By Dan Courtney, NIFS Correspondent

Sometimes her hands would go numb. They would hurt so badly the pain would wake her up at night. Many times it was hard to lift her shoulder. But even rheumatoid arthritis has not stopped Leilana McKindra from working out at NIFS, particularly with her special interest in power lifting.

“At first the doctors thought it was carpal tunnel. It took awhile for the doctors to determine what it was because rheumatoid arthritis mimics other things,” said McKindra. “But with my medications, it’s under control now.”

Despite the medical setback, McKindra has been a six-day-a-week regular at NIFS for the past five years. Her workouts have included cardiovascular, weights and a combination of the two. Over the years she has lost 100 pounds and, most importantly, kept the weight off.

“Leilana has worked extremely hard over the years,” said John O’Dea, NIFS ACSM health/fitness instructor. “What I like about her is she is very open to trying new routines, including power lifting and using a weighted sled.”

McKindra, at 5-foot-3, said she loves the “total power rush” of feeling strong. Based on her maximum lifts, she must get that “rush” quite often. She dead lifts 275 pounds, benches 100 pounds and leg presses 370 — the strongest part of her body.

“Women I know say, ‘You do what?’ about the power lifting. I enjoy the challenge and feel guilty when I don’t get to NIFS to work out,” said the 31-year-old. “I would like to lose more weight, but mainly I don’t want to return to where I was [weight-wise].”

McKindra offers one bit of sage advice for anyone suffering from an ailment such as rheumatoid arthritis: “Maybe you don’t have to power lift, but stay active and flexible.”

It has worked very well for her.

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