Aanya Sharma Interview
Q. You describe yourself as passionate about fitness and women’s health. What first sparked that passion, was it a personal journey, or something you witnessed in others?
My passion for women's health and fitness comes from my own experience of the medical system and doctors when I was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 15. I had no idea what was going on in my body and I was continuously tossed from one doctor to the other over several years.
I had to go through unbearable pain every month, I was put on metformin and birth control pills as a child, I had to get unnecessary pregnancy tests every time my period was delayed, I dealt with depression, loneliness, and so much pain but not once a doctor bothered to educate me about my condition or offer me guidance to fix it. It wasn’t until I had to educate myself and fix things on my own, I had no idea that I could live a healthy and normal life.
Q. In your experience, what’s the most overlooked aspect of women’s health that deserves far more attention than it gets?
Everything is overlooked, your symptoms, your pain, your mental health, your struggle with diseases. We live in 2025 and there is still not enough research about women's health issues. Chronic health conditions like PCOS and endometriosis affects around 12-18% women which is much higher as compared to men suffering from erectile dysfunction.
Even then the research on these diseases are significantly less funded than researches on erectile dysfunction. Topics like PMS, period pain, menopause, hormonal acne, or fertility are often dismissed as not serious or natural.
Until a woman is pregnant or wants to get pregnant she is dismissed by her gynaecologists. I know this might sound harsh but I have personally experienced it all my life, every single time I had to get myself checked.
Q. Social media is full of quick fixes and diet trends. How do you cut through the noise to keep your guidance both evidence-based and relatable?
I am educated about the topic, I know what works for me and I have helped a lot of women get better and balance their hormones so it’s not that hard for me personally but I get it, it can be very confusing for a lay man.
I always tell my clients, if someone is offering you quick results, exact numbers (weight you’re going to lose), or telling you that eating 2-3 particular food items will fix your problem, then they should run in the opposite direction because that’s not how you fix health problems.
Q. Many people see nutrition as purely physical, but it often affects mental health too. How do you connect the two in your work with clients?
Initially everyone thinks about nutrition as dieting to look a certain way, maybe lose weight or gain weight or just to feel healthy. But everything starts with nutrition. 2-3 weeks of eating healthy can help you reduce brain fog, improve energy levels, help you with mental clarity, reduce excess brain activity, and slowly help you improve your relationship with food.
One of the most important findings of the 21st century is recognising the brain-gut connection. Your gut and brain communicate constantly through the gut–brain axis which is a two-way system of nerves, hormones, and immune signals.
It is known that about 90% of serotonin (the “happiness hormone”) is made in your gut, not your brain. Hence, a healthy gut microbiome (the bacteria living in your intestines) helps you regulate mood, stress, and cognitive function.
Q. As someone helping women navigate fitness, have you noticed generational differences in how younger vs. older clients approach their health goals?
Oh yes absolutely, there’s a huge difference. The younger generation is majorly focused on looks. They want the diet to get an aesthetic look and they are willing to go above and beyond to achieve that including FAD diets and starving themselves to get to that.
As women get older, their approach towards health is about how they feel, since Indian women don’t take care of their health when they are young they face the consequences with time. Their bodies become fragile and weak, their energy levels drop, their hair starts shedding, their body fat increases, so their main goal is to feel better.
I feel the women in their mid 20s are most sensible about their approach to health and I am glad to see this change.
Q. What’s one myth about women’s fitness or nutrition that frustrates you the most, and how do you break it down for your clients?
One myth that frustrates me the most is spot reduction. I feel my blood boil whenever I see a person on Instagram doing a particular exercise and telling the audience to do the same to lose fat from that area of their body. It’s absolutely ridiculous, as there is no such thing as spot reduction and no particular exercise will ever help to lose body fat.
Whenever a client approaches me with requests like “I want to lose belly fat” or “I want to lose fat from my thighs” I have to explain to them that there’s no such thing as spot reduction. You can’t spot reduce fat from a certain body part. When you’ll lose weight and fat you’ll lose it from all over your body and it’s not in your control.
Q. You balance being a professional and a creator. Do you feel your social media is more of a classroom, a community, or a reflection of your own journey?
For me my social media is more of a community, I have met so many lovely people through my page. I got to work with thousands of people, help them achieve their goals, feel better in their bodies, and get healthier.
I have tried my best to educate people about what I know and if it was helpful for even 1 person to change their life then my job is done. When a client succeeds in their battle of getting their health back on track, it feels like a personal win. I sleep peacefully at night, knowing that I am giving back to society in my own way.
Q. A fun one—if your fridge could reveal one thing about your personality, what would it show?
If my fridge could reveal one thing about me, I am a disciplined yet a very colourful person. You will never find something I don’t consume in my fridge because I believe that if it is in my sight then I will end up consuming it. You will find all sorts of fruits, vegetables, yogurt, even dark chocolate and all the stuff that I need to nourish my body but never something that I might advise others against.
Bio:
Aanya Sharma is an ISSA Certified Nutritionist, Lifestyle Coach, Author, and a Fitness Content Creator.
Interviewed by - Divya Darshni
.jpeg)
){kind=link}
0 Comments