‘Boxing changed my life,’ so she opened Sidney fitness studio

By David Holmes/Contributor

It’s a total body workout, a competitive challenge and an awesome stress reliever.

It’s boxing and for Anna Kerevan, owner of Sidney-based Teddys Boxing & Fitness, the opportunity to share her love of the sport is at the heart of everything she does.

“I think you’d have to say that boxing changed my life,” Kerevan said. “It is one of those sports and one of those exercises that offer so much more than just the physical fitness component, although it can be if that’s what you’re looking for. But it can have a real transformative effect on you as a person as well. I feel there’s a lot of value in the sport for both fitness and recreation. We do more than that, of course, as we also conduct strength training, weight training, pilates and one-on-one training.”

Located at 28-2075 Henry Ave. West, Teddys Boxing & Fitness only opened its doors in mid-April, but has already acquired attention and a growing list of enthusiastic clients.

Raised in the Capital Region, but having worked for more than a decade on the Lower Mainland where she became an American Council of Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer, Kerevan and her husband decided earlier this year the time was right to move back home, fortuitously settling on a location in Sidney that was perfect for both of their needs.

“When we made the decision to move back here, he opened a motorcycle shop that’s located right beneath us. When I came upstairs and saw this vacant location, I realized it was the perfect spot for a small fitness studio,” she explained.

“It was a full circle thing being able to bring something that had brought so much value to my life and to my clients in Vancouver, to now be able to bring it home to the people in the community I grew up in.”

A compact 1,000-square-foot location, Teddys is large on training options, being equipped with weights, heavy bags and other training aids.

“We all need to find things to take care of ourselves. I looked at Sidney and what was being offered and felt there was an area of opportunity in the city for this niche service,” she said. “There are a couple of really cool fitness groups in Sidney so I felt this would be a complementary offering to what was already happening in the area.”

There’s also a story behind why the business is called Teddys, instead of Anna’s – a story of what might have been.

“My name was supposed to be Theodora, but they changed it to Anna after I was born but I always loved the name, especially shortened to Teddy. So, I ultimately just circled back to it when I was moving back here in March when my mom said I should just call the business Teddys,” she explained.

“I like it because it’s kind of ambiguous, non-gender specific, and as my training style is open to anyone, male, female or non-conforming it just made sense.”

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