My Story

My name is Erika, and I work for the YMCA of York and York County. Many of you know me, but most of you do not know my story.

What you see when you look at me is someone who looks as if the’ve been in fitness their whole life, has never had any issues with weight, diet or exercise, and never had any struggles with food. I’m here to tell you that is not the case. I come from a family that believed that “a big baby is a healthy baby.” I was taught to finish everything on my plate, even though my mom would give me adult-sized portions. I knew by the age of 12 that being overweight was not good, so I took matters into my own hands and became anorexic to lose weight. Realizing that hunger was not something that I could handle, I went the opposite direction and never went hungry again. I gained back all the weight I had lost, plus some. It was a constant battle to try and get to the right weight for me. I eventually topped out at 250 lbs. with both of my children, and I was miserable. The added weight brought on a slew of health issues, and even to this day, some still remain as reminder of some of the choices I had made.

My weight loss and fitness journey began when my daughter was 5. I was a nanny for a former preschool family, and they wanted me to take their son to the YMCA for swim lessons. As an added bonus, my daughter and I were added to their membership and were able to participate in the swim lessons and the other services the Y had to offer. While they were swimming, I began snooping around the facility and started out as a Zumba spectator, then a back row participant who moved to the front row, to graduating to teaching the class. The Aquatics Director had asked if I would be interested in teaching WATERinMOTION, so I checked it out and decided that it would be fun. And it was! The members became family to me and there was accountability to that. The weight started to fall off, and for the first time in many many years, I started to feel good about myself. I felt like I was reclaiming my life by choosing a healthier lifestyle. I wanted to be a good role model for my children and for others who, like me, needed to make that change.

That isn’t the end of my story, I have taken on other roles with the YMCA; I am a certified personal trainer, the wellness coordinator for both York and Dover, I teach a plethora of fitness classes, I am a LIVESTRONG at the YMCA instructor and trainer, and I am also a Y Weight Loss facilitator. The Y believed enough in me to give me the opportunities to reach my fullest potential, and I’m still growing! If it were not for the Y, I really can’t say where I would be right now. I’m so very glad that I am here, my goal is to reach as many people and to be there every step of the way through their health journey. Whether your goal is to lose weight, fight aging, get stronger, get personal training, or to just be a part of something greater than yourself, we, the Y, are here for you.