Meet Christine Van Anderson | Pre/Postnatal Personal Trainer & Group Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christine Van Anderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christine, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
As a personal trainer with years of experience in both training other women and taking care of myself, having a baby absolutely rocked my world. I had a very fit and healthy pregnancy which ended in an emergency C-section. I found the recovery from an emergency C-section incredibly difficult. Even as a trainer with 7+ years of experience, I had absolutely no idea where to start on how to heal my core, workout safely post-surgery recovery period, and felt completely disconnected from my body. I found some online resources which were amazing, but I felt completely isolated and alone. I wanted to be around other women going through the same thing as me, but couldn’t find a class or gym in my area I felt fit what I was looking for. I wanted to lift weights, rebuild my core, not have to worry about childcare, and meet other women like me.

After I went through an online core rehab program for my own recovery, I sought out a certification to gain a deeper knowledge of birth/c-section recovery, and now I’ve been able to provide what I was so desperately missing to other women in the area. Connection, community, safe core rehab and lifting practices, and a place where kids can play safely or stay in their carseat with Mom.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The Strong Mom Collective was born out of my own experience as a personal trainer going through the struggles of being a new mom with zero resources at her fingertips. New and Expecting mothers are a completely underserved population, and it is my goal to change that so women can continue to be strong during pregnancy with less pain, prepare their body for labor, and recover from birth in an empowered, knowledge way so that they can be stronger than BEFORE they were pregnant.

After closing my doors on personal training in 2021, and a brief stint in the corporate world, I am so excited to have started on this endeavor and launching The Strong Mom Collective in June 2024. From completing new certifications, finding space to train in, and getting people in the door, I work tirelessly to keep promoting Mommy Bootcamp so Moms in Highlands Ranch, Parker, Castle Rock, and Centennial will hear about what we are doing and come join us! It is extremely important to me that all Moms feel safe and supported in class despite their birth experience, so ensuring that I have expert knowledge about the postpartum period has been crucial.

Mommy Bootcamp is a 60 minute strength based workout that begins with connecting breath to movement and activating our cores safely and transitions into resistance training with a heavy emphasis on healing and maintaining healthy pelvic floors through movement. The class is appropriate for all fitness and postpartum levels, as well as women who might not have had a baby, but still want to focus on connecting to their core and moving safely to protect their pelvic floor.

We’ve had class in session for just over 2 months now, so though we are still a small group, we are mighty and we have fun! New moms share their woes about night wake ups and feeding struggles while more seasons moms are navigating teenagers and endless school emails. We snuggle the new babies and laugh with the toddlers who might be velcroed to mom during class.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First I’d welcome them with a little Goodie Bag to nourish their dry skin complete with some GoldenBloom balm, bottled water with a few hydration packets, and a yummy sweet treat from Mary’s Mountain Cookies from Breckenridge.

Some of my favorite places to grab a bite that I’d take them – Los Dos Potrillos in Centennial for Chile Relleno Nachos and a Skinny Marg, Grab a pizza and Garlic Knots with a side of Blue Cheese at Big Bills, we’d have to stop in Castle Rock at La Loma for beautiful views and more upscale Mexican lunch or dinner.

As a very big fan of IPAs…. We’d have to stop along the way at any point for a beer at 105W in Castle Rock, then maybe one more at Denver Beer Co. For some amazing views and great atmosphere we’d head over to New Terrain Brewery in Golden after we walked up North Table Mountain to get a little outdoor movement in.

At some point we would have to hit up Movement Climbing in Englewood to top rope and boulder and enjoy some good company, and then grab a beer and a bite. Other fun activities in Denver would include biking the Cherry Creek trail, checking out the Botanic Gardens near Chatfield, and biking the Bear Creek trail to Morrison.

If we hit up the mountains, we’d have to hike somewhere beautiful such as Peak 1 in Frisco and stop at Chimayo in Silverthorne for fish tacos or steak burrito to refuel before we head back to Denver.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to dedicate this shoutout to Lindsay and Paul Chavez who started an amazing gym, Colorado Fitness Headquarters, and are helping make The Strong Mom Collective a reality! They have provided a space with all the equipment and amenities necessary to get an amazing workout in. AND they have their kids room which provides a safe space (which is supervised during Mommy Bootcamp) for kids to play while Mom takes an hour to herself to get her workout in – uninterrupted! They are so supportive of growing this class for a desperately underserved population – Moms!

Website: https://www.christinevandypt.com

Instagram: @thestrongmomcollective

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566488957674

Image Credits
Amy Raven