Oxygen USA – July-August 2019

114 summer 2019

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with dysautonomia, an unrelated condition that

causes chronic heart problems such as fainting

and high resting heart rate. She was put on

medication to control the symptoms and fi nally

had a chance at a normal life.

Getting Her First Wind

Meyer was advised not to drive on her new

medications, and so began walking the 2 miles to

and from work each day. “At fi rst, I was nervous,”

she admits, explaining that the doctor said she

could pass out without warning at any time. “It was

tough and I didn’t feel well, but I wasn’t giving up. I

committed to my walk and did it in the light, in the

dark and sometimes in the rain.”

Soon, Meyer started feeling better and began

going to the gym. She used the stationary bike

and the treadmill, and when she

felt strong enough, she enrolled in a

Zumba class with friends. Next, she

upped the ante by hiring a personal

trainer, though she often had to stop

and rest, but a year later, she was

healthier than ever and was able to

run 2 miles without stopping.

She also changed up her diet and

planned her nutrition to suit her

workout schedule and energy needs.

She began to eat salads and lighter

meals, and when she noticed an uptick

in mood and energy, she adopted this

way of eating as a lifestyle.

A World of Possibilities

Buoyed by her newfound freedom

and mobility, Meyer began running

5Ks and playing kickball and tennis,

and she even bought a road bike to

participate in a charity ride supporting

children with heart disease. In 2015,

Meyer decided she wanted to pay

it forward and opened First Wind

Cycling & Fitness, a studio designed to

help people fall in love with fi tness no

matter what their level, body type or

internal battles.

“My mom helped decide on the

name,” she says. “She said that I was

on my fi rst wind, not my second:

I found my fi rst wind after my

treatment, and it will be a while before

I even need to look for my second

wind. But for now, I am leading a life I

never thought possible.”

er whole life, Karen Hill Meyer

struggled to keep up. Physical activities

left her exhausted and breathless, and

she got winded simply from walking up

a fl ight of stairs. And her diet of fried foods and late-

night carbs certainly wasn’t helping.

When she got to college, Meyer added blacking

out to her list of symptoms and was eventually

misdiagnosed with an anxiety disorder. However,

at age 25 when she was taken to the ER after

another blackout, her condition was apparent.

“My resting heart rate was over 250 beats per

minute,” Meyer recalls. “That’s when I learned I

had a congenital heart defect.”

The defect was corrected with a catheter

ablation, but Meyer continued to suff er from

health problems. Finally, Meyer was diagnosed

Not for the faint of heart

stats

Karen Hill Meyer/

Charlotte, North

Carolina

age: 36

pants size before: 8

pants size after: 2

occupation: Owner

First Wind Cycling

& Fitness; cycling,

barre and lifting

instructor

Karen’s

Favorites

Mantra: People

have always told

me that I can’t do

things because of

my condition. But

all along, under my

breath, I have been

saying, “Actually, I

can.”

Advice: Pay

attention to how far

you’ve come, not

how far you have

to go.

Meal: Brown rice

+ any protein + any

veggies + tomato

sauce for some

fl avor. Toss it all in a

bowl and enjoy!

After decades of misdiagnoses, Karen Hill Meyer can now run free.

Before photo

of Karen

transform SUCCESS STORIES By Jill Schildhouse