Fascinating Women: CrossFitter Isabell Wolfe
Isabell Wolfe is proof that stepping out of your comfort zone and going against society's expectations often leads to a rewarding, passionate life!
Every driven woman would know the struggle of stepping outside her comfort zone and breaking barriers set by society. While all the noise seems to make it impossible to listen to our own truth, Isabell Wolfe sees it as a chance to always pursue growth by trusting the process and embracing herself, through her passion for CrossFit.
“CrossFit has given me confidence in myself, my abilities, and has shown me that my purpose and passion in life is to help others be fearless in their pursuit of their best self,” Isabell explains in a recent e-mail interview with Metro.Style. While it’s impossible for us to step outside and conduct a photo shoot during the quarantine, it was obvious how Isabell passionately adores her training as she answered the questions we've prepared for her.
Scrolling through her Instagram page, one can easily see how Isabell depicts a strong and independent persona which a lot of women aspire to be these days. But aside from having such a well-curated feed, she also manages a journal-like blog that delves more into her lifestyle and thoughts titled, “Girl, Let’s Be Real.” Through her entries, it gave us a glimpse on how she perceives her personal fitness and mental health—ones that she strengthened with the help of CrossFit.
Dynamic Energy
Isabell has been an active individual most of her formative years. But growing up as an athlete, body movement came relatively natural for her. This was the reason for her venture into other types of training, and eventually her decision to join CrossFit. “There is no limit to your progress in this sport –you can always be stronger, faster, more aerobic, more efficient, improve your technique, and there are always bigger goals to achieve", Isabell shares.
She started CrossFit back in 2017 and admits that it wasn’t an exact fit at first. Just like an athlete entering to a new sporting ground, this gave Isabell the drive to exert more effort on making herself better with the challenges that she came across during her trainings. “I think the biggest challenge I have had with the sport is the mental aspect. Learning that things take time, learning to trust the process, to not get discouraged, and to not let other people’s opinions have such a huge effect on my self-confidence,” she shares.
While CrossFit was primarily gaining popularity among the men, that didn’t stop Isabell from defying what the society dictated, and constantly trained to become a competitive CrossFit enthusiast herself. She talked about how it became a battle of overcoming insecurities on her body—from her former size 2 to becoming size 8, “I have struggled a lot with body image; how I look at myself, and the comments I get from people who knew the thinner version of me. I still get very insecure about the changes in my body, and have to constantly reassure myself that I am strong, and I am my best self, and this version of me will get me to where I want to be.”
It’s a never ending challenge and a balance of what society has ingrained in me growing up versus accepting myself for who I am, and what makes me happy.
In a demanding type of training such as CrossFit, one must be able to commit to the strict lifestyle to maintain overall wellness. As for Isabell, she trains twice a day from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and from 2:00-3:30 p.m. five days a week. Her daily routine is composed of olympic lifting, strength work, gymnastics, body building, aerobic work, and high-intensity training.
Being awarded as the 2nd fittest woman in China, she keeps her feet on the ground by knowing that she doesn’t only represent herself—but every woman that believes in her values. So when asked about her end goal, she says that being a part of the CrossFit Games is a part of her list. But as she works her way to the top, she expounds on what she her ultimate purpose looks like, “I know that I will be a part of the health and fitness industry for the rest of my life, and my end goal is to impact and change as many lives for the better as I can, through the education of self-care and self-belief.”
While success can be defined in one or too many terms, for Isabell, it’s simply following through and achieving each of your goal. She sets a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals that keeps her motivated and constantly moving forward, “I understand that we can’t and will not always achieve our goals, for reasons that are not always in our control, but If I know that I gave my full effort and heart in to these goals, then I know I have been successful."
I know that I will be a part of the health and fitness industry for the rest of my life, and my end goal is to impact and change as many lives for the better as I can, through the education of self-care and self-belief.
Women’s Month
As Isabell continues to inspire women with her journey of self-acceptance and empowerment, she admits how she never had a woman to look up to growing up and shares, “It was just me and my dad for a long time, and he was always the person I looked up to.” While her CrossFit journey inspired her to become physically aware of her capabilities, the drive to becoming her very own female role model helped her achieve that dream.
Becoming the woman that she is now means overcoming a lot of struggles in her life. Having the strength and perseverance that Isabell continues to show, she talks about how she was able to overcome doubts that made her into the fascinating woman that she is today.
“I am admittedly a very insecure person. I am my biggest critic, and am constantly filled with self-doubt. There are a lot of times in my life where I have let this hold me back, but I have always chosen to surround myself with people who believe in my type of crazy, and who always encourage me to get after it. You will not always believe in yourself, so you must have people in your life who will believe in you. Don’t let insecurities and doubt stop you from pursuing things, because in the end we are all just learning to navigate through life.”
...You will not always believe in yourself, so you must have people in your life who will believe in you. Don’t let insecurities and doubt stop you from pursuing things, because in the end we are all just learning to navigate through life.
Now that we’re celebrating Women’s Month in the comfort of our home, Isabell shares a message of inspiration to all the people that wants to grow through life amidst the chaos and difficulties that life may throw your way, “I want women to know that they are more than capable of breaking boundaries, of achieving their goals, of being whoever they want to be, and that they will be okay. No matter what life throws at us, we are stronger than we think, and together, we can change the game.”