humans of leap — anupama shivacharya

anupama shivacharya is india’s first certified female calisthenics coach & our member.

anupama shivacharya is india’s first certified female calisthenics coach & our member.

“my parents never believed in sports as a career, even though my mom was an athlete. it didn’t bother me at the time, since i was quite the nerd. but it all changed for me when my physical training teacher made me & my friends play volleyball during class — i instantly knew that sports was for me! but i left it as an open chapter at the time.

i started my first career stint with writing to make easy pocket money. i would earn 3k by writing 50 articles per month. the foodie in me was thrilled since i could pay my own food bills & binge as much as i wanted. from there on, it was only upward for me. somehow, a cold email i wrote landed me a job with freshmenu & from there on, i ended up writing for bangalore’s biggest food guides & magazines! for someone who loved food & exploring new restaurants, i was living the dream life! but what i didn’t notice at the time was my health slowly deteriorating.

i remember the pivotal moment of my life very clearly. i was crossing a road one evening in bangalore. when i came to the divider & had to cross over, i was shocked — i was barely able to climb up onto it to get to the other side. i had no strength or flexibility, someone had to help me up. that’s when it hit me like a brick — i knew i had to get fit.

i was introduced to calisthenics at a competition. i saw a woman casually do 20 pull-ups, outdoing most of the men there. i was inspired! i figured out the park they would train at everyday & eventually became a part of the training group. it was energetic & exciting — i felt like i discovered some kind of underground hip-hop troupe.

while i continued participating in challenges in calisthenics, my career focus was still on writing. 6 months into it, i was placed as a runner-up in the calisthenics national championship, post which many people in my network started reaching out to me to train them. i was shocked to know that there were no certified female coaches in india to train in calisthenics. there was a clear lack of female role models in the field & someone had to bridge the gap!

i was nowhere near being the first. but calisthenics was untapped! i saw the power & its impact on one’s body. you don’t need a fancy space or equipment to enjoy it. i also saw how women felt uncomfortable working out at gyms, & realised its need in the community.

coming to the present, i’ve been fortunate to have been featured on manchester city footballs’ page for my work in calisthenics & have collaborated with brands like godrej cinthol as a recreational surfer (yes, i also surf).

all that aside, what continues to give me joy is being able to help others achieve their first pull-ups & sit-ups & seeing others get in shape. with my journey in calisthenics & my passion for writing about food, my biggest aim would be for people to realise that even foodies can be fit. i’m glad i get to enjoy the best of both worlds!”