54-year-old Mumbaikar Naheed Divecha is a National Champion and still trains every day; reveals her fitness mantra: ‘There’s nothing women can’t do’

At 54, Naheed Divecha showcases that staying physically active is vital for women as they age. She inspires women to prioritise fitness and strength training.

Being physically active is essential at any age, but especially as you age. However, as women grow old, take our mothers, aunts and grandmothers, for instance, they tend to put their health on the back burner. But that should never be the case, and Naheed Divecha, a 54-year-old second-degree black belt, a national champion, and a four-time India representative, is proving the same.

Women begin to lose approximately 3% to 8% of their muscle mass every decade starting around age 30, a progressive condition known as sarcopenia, according to a report published by UCLA Health. Therefore, it is important for them to stay active and maintain those muscles for a healthy, sustainable and independent life later in age.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, 54-year-old athlete Naheed Divecha from Mumbai talked about how she stays active seven days a week. Naheed told me that she had always been active since school. However, many women tend not to prioritise staying healthy, but she never really left. Athletics, swimming, football, throwball, basketball, tennis, she played it all before settling into the two disciplines that define her today: competitive badminton and karate, which she has practised for 16 years and even holds a second-degree black belt in.

In fact, at the national level in badminton, she's won it all—Women's Singles champion at the 2024 National Championships, and a winner in both Doubles and Mixed Doubles at the 2019 Nationals. She's even represented India four times at the World Senior Championships, reaching the quarterfinals in Poland, and has also competed internationally in karate, finishing fourth in a Kata competition in Japan. She also represents Bombay Gymkhana in badminton and is actively involved in organising sports within the Parsi community.

Naheed's journey to fitness began from a very young age.

The motivation to kickstart her fitness journey

When asked who or what was her biggest inspiration to kickstart her fitness journey, Naheed credits her father, who is 91 and still plays tennis three times a week. Highlighting how her parents' decision to impart the importance of fitness early on shaped her life, she told me, “My journey to fitness began from a very young age. It is something I got from my parents and siblings. My dad has always been a sports person; very disciplined in his approach, was a boxer, a Squash player, then took to Tennis in university, and till today, at 92, he plays tennis and goes to the gym, or walks almost every single day. My mother has always been very active. My older sisters always participated in everything at school: athletics, throwball, basketball, all of that, so as a family, we were just very active and into sports.”

She added that what motivated her was mostly just wanting to be like her parents and older siblings as a kid, and then getting involved in sports, and watching top tennis players like Stefan Edberg, Lendl, Jimmy Corner, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, and my favourite till today—Roger Federer.

Did she ever face gender and age-based discrimination?

Women do get discriminated against, especially in sports. However, growing up in a family of 4 women and studying in an all-girls school, shaped her worldview as she was always taught: “there’s nothing women can’t do, and we should not have to settle for anything just because we were women.”

Regarding age-based discrimination, she did not encounter any. Instead, as a senior athlete, she received numerous compliments. “I think that is what Sport and being active does for you, it makes you feel young and energetic, and that is how you eventually come across to people. So most people never think you’re as old as you say you are, although we definitely feel it in our bodies. So the age element is a fact that our own bodies remind us of. Though it is important to listen to the signs in your body, certainly, playing sports and being physically fit make you feel and look younger than you actually are.”

"I am pretty disciplined with my workout routine. People call me a creature of habit!"

A message to the women who ignore their health

Indian women often ignore their own health and fitness once they have kids or get married. Naheed's message to them is, “Indian women have always been taught that their duty is to their husband and in-laws and family and home. I do believe that is somewhat changing a little bit in the metro cities. I have also noticed a change in women's participation in sports over the last 15 years, since I have been playing on the competitive circuit. This is evident in the increase in both fitness and skill levels.”

“I have seen a change in the way women give themselves time to play - it may be at an odd time after the family has left for work and school, but they do seem to be taking out the hour for some exercise in the gym or a game of padel, pickle, or any racket sport,” she added.

Naheed told me that she is a firm believer that ‘every single person needs some alone time to do whatever they enjoy—whether it be a sport, learning a musical instrument or some kind of art, anything that gives you fulfilment’. She added, “If you don’t look after yourself, physically and mentally, how will you ably look after others? It is very important to be a contented soul, and that always reflects in how you carry out your duties towards your family, so always set aside some time to do whatever gives you fulfilment and enjoyment.”

Naheed Divecha's fitness routine

As for how she stays fit in her 50s, Naheed told me she trains every single day—badminton three times a week, gym twice a week, and karate at the weekends. According to her, discipline is the point, not the exception.

“I am pretty disciplined with my workout routine. People call me a creature of habit! So every day starts with an approximately two-hour workout session. For 2 days a week, I train at the gymnasium, doing weights, mobility, and core, and on weekend mornings, I do 2 hours of Karate training. Two mornings for playing badminton at the club, one afternoon to get in a coaching session with the club coach, and somewhere in all this, I try to fit in a game of padel once a week, which is just pure social fun with friends but a great sweat as well,” she detailed.

Lastly, Naheed told me she despises it when people say that working out or strength training is not meant for women. “People usually get a lecture from me if they make the statement that weight training or strength training is not for women or girls. For years, I have been hearing this at the gym, where women and girls think that if they lift weights, they get all big and bulky, and instead, they just walk on a most mundane treadmill routine. Nothing could be further from the truth,” she said.

According to her, ‘if women regularly use the gym for weights, resistance, mobility, and strength training exercises, you will be surprised at how strong your body can get—not broad and buff, but instead strong and full of vitality’. She added, “It is also the most important tool for posture, and to remain injury-free from your sport and build muscle stamina, since leg strength is always a prerequisite for any sport. Further, as you age, muscle loss is a natural phenomenon, and the only way to maintain bone density and strength is to do weight training. So, if you must, give up everything else, but do not give up strength training for the rest of your life.”

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.