In The Beginning....

I suppose introductions are in order. I'm Debra. Those who are close to me (and some who aren't), call me Debbie. Or Deb. Or Zubie.

I'm known for being a bit of a health nut. I try to eat lean meats and vegetables and whole grains. I have worked out on my own for several years and had good results: toned arms and back, flat belly -- on good days you could see the ab muscles.

Then my back started hurting.

At first it was only a little, so I worked through it. Then it hurt a lot. I'll spare you all the details of what I did and who I saw over a period of a couple of years to figure out what was wrong. Skip ahead to the diagnosis: herniated disks - two. Prognosis: Good. According to the orthopedic surgeon, surgery is an option, but not a required one. He said, "You're only limited by your own pain." Great! I think.....

Being a health nut and hoping for a "natural" solution, I visited my chiropractor on a regular basis and completely avoided weight-lifting for 8 months! Guess what? I was free of pain!

...and fatter.

Those who are close to me (and some who aren't) would say, "You look fine! You are still so skinny!" Ugh. I hate the word "skinny." Brings to mind visions of zombies - minus the rotting skin and unquenchable desire to feed on brains....

My friend Heather, who looks AMAZING with her toned arms and muscular legs, saw my disappointment and invited me to join her on a "Burner Club" workout that her trainer offers. "We'll probably just be running this time." Ugh. I hate the word "running." Brings to mind exploding lungs and burning legs and the embarrassment that I can only go 40 yards before having to bend over and catch my breath....

So I go.

I "run," if that's what you want to call it. Heather's in the pole position and I'm the caboose - minus the cool engineer hat and kids waving as I pass by. Her trainer says, "You're doing great. But I saw you bent over at the top of the hill." I tell him I was there only to give the stragglers some moral support.

I end up being the last one back at Base Camp. I WAS the straggler. Somebody had to be...right? And Heather gave me her trainer's phone number. Stored in the phone under Andy The Trainer.