Jaime Koeppe

At 22 years of age, this 5-5, 130-pound brunette is self-employed, working as a web designer and actress, and has considered being a brain surgeon or math professor. Meet Jaime Koeppe. She is not your average fitness competitor.

Jaime is a complete computer geek and is surfing the web all the time. "I like having the knowledge of computers." Soon Jaime will have merchandise for you and I to order from her site, so you'll want to check her site, which features three great slide shows, and get on her mailing list. Let's backtrack a bit and find out what we're getting!

Being competitive from a young age, Jaime tells us how she stepped into fitness. At the age of 15, Jaime remembers asking for a gym membership for her birthday; however, it was at the age of 13 when her drive for improvement began. "I was tired of always being picked last in sports because I was the slow girl. I could outlast anyone, but I was slow."

When she received the membership, Jaime was determined to make use of it. "That's when I really got serious! I found I could put muscle on very easily. I loved aerobics, rollerblading, weightlifting, running, basically anything that had to do with fitness or athletics. I was the gym girl! If I had a spare block before or after lunch, I was at the gym. I managed my time wisely."

Jaime trains harder then most people and thinks nothing of it. "Weekly, I do about two to three aerobics classes, run 20K and weight train five times a week. To me it doesn't seem like much because it's just an everyday thing."

Diet was not a major issue when she began working out, however, she did stop eating pasta and bread, which she found easy to do. "I don't eat that kind of food often and I'm not a dairy eater either. I like chicken, tuna, eggs, veggies, fruit and oatmeal."

As a naturally clean eater, she uses fresh salsa as her dressing and loves to snack on dried fruit, nuts and popcorn. Her favorite meal is simply an egg white omelet with tons of fresh home made salsa. "If I crave anything, it's coffee, black licorice or teriyaki beef jerky."

Jaime's not one to crave desserts, (why can't I be that way) however, she does enjoy Mocha Kailua Pie (ice cream pie) drizzled in chocolate sauce with an Oreo cookie crust and almond slivers garnished on top. For someone who enjoys eating clean, she sure knows what her sweet tooth craves when it's active!

In June 1999, Jaime was lifting heavy and gaining muscle mass rapidly. Weighing in at 144 pounds, she felt she was too large for her frame and stopped weight training for six months. Jaime used kickboxing to bring her weight down to her current weight of 130 pounds.

Competition has been a marketing tool for Jaime. To date, she has competed in three swimwear contests, and last April, Jaime was a contestant in the Fitness Model Search division of the WNSO Fitness Competition (Diverse Naturals). Getting ready to walk onto stage, here were Jaime's thoughts before the show.

"I am somewhat nervous because I've never done a show like this before. I'm a bit excited, yet also relaxed about it too."

Was competing in a fitness competition what she had expected? "Not what I thought at all. I was bummed, embarrassed and depressed for about an hour. Then I felt myself again. I let the competitiveness come out. I was very happy for the people who won; they all looked great and did an awesome job. I now know what I have to for the next time I do a show."

After her first competition on April 14, 2001, Jaime was feeling less then confident about fitness and considered entering bodybuilding. "I felt like I totally embarrassed myself. I had no idea how to do quarter turns, pose or stand properly. I thought I could lean out and build muscle. Then about three hours later, I changed my mind. Who was I kidding?"

"Every time I compete I always say I'm never going to do it again. But of course I am going to do it again on September 22 in Vancouver!" Jaime will have more information posted on her site and in her newsletter. You'll want to register by visiting Jaime at http://www.jaimekoeppe.com. (Editor's note: Jaime put in an excellent performance, finishing in fifth place in the 2001 FVF show.)

If Jaime wasn't designing our websites and entertaining us on stage, we may have met her in a hospital, university, or at a visit to the dentist. Jaime, being more than just a naturally stunning beauty, has thought of pursuing a career as a brain surgeon, dental hygienist, esthetician, university biology or math professor, or fitness trainer.

Having graced the pages of "Country Living" (cover) and "Corporate Living," Jaime knows exactly how to work the camera. Check out her resume on her site to see more of Jaime's work.

Besides surfing the Internet, Jaime also loves all outdoor activities, including playing with her puppy Stanley, enjoying "time out" for coffee and reading magazines. "I'm a huge magazine fan. I have boxes saved. Someday I know they'll be valuable!"

Unlike most women, you won't be spotting Jaime at the mall shopping. "I'm not a huge shopper because I'm frugal, NOT CHEAP! I get buyers remorse. I love to buy things for my mom right now because she just moved into her dream house. I don't feel guilty for that, but when it comes to buying a shirt or shoes for myself, I am totally remorseful!"

At such a young age, Jaime is finally content with where she's at. "Of course every day gets better and better. I'm 22, I run a business at home and I get to act, model and play. I love it!"

However, there are times when we look back at our lives and wonder if we could have made smarter choices. "Sometimes I wish I had started acting lessons sooner. I would have liked to have started at 14, but then I don't think I'd be who I am today; it may have interfered with university. So, no, I know I've made all the right decisions. Someone told me once that we ‘think' too much and instead we should ‘know.' I don't think that I made all the right decisions; I know I have."

Jaime views both acting and fitness just like she views brushing her teeth: "It doesn't run my life, it's just a part of it."

So if you're reading this and thinking to yourself, "I could compete in fitness, and do acting," take a moment and talk to Jaime.

"I hope you have gone to college first and have an ‘at home business' you're running in your spare time because fitness takes up a lot of your day. No really though, you need to be really intelligent, strong minded, focused and have a career you can fall back on.

"Not that you won't make it, but you will need some intelligence. I say have fun, do your best and believe strongly in yourself! Also, don't listen to what anyone says, just go with what feels best, don't let someone else's words stop you!"

In the short time that Jaime and I have known each other, I have found her to be a really true and honest person. Oh, and she likes to tell jokes, so email Jaime and ask for a laugh. Maybe a Joke Section would be a welcome addition to her site.

Even with her comforting, down to earth appearance, Jaime does have some surprises in store. "I like to do things that are outrageous and to shock people because they wouldn't expect it from me."

Our last words from Jaime: "Hugs not drugs! Just a little back-in-the-day kind of thing."

(note: In September of this year, Jaime competed in the Molson Miss Indy contest in Vancouver, walking away with first place in the sports routine segment and the award for Miss Photogenic.)

Contact Information:

Attn: Jaime Koeppe
384 - 1755 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6G 3B7
Canada

Website:

Email: jjkoeppe@hotmail.com