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'Heart of a Warrior' helps woman recuperate, thrive
McCOOK, Nebraska -- If anyone can pull off wearing a two-piece swim suit with high heels, Sue Shaner, 61, of McCook, can do it, even though she has spent the past two years recuperating from three major surgeries.
Shaner will be competing in her first figure competition Friday and Saturday at the "Warrior Classic" in Loveland, Colorado, and has also been nominated for the "Heart of a Warrior" award.
Being nominated for the award means more to her than placing in the figure competition, Shaner said.
"This is not Miss America to me," Shaner said, who doubts if she will even place in the Top Five in the figure category. "My goal is not to go pro or compete for the rest of my life, but to recover (from health issues) and to know I have returned to that state of function that is acceptable to me."
"To be recognized that it matters that we don't quit, no matter what, that's a big deal," she said of the award nomination.
It's been a long journey for Shaner, who has undergone two hip replacements and back surgery since 2011. A former gym owner, she has always been into fitness and nutrition but two years ago, debilitating lower back pain was taking its toll. "I couldn't live my life anymore," she said, "and at the rate I was going, I would end up in a wheel chair before too long." The things she loved doing -- riding her horse, walking her dogs, exercising -- became too painful to enjoy.
After qualifying for a FDA trial disc for her lower back, she underwent surgery with immediate results.
Most of the major pain was gone but there was still some discomfort. She began physical therapy in North Platte but because she couldn't put too much pressure on her spine, traditional exercises were not an option. This meant no running, biking, treadmills or eliptical machines.
Her physical therapist recommended a different training, postural restoration, that works by strengthening the weak muscles without building up the stronger, dominant muscle. The body becomes imbalanced and in pain when muscles that are used more frequently every day become dominant, making them stronger, while other muscles are not used and become weak.
The results for Shaner were encouraging and she decided to get back into the wellness industry and become a certified trainer of postural restoration at the Body Connection in McCook.
But another setback came her way when she learned that both hips had to be replaced. Still, she was determined and came back from surgery to start again in physical therapy.
She decided to compete in the figure competition at the Warrior Classic as a way to show herself that she was well, Shaner said, as well as to show her clients what can be accomplished despite difficulties. She started hitting the gym hard, lifting six days a week and monitoring her diet.
She will compete in the Master's Level, 45 years and older, in the figure division, which is different from the body building category. Instead of massive muscles, the figure competition emphasizes muscularity (but no excessively defined muscles) and symmetry, the optimal figure of a female, Shaner said.
"But building muscle at 60 is a lot harder than at 30 or 40," she laughed.
The competition will mean a spray tan, high heels and "the largest bikini I could find," Shaner joked. It will also mean that her "battle scars" from her surgeries will also be on display.
That's not a worry for Shaner, who will wear them "like a badge of honor," she said, because "real warriors have scars."
But placing in the figure competition or receiving the "Warrior Spirit" award is nothing compared to what is really important to Shaner: getting her life back and helping others to do the same.
"To help one person go from having pain and not being happy with their quality of life, to have less pain and do the things they love - that's a huge deal. Isn't that what we're here for?" she said.