31 Dec 2024 Medical Fitness Program helps Wendy Russ reclaim her health

When back pain forced her to wait on her young friends during a work trip to Washington, D.C., while they walked to the Washington Monument, something inside Wendy Russ “just clicked.”

Although her friends were trying to spare her the pain of walking more than a mile to the monument, “I said I’m never going to be left behind again,” Russ said. “That was my defining moment.” After returning to Conway, she began to search for a solution to the back pain she had lived with for decades and found the Script to Fit program on the Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center’s website.

After reading about Script to Fit, Russ asked her new doctor, Clara Zee, DO, about the program. “She was not dismissive and said she loves referring people to Script to Fit.”

She recently took her first lengthy walk since her adult sons were children. She is now capable of simple tasks like standing to cook, doing the dishes or walking to check the mail.

“It feels like I’m reclaiming a piece of myself that I thought was lost,” Russ said. She is overcoming a degenerative disc condition and negative advice.

She had often heard that her pain was “just a part of getting older” or “it wouldn’t hurt as bad if you were thinner,” the 57-year-old said. “I was dismissed often and had all but given up, accepting that a cane or a wheelchair was in my future. Intense pain was a daily struggle, making everyday activities feel insurmountable.”

Script to Fit gave her hope that she could make a change.

The program provides exercise and educational programming to help participants manage their chronic health conditions. It features tracks for arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and reconditioning fitness. The eight-week program includes pre- and post-program fitness assessments reported to their physician, InBody analysis to track body composition, a personalized exercise program, ongoing education and access to fitness equipment.

Russ was so appreciative of her experience that she wrote a letter to the Script to Fit staff. “I know I have a long way to go, but I have all of you to thank for giving me the confidence to keep going,” she wrote. “I did the work, but you provided the support, the encouragement, and the plan I needed to succeed.

“I had given up hope. It has been life altering for me in so many ways, and I want to express my deep appreciation. The program is not at all intimidating; the facility has much to offer, but more importantly, the staff is welcoming and top tier.”

Her journey was not easy.

A defining moment came for Russ when her trainer, Trey Norris, used her success as an example to encourage another person. “I was having my toughest day, but I couldn’t leave when he was using me as the example,” she said. “That was a wonderful milestone.”

Gradually, the limp she had on the first day of the program disappeared, and the pain she felt in her back decreased.

Success stories like Wendy’s motivate Norris. “The Script to Fit program is the favorite part of my work here, even more than personal training, because I feel like it makes the biggest difference in people’s lives,” he said.

Russ believes her story can help others.  

“Whatever you do, don’t give up,” she said. “I believe in the expression ‘pick your hard.’ Is it hard to work out? Sometimes it is, but which hard do you want? Do you want the hard of being left behind or the hard of moving forward?” Having recently graduated from Script to Fit, Wendy continues working out and has added aquatics classes.

She has even plotted out a 1.3-mile walk, the exact distance of that walk to the Washington Monument, because “I don’t ever want to be left behind again.”