October Client of the Month – Miriam Kedebe

This month’s client spotlight features Miriam Kedebe. Miriam is an interpreter, mom, and greens (the dark leafy kind) aficionado. She’s also an alumna of my high school, Merion Mercy Academy, where “Girls will be girls, but Merion girls will be ladies.”

Name: Miriam Kedebe

Where are you from and how long have you lived in this area?: I’m from Eritrea, Ethiopia. I was 14 when I came to the U.S. I lived here during high school from the ages of 15-18. Then I left to go to college, and came back years later. I’ve back for 5 years.

Occupation: I’m an interpreter for speakers of Amharic and Tigrinea speakers. I work in hospitals and in the court system.

Any hobbies?: listening to music, cooking, reading

Sports?: Track

Favorite Magazines: Runner’s World and Women’s Health

Favorite radio station?: WDAS-FM and 100.3

How did you hear about Performance Fitness?: Nan Talbot [friend and fellow boot camper] told me about a deal that you were running on Groupon. I waited a year to give you guys a try, but I finally decided to do it because I liked that you guys were into bodyweight workouts. I have back issues so I didn’t want to use a lot of external weight when I was just starting out. I also knew that I was gaining weight and I was concerned about my quality of life in the future. The idea of being a part of a “community” was also attractive since I don’t really like big gyms.

What fitness and/or weight loss results have you achieved since joining boot camp?: First off, I’ve lost a total of 22 pounds from the end of April to the beginning of September. I’ve also increased my flexibility. The weight loss makes me feel great but a bigger bonus is the stress reduction from working out. I never thought that working out could reduce stress but it does!

What are your 3 big goals for the next 3-6 months?:

1. I don’t want to lose any more weight but I’d like to continue to get stronger and sculpt my muscles.
2. Stay consistent with my workouts especially when life gets hectic.
3. I’m doing the Rothman 10K in November and the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in the Spring.

If someone asks you about Performance Fitness what do you tell them?: It’s the best thing since slice bread [ahem, we do not advocate sliced bread :)]. People are afraid of boot camp but I tell them it’s not scary, it’s friendly and accommodating. You do need discipline, but anyone can do it!