Written by Rachel Keller
When we look at a photo of ourselves and see someone we don’t recognize, it can be overwhelming to know what to do. Michelle was a busy single Miami mom of three teenagers with her own business in retail. She was trying to stay healthy and strong, having been through multiple injuries and surgeries. But Michelle had just been told by her doctor that she was medically obese, which was a terrible, gut-wrenching shock. Like so many of us have done, she looked at a recent picture of herself and thought, “This isn’t me.” So she had a crucial choice to make: whether or not to alter her habits and consistently use The DB Method for 90 days. She asked herself, “Am I going to fall apart? Or am I going to keep building my strength and keep growing as a person and become a stronger person?" That day, she chose the latter. Little did Michelle know how much this choice would change her life.
Truthfully, Michelle was no stranger to fitness and health. Previously, through life’s natural ups and downs, such as having kids and small injuries here or there, she had always managed to get fit again without too much thought. But in her thirties, it became much more difficult. Not only was her changing body a factor, but her kids were growing and her parents were aging. Michelle’s focus left her own needs and switched to helping her loved ones. This resulted in a palpable shift in her body; it didn’t bring about an eating problem, or a total lack of exercise. It was something in her body’s energy. It decided to keep every pound it could. The weight wasn’t going away so easily anymore. But things went on, and nothing changed.
And then, life literally hit even harder. In 2017, Michelle suffered a rear end car accident that injured her neck and shoulders, and herniated discs in her spine. She attempted to go about business as usual, continuing with her usual exercise regimen, but chronic pain was now a force to be reckoned with. Michelle soldiered on in her duties at home and overseeing medical care for her parents. She also had to have surgery for her shoulder. But life wasn’t finished hitting back; in 2019, she was in another car accident, and this time, there was no going back to normal. Michelle was now left limping through life, and since her responsibilities didn’t magically lessen, she felt like she was falling apart.
By 2020, things had gotten incredibly painful, so much so that she couldn’t even manage a walk through grass. Fortunately, Michelle was able to receive a surgery for her SI joint dysfunction. However, the recovery time was a long, challenging eight weeks. She went through the recovery process slowly and steadily, pushing herself around with a walker. Additionally, Michelle was truly on her own, facing a difficult marital separation during this time. During a followup with her doctor, something happened that would shatter her world. The doctor congratulated her on her successful surgery, but casually also mentioned that she was now obese. Michelle sat there in the chair, in utter shock. No one in her life had ever pointed out that she was gaining so much weight. Sure, her pants weren’t fitting anymore, but with so much going on, Michelle hadn’t stopped to think about it too much. Now, she couldn’t avoid the truth of her weight gain any longer. Something had to change.
“You’re obese. You’re obese.” The words haunted Michelle. She knew she had to do something, not only for herself and her chronic pain, but for her family. But since it was 2020 and the height of COVID, going to the gym was not an option. So, Michelle started out by taking simple walks. It got her moving again. But though she was doing her physical therapy and getting outside, it just wasn’t enough. That’s when she learned about The DB Method. Because she wasn’t going to leave her home except to walk, she needed something that would work in her house. The DB Method seemed like a great fit. She saw how it would hyper-target the areas she needed, and decided to give it a try.
The package arrived at Michelle’s house, and it was very easy for her to set up what would become her new best friend. Next to her bed, it fit perfectly, which was very important to her. Between three kids and various pets, she just didn’t have a lot of room in her home, let alone dedicated gym space. So next to her bed it went, an unavoidable reminder to use it daily. And it was way less intimidating than trying to fit a whole hour at the gym. It was just ten minutes for the results she so desperately needed, and they were so exact in what they isolated in her weak spots: her core, glutes, back, and spine. In that way, it always felt doable for Michelle.
Michelle didn’t start out with huge fitness goals in mind, just simple ones: to be able to do her everyday tasks, pain-free. With her weak glutes, S-shaped spine, and continual aches and pains, she had to push through it all in the beginning of her DB Method journey. Sometimes she couldn’t do a whole ten minute session. Sometimes, she could only do three minutes, or spent a long time readjusting to achieve proper form, even when it wasn’t comfortable with her condition. But tomorrow was always another day. Michelle had a daily conversation with herself, to get on The DB Method because she needed it. It wasn’t easy, but with The DB Method Machine so specifically working her work spots so effectively, she saw how it was certainly possible. She faced the battle that plagues everyone taking on a fitness challenge, which were the two inner voices screaming “You’re out of shape!” and “You can do this!”
We can all use help in life when we face trials, and luckily, Michelle found more voices to join in the “You can do it!” campaign. Michelle quickly discovered a secret weapon that would greatly impact her journey: The DB Method App, and its group of incredible trainers. The DB Method trainers did more than just orchestrate workout sessions, they became her cheerleaders and motivators. She felt like they could feel exactly what she was going through; when she found herself about to give up on her workout and grab water, Trainer Eddie would say exactly at that moment, “Don’t stop for water now!” and she would have what she needed to keep going. And in using the app more and more, outside of specific workouts, the trainers became like a group of friends she could go to for many of her day-to-day challenges. Stressed? Enter Trainer Aaliyah. Sore? Trainer Allegra was there. Unmotivated? Trainer Eddie had her back. Whether it was 11 pm or 7 am, they were there. Even if she did continually refresh her screen to see how much time was left in a workout, Michelle continued faithfully to put in the work.
End of Part 1. Michele’s Story will continue next week.
