“Thank you for the lesson today; it was a reminder that we have to be aware and present today.”

“Thank you so much for the workshop!! I really enjoyed it!!”

“My deepest gratitude for the wonderful workshop you presented to our members. We all enjoyed it immensely and we will benefit from your advice.”

These were some of the comments from the dozen AAFSW members and non-members on January 10, after attending an inspiring and useful workshop from Patricia Linderman. Patricia is an ACE® Certified Health Coach and Personal Trainer, as well as our former AAFSW President. During 2014, Patricia lost 43 pounds and surprised herself with new energy and new powers. She then became passionate about helping others discover their healthiest selves.

Patricia started her workshop with an opportunity to pause and consider what we really want for ourselves and our lives. Our lives are full of “I shoulds,” but the most important ones are those that will bring us closer to the person we truly want to be.

The workshop participants listed “I shoulds” in various areas of their lives and picked two to work on: a habit that is easy to change, and another one that will make a significant impact. Some chose to share their habits with the group, and the topics included “eat more fruit,” “be more patient,” “exercise more,” “stop procrastinating,” “practice the piano more” and “get out of a bad situation at work.”

Patricia presented many strategies to loosen the “Velcro” of automatic actions. She pointed out that even “easy” habit changes require careful planning. Changing habits is like moving to a new country: you have to make many adjustments and learn to cope with new ways of doing things. She also mentioned Brooke Castillo’s concept of “massive action,” which means that you keep trying different strategies until you get the results you want.

Before, during and after the workshop, Patricia led fun exercises with music and stretches which can be done at the office or at home for healthy movement breaks.

Patricia expressed herself with healthy, powerful, loving, informative emphasis, and her introduction to New Habits for 2019 and to continue for a lifetime was beyond valuable. Ladies of all ages participated in the workshop, with a lot of enthusiasm and a thirsty desire to learn and apply new habit changes that will keep them moving and healthy to live long, prosperous and beautiful lives.

Patricia provides individual health coaching, designs creative home workouts for clients, and leads a free senior exercise meetup in Cherry Hill Park in Falls Church. Her website is www.fierceafter45.com, and you can contact her at lindermanp@gmail.com for a free 1-hour trial coaching session.

Many thanks to Patricia, to Barbara Reioux for her friendly and hard-working support, and to Sheila Switzer, AAFSW’s awesome Program Chair, for organizing this great event!

Troella Tyznik
AAFSW Assistant Treasurer