From Fast Food to Fitness Instructor
With a renewed enthusiasm and zest for life, Dawn Hakala of Waupun has turned her own personal goals into a means to help and inspire others. Dawn has an amazing story of hard work and dedication, and illustrates the fact that determination can make a difference.
The story begins in 2006, just two years after Dawn lost her mother to obesity. Dawn had just found out she had emphysema and had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis the year before. She weighed in at 323 pounds.
"I did not start out to become what I am today," Dawn said. "I really started out just to get better. When I was diagnosed with the MS, I thought I was dying, I didn't know anything about the disease. I started eating better, exercising and getting myself stronger and healthier."
Dawn, who works as a teller at the American National Bank in Beaver Dam, explained that all these health problems started to collide. She was watching a program on TV about someone taking a real age test and began wondering how her own lifestyle choices and current health condition would impact her future.
"One day I decided this was it, I woke up that morning and decided to give up fast food and soda," Dawn said. "My routine had been to eat something at home, then go to thefast food restaurant to get a bacon, egg and cheese bagel, hash browns and a huge soda. Then someone would call me from work to pick something up on my way. I would go through the drive thru again and order another bagel, hash browns and soda. So, I would have three breakfasts before even getting to work. That was my norm, and then I'd have lunch at some fast food place."
When the people at the fast food restaurant started to know her car and what she would order, Dawn realized this was not a good habit. Now, if she stops in to get a coffee, Dawn is pleased to say they have no clue who she is and that she once was one of their best customers.
"I told my husband and daughter that I needed to make a change or I would die," Dawn said. "I asked them to give me two hours to myself and that the living room was mine when I got home from work. I had workout DVDs and would do this non-stop for a couple hours. That is how I started."
When the Wii Fit came out, Dawn bought one for herself and continued the living room workouts. Finally, she came to a point when she was not losing any more weight and looked into Weight Watchers. She joined on April 15, 2009 at 284 pounds. Dawn began dropping weight again. In 2010, just before Christmas, Dawn hit her lifetime member goal at Weight Watchers.
In August of 2010, Dawn had moved her work out location from her living room to the Y of Dodge County. She quickly grew to appreciate a class called Body Solid, and saw amazing changes to her body condition, stamina, and toning.
"I started seeing my body changing," she said. "The muscle definition and the ability to do things I never thought I could. I was pushing myself to see what I could do and how far I could go. Towards the end of the year, the instructor told me she was leaving and wouldn't be doing the class anymore. I was devastated; I was so attached to this class. She recommended me to be the replacement instructor."
At first, Dawn was hesitant; she was concerned about the reaction of other participants of the class. Dawn wasn't yet used to her new physique. She had gone from 323 pounds to her current 183 and explained that this change left a lot of loose skin.
"I was encouraged to go interview for the class, Dawn said. "So I did and I told my story. My whole goal is just to inspire one person to realize they can do this, it is not unattainable and not something so out of their realm. I want people to understand – it's not going to happen overnight, it's not going to be a pill, it's not going to just be your diet – you have to change everything."
Dawn was given the opportunity to lead the class that she fell in love with. She now shares with other people her insights from her own personal struggles. She knows these changes are not easy, but also can speak from personal experience that they are indeed possible.
"You have to start out small. I started exercising at home," Dawn said. "Anybody can do this. If you don't feel comfortable coming into a gym or a class, there are DVDs everywhere. Just tell your family to leave you alone for an hour so you can do what you need to do. Or find a safe place you can go."
The class name was changed to Resistance Body Sculpting, and it is open to many fitness levels. They use body bars, resistance bands, stability balls, Pilates rings and hand weights. Dawn has free rein to try different things to make it not only a fun class, but interesting. Instead of heading to the nearest fast food restaurant for lunch, Dawn now uses her lunch hour to look through fitness magazines for new ideas she can incorporate into her class at the Y.
"I go home and think about this," she said. "I want it to be interesting and different each time. Your body needs that change up all the time. It's just so much fun."
Currently Dawn is maintaining her weight by counting calories. This is what works for her right now. She works out at the Y almost every day in addition to teaching her Tuesday and Thursday evening classes. She does save Wednesday and Friday as days when she can go home and have a meal with her family.
"I do like to eat," she said. "But, I know what I need to do to keep my weight where it is. I don't need to go to fast food restaurants anymore. Right now that is working for me. I did get my husband involved recently and we are counting calories together."
Dawn recommended using the free programs available online to help track calories, keep the accountability there, and to help reframe perspectives on serving sizes and calorie content of foods. She suggested setting smaller attainable goals, giving up soda, drinking lots of water, and to adopt an overall healthy lifestyle.
Along this journey, Dawn also picked up jogging, and recently completed a 5K with a friend. She is considering a five-mile run in the future.
"It was my first 5K and it was so overwhelming," Dawn said. "There I was at the finish line and this was a huge accomplishment for me, going from over 300 pounds, emphysema, and MS Ñ all odds were against me at that point and I just ran a 5K in 32 minutes." As Dawn looks back over the last few years, she acknowledges that it took a lot of determination to get to this point. It wasn't always easy and there were moments that she was ready to give up. But, she said it was definitely worth the effort.
"I made it, I hit that point," she said. "It's almost empowering because it was so unbelievable just a short time ago. I know that I need to keep doing what I'm doing to keep myself here. I like where I'm at and am comfortable. I wasn't planning to lose 100 pounds, but it happened in small steps. I didn't put it on overnight, so I didn't expect to lose it overnight either. You really have to be committed to your goal and want it for you."
