With the onset of 2022, many people are resolving to be more physically fit.
How many of them follow diets and exercise programs remains to be seen, but those who really want to change for the better can look to Canonsburg resident Stephanie Miller for inspiration.
“I hardly exercised at all and was extremely overweight after having my two kids. Then I lost a hundred pounds,” she recalls. “Once I started, I I felt passion and felt like it was something I had to do. So I decided to get certified and keep going, and now it is what it is.
The Peters Township High School graduate began teaching outdoor fitness in 2012 and is now the owner of Stephanie Miller Fitness, a 1,700 square foot facility with floors designed to reduce impact and stress on joints.
Miller also teaches in the Bethel Park School District, having earned her degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Gannon University.
“I basically have two full-time jobs,” she said.
His fitness studio offers a 5:30 a.m. “boot camp” — including strength training, core conditioning, jumping drills and flexibility challenges — on weekdays, and Miller often leads the sessions.
“I teach early risers a lot, because with my kids and my other job, it’s basically the best time for me to train,” she said. “These are the most complete classes, generally. We have a lot of people who need to practice before going to work, so this seems to be very popular.
Other offerings from Miller and his team of five fellow certified instructors include Muscle and Flow, a class that integrates cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and abdominal work with a meditative vinyasa yoga session. Also on the program are Tabata, a form of high-intensity interval training originating in Japan, and Crazy 8 Full-Body Circuit: eight different exercises, eight reps each for three total rounds.
Regardless of his clients’ individual interests, Miller emphasized that they represent a wide variety of ages and abilities, from elite athletes to less fit people.
“Everyone is so welcoming and motivated to help each other out,” she said.
From her point of view, she is an incentive by offering customers the opportunity to complete various challenges. For example, someone who completes 22 courses in January earns five more for free.
Throughout her ongoing efforts towards peak physical fitness, Miller has had the support of her husband, Ryan, who has joined her along the way.
“I basically told him that if I was losing weight,” she said, “he should too.”
