Page 132 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2017

HEALTHY LIVING freedom tribe
story by Susan Ruddiman
photos by Susan Ruddiman
and courtesy of Freedom Fitness Studio
As owner of Freedom Fitness Studio and Freedom Cafe in Ocean Springs, Patricia Anderson is living her dream. She is passionate about her mission
to make Mississippi a healthier state.
“My ultimate goal is to
inspire and educate my fellow Mississippians on the importance of truly good health to the point of transformation,” she said.
She is a fitness trainer with
a no nonsense approach. She will not train anyone who is not committed to his or her transformation. “I do not need their money or their approval. I only demand their change, and that they strive with their all
to reach and surpass their full potential,” she said.
She opened Freedom Fitness Studio in October 2015 because
of demand. Initially Anderson trained one client at a time, then she arranged for groups of five to six to come to classes at various locations until she realized she needed the studio.
Her group exercise classes are unique — she doesn’t follow
a plan and changes up their movements. She closes each
class with meditation and prayer. She calls her large group the Freedom Tribe.
Her clients not only undergo
an exercise
Patricia Anderson shows the spin bikes that are part of the equipment she has in Freedom Fitness Studio in Ocean Springs.
Freedom Cafe opened this year offering the type of fresh food she encourages her clients to eat every day with no added sugar or chemicals.
Back row: Joshua Peterson, Patricia Anderson, Katie Coulter, Kristin Enochs, Front row, Sunshine Grant, and Taylor Sacco.
Freedom Fitness Studio
228.238.6416 706 Bellande, Ocean Springs
Freedom Cafe
228.282.9694 703 Bellande, Ocean Springs
regime, but they also must change their eating habits and food intake. She asks her clients to send photos of their meals each day.
“My clients are always given
a meal plan, but it’s frustrating. We are in a relationship with our bodies and our food,” Anderson said.
In January, she opened Freedom Cafe across from her studio so anyone can enjoy food without processed chemical additives or sugar. Her small staff developed the menu based on foods they prepare at home. The signature juices and smoothies are made fresh. The veggie bowls, served with homemade dressings, are packed with healthy ingredients, and there are offerings to satisfy the sweet tooth.
Anderson has found that once her clients adapt to a healthier eating plan, they have a new appreciation of the tastes and textures of food.
Freedom Fitness Studio will open a branch on April 10 in Jourdon Nicaud’s Hotel Pass Christian, a new boutique hotel located on Scenic Drive. Anderson said branching out her Freedom Cafe along the Coast will be her next venture.
132 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • April 2017
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