I’ve talked before about how I’m sometimes my own worst enemy and how I exercise has just never been something I can do for very long. (Thanks, back injury.)

What I haven’t talked about is my fear of exercise. It’s not just the fear of going so low while I’m in the throes of working up a sweat that I pass out. (Although that is a fear of mine.)

My biggest fear of is having a exercise induced heart attack. That’s my biggest fear. There. I put it in writing.

It’s probably unfounded and irrational. I have a high resting pulse rate and it’s always been pointed out to me by nurses when they check it. (They begin their statement with: “Wow…” followed by a look of concern.) I explain: “I’m tiny. I don’t exercise. I drink a lot of caffeine.” I don’t have to go to far into an exercise routine before I’m hitting the target heart rate…and even higher. But here’s a little backstory to my fear…

A few years ago, work had gotten to me and I was stressed out. I began having some pressure in my chest off and on, so when I was at the endo, I mentioned it. Out came the EKG machine and the wires and sticky leads and the next thing I know, he’s staring at the results with a concerned, quizzical look on his face.

I flunked the EKG.

I won’t bore you with details, but I had a thallium stress test the next morning and then a clean bill of health from a cardiologist. My most recent EKG last year was fine and all my blood tests make me look healthy. Still, I have been reluctant to do anything more strenuous than a casual saunter because of my fears of low blood sugars and heart attacks during exercise. The fears may be irrational, but most fears are.

Serendipity occurred a few weeks ago. Accu-Chek and Duracell reached out to me asking me to participate in their Power Through The Extraordinary program. They’ve joined together to put Duracell batteries in all of the Accu-Chek Nano meters and to kick off their partnership, have asked a few of us to set challenges for themselves and share the experience with the online world.

At first, I was confused. The Power Through The Extraordinary team includes the incredible Steve Richert of Living Vertical  who takes his diabetes to new heights - literally. He recently fulfilled Project 365, climbing every single day for a year. There are days I can barely climb out of bed and this guy was scaling mountains and cliffs! Then there’s my friend, Scott Johnson of Scott’s Diabetes, who is rounding his already high energy basketball workouts with the addition of a running program. There’s also Chris Stocker of Life of a Diabetic, who is sharing his mental workout of hurdling though a life of a diabetic entrepreneur. Why me? I think these people are extraordinary. What could I do that would put me in their league?

Then it hit me. I may never climb a sheer cliffside or run a marathon or be a successful entrepreneur, but I can face my fears and begin a regular exercise program. Thanks to Accu-Chek and Duracell, who have supplied me with the tools I need (including the Duracell powered Accu-Chek Nano meter and a heart monitor), I am going to start being…extraordinary, too.

So, stay tuned. I’ll be sharing the good and the bad (and I’m sure the sweaty) of how I am “Powering Through Diabetes” over the next few weeks…Wish me luck!

*Disclosure: By participating in this program Accu-Chek is providing me with an Accu-Check Nano meter and test strips for a month. P&G/Duracell has provided me with a heartrate monitor to help me with my exercise challenges (as well as a FitBit Flex). In exchange, I have agreed to write about my experiences in exercise and blood glucose testing with the Duracell powered Accu-Check Nano Meter.