PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY
SASJA MULDER shares her fitness journey and tips on getting a healthy perspective on life
Wellness coach Sasja Mulder tells us about working in the fitness industry and what makes her job fulfilling
“In a nutshell fitness is the state of being physically fit and healthy, and for me, under the term ‘fitness’ also falls emotional and mental health,” says Sasja Mulder. The 28-year old trainer who focuses on pre- and postnatal fitness grew up in the Netherlands and shared that as a young girl, she had loved doing sports and was always active.
Sasja decided to take it to the next level when she found out she was pregnant. At the age of 23, she was firm on staying active throughout her pregnancy. At the time, not a lot of fitness trainers felt they were equipped to handle pregnant clients. “Unfortunately in the Philippines, there was no support or any educated trainers out there that would help me out,” she says. “In the gym, I was stared down and even the coaches there asked me if ‘I was sure’ of what I was doing.” Sasja was determined and decided to take it a step further by studying sports science and taking a course on it in Australia, along with getting certified and supplementing her fitness education with courses on nutrition. Armed with this knowledge, she wanted to share it with other pre- and postnatal moms.
THE POWER OF ENDORPHINS
Sasja says that in her niche as a pre- and postnatal coach, the biggest misconception in the industry is the idea that pregnant women need to eat for the size of two. “The number two that's growing inside you has the stomach of a peanut and trust me, you do not need that second burger,” she says. She strictly believes that pregnancy is no barrier for women who want to continue working out. “Unless said otherwise by your doctor, and you have a healthy pregnancy, you can lift, carry, and do all activities you did before you found out you were pregnant,” she says. She points out the era of the hunter-gatherers. “If you think about it, back in the Stone Age, pregnant women did not sit on the couch eating donuts, they were still hunting, gathering, and active. Actually, it's more in the modern world where the word has spread that expectant mothers are fragile and can only do yoga, and I am here to spread awareness that this is absolutely not true.”
In terms of general fitness, she says that the idea that one formula fits all is impossible because every body is made different with different needs. “Please throw away your weighing scale as a measure of being fit and start measuring your body instead and notice how you feel and the difference in wearing clothes once you start participating in fitness,” she says.
Before Sasja takes on a client, she does a physical assessment on them, and while doing that takes note of their personality. She won’t take on clients that she knows won’t commit or fit into her growing fitness community. “It’s all about support and bodyacceptance, there is no space of negativity as this can bring the whole ‘tribe’ down,” she says, “I always say, if you commit to me, I’ll fully commit to you.” Her role is to guide and educate them to feeling stronger and more confident. “So far not only have they shed inches off their bodies, I’ve gotten a lot of feedback on how they’ve become less grumpy and stressed and it has helped them with day-to-day activities. Yay endorphins!”
The name of her fitness group is Pancakebutt Bootycamp, a name that comes from her mantra “I Flip Pancakes whilst giving Bootycamp!" According to Sasja, it simply means that you can be a mom and still be in the best shape (physically, mentally, and emotionally) of your life.
ACHIEVABLE GOALS AND SMALL CHALLENGES
For those looking to start their fitness journey, Sasja says the most important thing is to find sports and workouts that are enjoyable and to find a coach to trust. She takes care to mention that one should not feel guilty for missing a workout. “Make attainable and achievable goals in the right time frame, and take small challenges,” she says. Even for a certified professional like Sasja, the grind never stops. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she can be found working with clients at PACE (Rehab & Recovery). “The studio is 16 floors up in a building, and I take the stairs.”
Of course, maintaining fitness also means making good choices out of the gym, and most important is the food you eat to refuel your body. “Eat REAL food, skip the isles in the supermarket that have packaging. Good food is fresh food. Stray away from sugars, and fat is not your enemy,” says Sasja.
Sasja says that she didn’t start loving herself until after she gave birth. “I battled with a severe depression a couple of years ago and until now I am sometimes too hard on myself,” she says, “the best advice I can give is that you deserve what you work for, and if you feel guilt then most likely you are bottling something up. Surround yourself with people that love and support you no matter what. Say no to the unnecessary, and stray away from anything that doesn’t resonate with you.” She says it is important to reward the self for big and small achievements. “Lastly and most importantly, realize that beauty can not be defined. It is what you see it as. And for every person this is different.”
MOUNTAINS OVER BEACHES
“I honestly believe that you can be in the best shape of your life, physically. But if you are mentally and emotionally not in par with your body image, this is setting yourself up for failure which causes anxieties and depression in many women, men, AND children,” says Sasja. Hardcore fitness training doesn’t have to start so early for children, but Sasja says we can begin by educating them on the food we eat and what we put in our bodies. “Starting their taste buds with food that grew from our Earth, instead of the rich fast-food chains, will nourish their bodies and help prevent obesity and other sicknesses that come with “convenient” microwavable food and junk from fast food stores. Instead of “curing” children from body image issues, we should prevent it instead,” she says. Sasja would like to pass on body confidence to her son, which she knows won’t happen if she doesn’t feel him well and properly. “To be straight forward, it would be wrong of me to say we should accept all body
images when we stuff ourselves with food that makes us sick from the inside and out,” she says.
Nowadays, Sasja’s personal fitness goals are focused on marathons, duathlons, mini triathlons, and Crossfit. Her all-time favorite exercise is equestrian, from polo to western, freestyle, jumping, and dressage. She is also a huge fan of mountain climbing. “I’ll pick climbing a mountain above the beach anytime,” she says.
Sasja says that eight years ago, the answer to what a meaningful life was for her would have been very different, as she was battling with her emotional health and dealing with severe depression. Today, a meaningful life for her is one with purpose and finding it was important, albeit very hard. “For it me, it only started after I gave birth to my son, Maximilian. He was the jump-start of everything. Because of him, I started taking better care of my overall well being, I got out of my depression because of fitness. Finding meaning is so hard, some people never find it at all,” she says. “Tomorrow is not a given, It’s a gift. As cliché it might sound; Life is so short. Enjoy today, do what you think you have to do for you to feel good. There is no good or bad, just the consequences of your actions.”
To reach Sasja Mulder, contact her through
Instagram: @sasjamulder, email at