A Y Inspiration-Katie Heller

Katie Heller before her lifestyle transformation.

Katie and her husband after losing 135 pounds!

Just by looking at Katie Heller, 39, of Burlington, you can see she has a lot of energy. And those of us who have known her longer realize that we are looking at a completely different person from about three years ago. In fact, she's 135 pounds smaller than that person three years ago.

"A couple of years prior to my starting my adventure, my mom was very ill, and we almost lost her," Katie said. "After watching her go through some weight-related complications, I decided I didn’t want to be in that spot down the road and all of the sudden it was becoming very real that that was the direction I was heading.  Also, I was a little less than 2 years from my 20 year high school reunion, which proved to be good motivation."


Katie has been the administrative assistant  for the Skagit Valley Family YMCA Early Learning and School Age care programs for about three years and it was about that time that Katie decided to put her membership at the Y to work. Over two-and-a-half years she lost 135 pounds and has maintained her current weight for the last year. She is now a group cycling instructor at the Y and an inspiration to everyone who meets her.


How did she do it? Katie changed her way of thinking about food, her eating habits, and made exercise a part of her daily routine. She admits, though, it was intimidating to think about the task in front of her and she advises others focus on baby steps so they do not get overwhelmed, like she was at the beginning of her weight-loss endeavors.


"It was very daunting at first," Katie said. "I hated exercise and always thought if I had to do [exercise] to lose weight, I would never make it to goal.  Somewhere along my journey my whole mind set changed.  I quit focusing on the 100 plus pounds I had to lose and everything I had to change or give up and started focusing on all I had accomplished, how much better I felt, and just took it one day at a time."


All of us at the Y are here to help health-seekers like Katie. Whether it's ten pounds or 135 pounds, we want to help you reach your goal. Membership Director Cindy Lindquist admires Katie's persistence and motivation to achieve her goals.


"It was amazing to see Katie in here every day working out and when she hit a wall, she got personal training," Lindquist said. "She really stuck with it and worked hard. And it paid off; she looks amazing, is healthy, and an example to many of us here.


Katie also recognized how the Y helped her achieve and maintain her goal.


"The staff [at the Y] were very supportive and there to help answer questions and help me keep the plateaus to a minimum," Katie said. "There is great support and a wonderful sense of community."

The changes in Katie's life are comprehensive, from the way she eats to her daily routine. And she loves it.

"Now the changes and exercise are just a part of my life," she said. "I don’t really think about it anymore and I can actually say I miss it when I don’t work out and really notice how awful I feel when I eat really unhealthy for any length of time.  I enjoy the challenge of pushing my body to accomplish new thing."

Besides her physical appearance, Katie feels better about herself. She said everything about her daily life has changed.

"My whole mindset is very different," she admitted. "My relationships with people are different.  My focus and goals have changed as well. I have so much more energy.  I am more active, happier, and those exercise endorphins really help combat the winter blues of Washington and the stresses of day to day life."


Katie loves teaching the group cycling class on Tuesday evenings and enjoys talking about her transformation. Being a fitness instructor was something she never thought she could do, but now she loves the challenge of it.

Lindquist said having Katie as an instructor is such an asset to the Y because people relate to Katie and realize that they can achieve their fitness goals, no matter what they are.


"I also love helping people along their journey, whether it is to lose weight, get more in shape or just be as healthy as they can be," Katie said.


If you do not think you can reach your health goals, reflect on Katie's story and know that you can do it and the Y can help. If you have friends or family struggling to get healthy, encourage them to get a membership at the Y where they can reach their goals in a welcoming and supportive environment. Each new membership comes with a free personal training session and more help is available, including caring trainers in the weight room, to help everyone along the way. Give Katie's cycling class on Tuesday evenings a try and speak with her yourself...she knows you can do it, too.