Kristin Bartz’s Y Story #yilovemyy

On October 24, 2022, I started my weight loss Journey. We all think it’s too hard, “I can’t do it.” Or we give up on ourselves. Well did you know that popular belief is that 21 days makes a new habit? That is what I kept telling myself. I can do anything for 21 days. Then on day 21, I said let’s try for another 21 days. Before I knew it, I was getting up every day at 3:30 A.M just to go to the YMCA to work out. It was habit.

Everyone always asks me what made you decide to finally lose weight. Well, for one, it wasn’t the insistent pushing or comments of family members to lose weight; it wasn’t the stares or quiet comments of strangers or not strangers. It was the fact that I felt that I needed to do it for me. Not for anyone else, for me. I had gone to the doctor because I started falling again. She said something no one ever told me. That for every pound on my joints it was 8 pounds of pressure. This made me think, wow that’s a lot of pressure. So, I asked her to help me. And, she did. She set me up with a Wellness Coach (kind of like a personal trainer) and Dietician, who I see once a month. She also told me that walking in the water was helping, but I needed to walk and walk fast. So, I went home and put the harnesses on my two German Shepherds and said let’s go. And, for the first time ever, I let them, walk me.

That first month, I lost 25 lbs. I came to the YMCA every morning (Monday-Saturday) and walked in the river then went home and walked my dogs 1.5 miles and walked them again at night for 4 miles. After the first month, the lazy river wasn’t hard enough anymore and I just so happened to be walking with Jill Steinich, the Assistant Aquatics Director one day, who said,
“come over and work out with me in the morning.” Little did she know that she was starting something. We now have an entire group of us that do water aerobics at 6:00 AM every day for 1 -1.5 hours depending on the day and our schedules.

About 2 ½ months in, I knew that my wellness coach was going to tell me I had to venture upstairs to the YMCA weight room. So, I headed upstairs at 5:00 A.M. I put blinders on and I had complete tunnel vision and only saw the treadmill. I would walk on that treadmill for 45-50 minutes every day before going downstairs to do the water aerobics. We were in the middle of winter so when the weather was really bad, I would put on a YouTube video (either Walk Away The Pounds or FIIT) and I did try Yoga, but the entire breathing and stretching thing was a bit over the top for me.

By 3 ½ months, my fitness coach told me I had to start lifting weights (what weights, there’s weights up there?). So, I asked one of the other YMCA members to show me how to use the machines. The people up there are absolutely wonderful. I try to do leg machines 2x a week. I still hate them, so if I don’t, I don’t beat myself up over it. Twice a week I go workout with a friend of mine up in Lomira at Quad. There I walk on the treadmill for another hour before she gets there, then we do arm exercises with weights and machines.

Recently, I moved into my new house I built on the Horicon Marsh. Saturday and Sunday mornings my dogs and I have been exploring the marsh and the surrounding area. My weight workouts have been replaced with yard work, which includes moving rocks, gravel, dirt and digging. I can still be found upstairs at the YMCA every morning at 5:00 AM, unless I’m too sore from the yard work, then I’ll be downstairs swimming. At 6:00 A.M every day you’ll find me doing water aerobics and the last 10 minutes I’m at the YMCA, I try to swim. At night you’ll find me out on The Horicon Marsh walking my two beautiful German Shepherds. Mid-June I’m supposed to try Yoga, so maybe you’ll see me there. I don’t have good balance so this should be interesting.

I want to add that I could not have done this without the support of all of the people I have met and call friends here at the YMCA. They have all been a huge support, from the encouragement to the knowledge they share with me. Also, a huge thank you to Jill Steinich, Assistant Aquatics Director for getting all of us all into water aerobics. Not just me, but we can all tell the difference.

As of today, almost 7 months later, I have lost 133 pounds, no surgery, just food and exercise. And, because I get asked this all the time.. Yes, I still eat all the same foods you do. No Keto, no fasting.

Kristin, we are all inspired by your story to make a new habit, completely changing your life for the better. We completely believe in you and are so proud of you! 21 days, followed by another 21 days, on repeat, for your health, just FOR YOU!

- Your cheerleaders, your YMCA Family