Scarsdale resident launches personal training business

Christine Weston aims to help women get stronger and savvier about their health.

A pillar of strength “My whole philosophy is training your mind to help train your body,” Weston says.

BY DEBORAH SKOLNIK

It took a bit of time for Christine Weston to find the right name for her new personal training venture. It was worth it: Reclaim and Redefine is indeed perfect. It captures the spirit of her goal: to keep women in their 30s and beyond informed about their bodies and in the best shape they can be.

“I want to help these women to incorporate strength training into their schedule, so that they can arm themselves to age correctly and with strength. My own experience with exercise has changed over the years, so that's basically where I'm coming from,” said Weston, who lives on the Edgewood block of Crane Berkeley. “I am certified as a nutrition coach as well, and I have that knowledge behind me, and I read all kinds of different theories and the like on nutrition, and so I can help women with that, too. But it's mostly trying to get women to focus on their strengths, and then helping them also calendarize and prioritize working out. I am trying to make it so it's not this overwhelming thing.”

Weston hasn’t always found it easy to prioritize herself, so she’s especially insightful into the issue. “My mom died in September,” she shared, adding that she was the sole person responsible for taking care of both her parents. “I had started the journey to start this business before that, but I think that I had been held back because I was always feeling like part of myself was not present. I still of course think about it, but I've been able to really reclaim that part [of my mental energy]. And then it's a matter of wanting to really define who I am now. I'm turning 50 in two weeks, and I want to put myself out there in a different way,” she said.

Home visits and extensive experience

Exercise isn’t always easy, but clients can see Weston without lifting a finger. “I go to people's homes and I can bring my little kit of stuff, and help you to build out a small area in your home with whatever pieces of equipment you can fit or afford, and help to get people to change their mindset on what working out is,” she said. She is also in the process of transforming her basements from what she calls “the PlayStation and Nerf gun situation” into a gym for seeing her clients. She hopes it will be ready within the next month.

A strong start Weston’s new business helps women fit exercise into their lives.

Clients will benefit from Weston’s extensive experience. “I have been working out since I was 12, and in every single different modality since then,” she explained. “And I was an athlete in high school and in college, and then I became a personal trainer for a brief moment…I ran the New York City Marathon as a bucket-list item I had wanted to do before I turned 40.” In addition to being a nutrition coach, Weston is also certified in personal training, women’s fitness, and corrective exercise to address issues such as posture and muscle alignment.

Navigational assistance
In addition to these services, Weston hopes to provide her clients with some enlightenment. “There are so many of us who are in this time of our lives that have no idea how to navigate this part of life,” she said. “Thankfully, in the last couple of years there’s been a lot of movement in education, but there are still a lot of women who don't really understand what's going on with their bodies, and they don't know what questions to ask. And there's no way to know if they are in perimenopause or in menopause.” Kids are told what’s going on with their bodies in puberty, Weston observed, “and then when you have children, you don't get educated on this part of our lives. There's a huge need out there. The menopausal journey is really the focus of my practice. While I am working with women, I want to help them acknowledge that menopause is a part of our lives, and be confident in owning it and not be ashamed or fearful of it. While I am reclaiming and redefining my world, we all need to do that in this part of our lives.”

Another need, she says, is for women to realize that certain forms of exercise can be especially helpful as they age. “My whole philosophy is more training your mind to help train your body. I think there are many women out there who, like me at the beginning, going through my life,
feel they have an exercise routine that works for them. Whether it's ‘I go walking X number of miles a day, or I play tennis three times a week,’ whatever you like to do is great,” she said. “But when you get to be this age, you've already lost so much of your bone density that in order to keep and strengthen what you have, you need to do heavy strength training.”

This type of workout has gotten a bad rap, she said. “Women are petrified of that a lot of the time, because we were, in our lifetime, it was all this ‘ You are going to become this big man, and you're going to get bulky, and you're going to gain weight and it's going to be horrible.’” In fact, Weston said, it’s good to get out of that mindset. “I want women to feel comfortable going outside of that zone to help them see what is really important,” she said.

Before workouts, an initial sit-down

Weston doesn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to her clientele. “We have an initial assessment where we can talk about goals and questions they may have about going through their symptoms [of their age]. If they have any questions about what they should be doing, I can answer them. I see where they are baseline, as well as get information about their history,” she said. “The initial assessment is free because I want to get to know the person.”

Weston has the ideal customer in mind. “I want to work out with women who are dedicated and who really want to make a change, as opposed to once a month maybe. I want to partner with clients so that if we meet once a week, that's great, or twice a week is great. But I also want to give them a prescription for what they should be doing on the other days, and how they can fit it into their schedule.” It’s all about finding the right balance—and Weston is convinced her help will make all the difference. “It's a process,” she said. “It's a process that I want women to understand and embrace, so they can be successful.”

For more information, email reclaimandredefine@gmail.com or call/text 917-783-2199. www.reclaimandredefine.com