Burns says she struggled with weight her entire life and used food as a crutch to deal with emotional issues. In 2002, she was diagnosed as "morbidly obese."

Burns called it "confining, embarrassing, and shameful" but it wasn't until 2006, when she had trouble breathing and had to have a tracheotomy, that she decided she didn't want to live that way.

At 48 years old, Burns joined a gym and met a friend who challenged her to walk.

"Her focus with me was never on weight loss; it was always on being dynamic and being part of a sport like race walking, and that really appealed to me because I always wanted to be an athlete when I was growing up but never thought I was good enough, thin enough or disciplined enough. But she provided the structure I needed to get me where I am today," said Burns.

Burns will be a guest on NBC's Today's Joy Fit Club on Monday morning. She is also training for the "Girls just wanna run" 5K Run/Walk at Phelps Grove Park on July 18. For more information on the run/walk, you can call (417) 269-3282.