Janine Smulders (22) is an online fitness coach, helping girls and women with nutrition and training. With an impressive reach of 50,000 followers on Instagram, she inspires her community daily.
During her gap year, she completed a personal training course and is now in her final year of a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. But behind her success lies a personal journey full of challenges. The helping hand I once needed, I now hope to offer to others,” she says.
Her adventure began during the Covid pandemic, when she decided to set up her social media accounts. It was something she had wanted to do for some time, but she had always been a little afraid of the reaction from the boys at school. The lockdown provided the perfect opportunity. She started posting workouts from home. Everything was still a bit squishy and growing slowly.
In 2022, after training as a personal trainer, she started coaching online and soon developed her own vision. I think it’s important to be able to have a drink and go to a party,” she says. In early 2023, she decided to go it alone and rebranded as Femme Fitness Coaching in January.
Rollercoaster ride
Janine herself struggled for years with her self-image, weight and an unhealthy relationship with food. She had been exercising and eating since the age of 14, but not in a healthy way.
It was a rollercoaster. At one point I was eating so little that my girlfriends were worried and wanted to alert my parents. Later, things actually turned around and I was overweight, which made me feel deeply uncomfortable. It was all or nothing. Eventually I found a balance and learned that one drink doesn’t mean you have to ruin everything. I see this struggle in so many girls. Now that I have discovered how to do it, I want to show others.
Positive
Although Janine has a huge reach on social media, she finds that the focus is often on the wrong things. Social media can be inspiring, but it also has a negative side. Many girls think that losing weight means eating and exercising perfectly every day, when it is this extreme approach that is the pitfall.
Restrictions often lead to compulsive behaviour,” Janine explains. The urge to do the things you’re not allowed to do, like drinking alcohol, only increases. I hope to bring some positivity to this and be a sort of ‘big sister’ on Instagram.
Women
Janine’s focus is entirely on women. “I coached a few men in the beginning, but I soon got the idea that their intentions were not entirely pure, if you know what I mean”.
She also founded the Femme Run Club, a running club specifically for women. “It’s on hold for now because of my injury, but I think it’s important to create a safe environment where women feel comfortable”.
What she loves most about her job? “Helping other girls who are facing the same struggles. My passion may not have come in the healthiest way, but I have managed to turn it into something positive. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. When girls tell me they have achieved their goals thanks to my help, it makes me so happy every time. This positive feedback is really the most fun and motivates me to keep going”.
Source: Studi040.nl
Translated by: Anitha Sevugan
