Zumwalt the Wellness Warrior

Mimi Zumwalt, M.D., a surgeon with Texas Tech Physicians Orthopaedics, and assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation and head of the Texas Tech Physicians Sports Medicine Clinic, doesn’t have to be Xena the Warrior Princess to be a hero to her daughter Demi and hundreds of athletes around the world.

Zumwalt, 49, is a bodybuilder, powerlifter and avid fitness competitor. She has won several titles, medals and awards for her personal commitment to wellness and athleticism.

But perhaps the most impressive feat Zumwalt has achieved in her bodybuilding career is volunteering as the on-call physician for each athletic event in which she has participated.

“That’s what I do,” she said. “I love the sport, and I love to be able to compete and help out.”

Tri-Fitness World

Zumwalt recently competed in her 22nd fitness competition, the Tri-Fitness World Challenge in St. Petersburg, Fla. She said this year’s competition was her most emotional and memorable to date.

Tri-Fitness Challenge is one of the world's most popular fitness competitions for men, women and children. The event consists of a 160-yard obstacle course, fitness skills, fitness routine and a grace and physique event.

Zumwalt came through the benchpress, fitness routine and modeling/physique events with flying colors, taking first place in grace and physique/fitness routine for her age group. She was one of only a dozen women, out of the more than 150 who competed, to max out on the bench press with 50 reps, and was on track to take top honors in the competition.

Duty Calls

But duty called when a fellow athlete injured her knee while practicing hurdles in preparation for the obstacle course. Zumwalt rushed her in an ambulance to a nearby emergency room.

While she was at the hospital, Zumwalt took care of a few more athletes, was unable to participate in the course, and was disqualified from being able to place best overall in all of the events, which is required to win the Tri-Fitness Challenge.

Zumwalt also missed her 12-year-old daughter’s debut as the youngest person to ever participate in the Tri-Fitness Challenge. (Thankfully Zumwalt was able to witness the proud moment when her daughter sang the National Anthem at the competition’s opening ceremony.)

So while other fitness competitors were completing box jumps and shuttle runs, Zumwalt spent six hours at a St. Petersburg, Fla., emergency room setting fractures, wrapping joints and treating tendon ruptures and dislocations.

Although Zumwalt knew her daughter wanted her mom there watching as she competed, she said her daughter understands how much other people depend on her mother’s medical care.

That’s why Zumwalt is her daughter’s hero.

“I think the athletes put me as their hero, too,” Zumwalt said, “I don’t feel like I’m a hero. I just feel like it’s my calling it’s my passion it makes me happy to make others happy and improve their lives.”

Honoring a Hero

Zumwalt’s selflessness and hard work at this year’s Tri-Fitness Challenge has prompted several people to write letters supporting her nomination for the President’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement.

She said even if she doesn’t win the award, she is touched to know how much her efforts mean to other people.

“It fills my heart up because it fuels my fire to keep going,” she said. “I’m all about wellness and fitness.”

When she’s not preparing for next year’s Tri-Fitness Challenge, Zumwalt now teaches a class at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Bodyworks at 50th Street and Slide Road in Lubbock. The class, called the Ultimate Workout, is a an intense, high-energy total body blast consisting of 30 minutes of boot-camp-type extreme cardio and 30 minutes of weight lifting.

Zumwalt also edits and writes a column for the Tri-Fitness Magazine titled, “Calling Dr. Z.” In 2008, graced the magazine as its cover model.

“My charge is shaping bodies and changing lives,” she said. “That’s my new motto.”