All I want for Christmas is two good knees…

Devon will be documenting her experience as she goes through our body transformation package! Stay tuned for her results and story! Go Devon!!! This is her fifth "Lite Lesson"

Progress Report: These pictures are of me in my old jeans. The inches are falling off! Thanks Cyclelate!

Down 4 pants sizes going on 5:)

LITE LESSONS:

I have completely torn my Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in my left knee two times to date. And the stories leading up to the injuries are worth mentioning.

As a teenager, I prided myself on being able to play backyard football with the big boys. So here I was proving that I was a worthy teammate (even for a girl), by going after my brother who had the ball. My left knee gave out, twisted, and my brother scored a touchdown. The embarrassing thing was that it was tag football not even tackle.

Treatment: complete repair of the ACL using part of my patellar tendon (the one located on the front of your kneecap).

The second tear happened in college. I reinjured the same knee trying out for cheerleading. It didn’t tear completely, but enough to keep me from making the squad. After that, I decided to hang up my pom poms for awhile.

Fast forward to senior year, my boyfriend of 3 years just broke up with me, and I was looking for some much needed cheering up. So where does a girl go to get this solace, you ask. Duh, a gay club on Bourbon Street.

The boys always tell you how pretty you look, all want to dance with you, and even encourage you to grab their behinds. Picture this, heart-broken me, showing my best, back-up dancer moves on top of a platform in New Orleans’ hottest gay bar. I leaped off to grab my amaretto sour, and…Bam, ended up on the floor with no drink in hand. My friends put me in a taxi, and I cried all the back to my dorm room, knowing I had torn it again.

Treatment: complete repair of the ACL using part of my hamstring.

Two surgeries, months of rehab, and frequent ice massages later, I shied away from most extreme sports and high impact activities. I did not want to add another surgery to the list, so I concentrated on strengthening my quads and low impact cardio. I tried my first spin class and loved that it was easy on my knees, without a lot of jarring. And on top of that, it was challenging and great heart-pumping workout.

I still have crappy knees with hardly any cartilage, but recently found that a combination of pilates and spinning is the perfect antidote. So maybe Santa will bring me a non-invasive procedure this holiday season; but until then, I will stick with taking classes at Cyclelates.