Aneela Rose has a lot going on in her life. Mother to two young children, she also runs a digital marketing agency in Burgess Hill. Like most working mothers Aneela struggles to find time for herself. But when she does, it’s not a long soak in the bath or a night on the tiles that restore her equilibrium, but pulling on a pair of gloves and heading to what she calls “that part of the gym that most women are afraid of – the part with the big heavyweights where the men are.”
Aneela’s chosen discipline is called powerlifting, and it’s a sport growing rapidly in popularity – particularly among women. The organization British Powerlifting reports that 35 percent of its members in 2019 are female – up from 23 percent in 2015. Enthusiasts say that powerlifting is supremely suitable for female bodies – it’s very successful in improving bone density which is a specific concern for women as we age. And for women like Aneela, there are numerous other benefits, as she explains: “It’s empowering and it’s addictive. It’s my release. I run a business, I’m a mum, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an auntie and everybody wants a piece of me. Powerlifting is the place where I go to escape.
“I needed somewhere that I could go where I’m not the boss, I’m not leading. I can have other people guiding me, supporting me and telling me what to do for a change.”
It has certainly proved fruitful, with Aneela’s winning titles for her body weight and age group including AWPC World Powerlifting Champion 2018. She also placed first in the GPC British Powerlifting Championships 2017 and set a British record at the ABPU British Championships this year.
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Sussex Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Sussex Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
TAKE YOUR TIME
Dean Edwards’ new cookbook features delectable recipes that you can slow cook or stick in the oven. Here’s a selection of the best
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
ON THE FRONT FOOT
The rugby legend took the reins at Sussex County Cricket Club in 2017, rekindling his love for a sport that first won his heart on the village cricket fields of North Yorkshire
NAKED AMBITION
In the 1980s, Christine and Jennifer Binnie partied with Boy George and Marilyn and bared all as performance art collective The Neo-Naturists. Now they are working together to gain the recognition they feel they deserve
ROCKET MAN
Astronaut Tim Peake has come a long way since growing up in Westbourne and attending Chichester High School for Boys: 248 miles above Earth, to be precise. But, he says, life on the International Space Station has a lot in common with family caravanning holidays
Revolution man
Lewes’ most famous resident Thomas Paine may be the greatest propagandist who ever lived. But how did a humble customs and excise officer ignite the touchpaper for revolution in not one but two countries?
THE DIARY
17 exciting things to do this month in East and West Sussex
All in a day's work
Meet Tim Dummer, who has helped keep Midhurst’s Cowdray Estate shipshape for an impressive five decades
My favourite Sussex
Bruce Fogle is an author and a vet with a practice in London who has lived in West Sussex with his wife, the actress Julia Foster, since 1989. He recently became president of RSPCA Mount Noddy near Chichester
10 OF THE BEST Meat-free restaurants in Brighton and Hove
Brighton is often rated one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the UK. What these restaurants prove is that plant-based food doesn’t have to be puritanical – at all of these places you’ll find big flavours and a desire to push the envelope
