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Workshop for Women in Mid-Life Transitions

Sandra Froher, personal trainer and five-time International figure and fitness model champion has teamed up with Ajia Forster to put together Soul Lines Wellness Retreat- Empowering Women. They will feature a guest speaker at each retreat. The up and coming retreat will feature Julie Atkins from New Look New Life.  The retreat will be held in the English Inn, a beautiful heritage Bed & Breakfast in Victoria on Sunday September 29^th from 9am to 5pm. The workshop acknowledges the importance of women being in control of their own bodies during a time of transition.

Difficult transition is something Sandra Froher understands all too well. Watching her play with her two dachshunds in her backyard, she seems mellow and content. You would not instantly know that she had been through a devastating car accident and experienced a brain injury. And, while she is trim and agile, you might not guess that she went on to win five international Fitness model and figure championships- after recovering from her accident, and all within the last five years.

To say that the process had its share of struggles would be an understatement.

“I went from being at the top of the physical world and having a lot of control over my body and my mind together to ‘I don’t even know this body or this mind’,” she explains. This experience of constant pain and uncertainty about the healing process soon led to a depression – and a mistrust of many of the caregivers whose advice began to make things worse, rather than better. The early months after the accident seemed bleak indeed.

But then something switched.

“I remembered that I know my body best, and that it was time to put myself in control of my own healing process. The minute I did that, my instincts and my intuition, coupled with the newer knowledge that some of the more constructive practitioners did share with me, helped turn things around.”

Today, as a personal trainer and wellness consultant, Sandra draws extensively from the experience of her accident — in understanding how to be patient with a body in recovery, and in practicing compassion with her clients. She confesses that she hasn’t always had this compassion, but that the humbling experience of losing control helped her appreciate what people need as they work through challenges with their bodies, and to become a good listener to help people find different tools. The experience has also helped her to have hope when others might give up. “Just because you can’t do something right now, doesn’t mean you can’t tomorrow,” she smiles knowingly.

It’s a mantra that her adult daughter Ajia Forster has also taken to heart, having lived through her own series of injuries and physical challenges –first as a dancer who pushed herself to hard, and then later in a separate car accident. But instead of personal training, Ajia turned to yoga and Pilates for healing. She especially liked yoga because it felt like the right thing at the right time. “When I found the yoga, it was a healthy practice, where I could still work towards something in a very gentle, non-judgemental, calming atmosphere. And it’s your own practice, so you retain control.”

Both women appreciate the importance of women being in control of their own bodies, particularly through a painful change or life transition. As a result, they are uniting with several other practitioners to share their experiences with other women, particularly those who are going through the career stresses and hormonal shifts that often come with mid-life. This will happen in a workshop in Victoria on September 29^th, called the Soul Lines Wellness Retreat

According to Sandra, the time from a woman’s late thirties to her late fifties can be very confusing. “This is because they’re doing all of the same things but with fewer results than before. There are actual reasons for that, and I want to teach them what those reasons are, and help them understand why and how their approaches will also have to change.”

And just to add to the challenges of mid-life, more and more of these same women are working longer. “I see women working into their 60s, some of them even to their 70s. So if that’s what it takes now, we have to know how to give ourselves the most energy –long term energy- and the best health, flexibility, and natural appearance. Maybe we can be 60 but we can look and feel like we’re 50.”

Both Ajia and Sandra hope that the workshop will be empowering for women, and give them a starting point for a series of steps they might take to improve their lives. “It’s great to help women feel like they have choices, and places to go for help with a range of challenges”. For more details on their approach, and on the workshop itself, visit the web page at http://www.musclelines.com/packages-services/retreat/ the fee is $230 per person.

Sandra Froher

Muscle Lines Personal Training

Phone: 250.217.0214 | Email: [email protected]