Isabel Dunklin:
In high school, she made it into the newspapers. Her athleticism and talent were that good. There was talk of college scholarships and dreams of the Olympics. Then came the knee injury that would take it all away.
First, Isabel refused surgery. Then, she started to gain weight from her new and less-active lifestyle. By the time she graduated from college, she weighed over 200 pounds. Isabel says she was unhappy, embarrassed, negative, and making excuses. And that’s when she decided to take charge of her life.
She began by hitting the gym, but nutrition and weight were still an issue. “So I joined Weight Watchers,” she told us. “To help guide my unhealthy eating habits and spark my weight loss with my activity.”
People thought it would be easy for her. She was young. She had been so healthy before. But success is rarely easy. She completely altered her life and endured a battle to take the weight off. “It has been a life-changing experience, guided by knowledge and the support of people on the same journey,” said Isabel.
Now she sees herself as a completely new person with unlimited possibilities. She has gained physical, mental, and emotional strength. She fearlessly takes on new challenges. Setting goals is how she stays on track.
Her workouts consist of kettle bells, a BOSU ball, interval training, cycling, running, and weights. She eats plain oatmeal, an apple, a banana, or whole-wheat toast with a peanut butter substitute beforehand. Last year she ran her first half-marathon (pretty good for someone who doesn’t consider herself a runner!). Next up are a treacherous mud run, marathon, and triathlon. To do that, she’ll train hard and continue to draw motivation, strength, and courage through her belief in God.
Isabel’s mantra is: “Yes I can, yes I can do all things!” And she says, “If I keep repeating this to myself [while I’m] running up an insane hill when I want to stop, I can make it the next 10 steps, then the next. With this constantly running through my mind, I make it to the end and am glad I didn’t stop.” We love this strategy. It could get all of us through a particularly tough moment.
Isabel is Making Herself Perpetual: “I don’t ever want to be caught flat on my face again. I choose to make myself by never quitting, even when it hurts.”
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