy Sachdev was a 100kg obese chain smoker with high blood pressure and cholesterol. Today, she is a fitness influencer


At 49, Shyy Sachdev was a 100kg obese chain smoker with high blood pressure and cholesterol. Today, she is a fitness influencer.


How to age well

Ageing society

How 100kg chain smoker lost 40kg, fixed knee pain and became a fitness influencer

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}At 49, Shyy Sachdev was a 100kg obese chain smoker with high blood pressure and cholesterol. Today, she is a fitness influencer

At 49, Shyy Sachdev was a 100kg obese chain smoker with high blood pressure and cholesterol. Today, she is a fitness influencer