Still…Pretty Good Year

(song: Pretty Good Year/artist: Tori Amos)

Happy New Year everyone! December came and went with nary a peep from Formerly Fat Mom. Sorry readers. I got the flu on December 9, which of course I did not treat until it became a full-blown bronchial infection. I was pretty much in a coma for seven days, then the added holiday hoopla. Blogging in December was simply not meant to be.

But it's January 2013 and I am officially back! Fully recovered and looking forward to the year ahead. But first, let's review some of the highlights of 2012 shall we?

In my 2011 year-end post, I made a few declarations. One was that "2012 will also mark the beginning of my journey to a career in fitness".  Much like a politician, I delivered only a fraction of that promise. While I intended for said journey to be more focused on helping others get fit, I became sort of a free-lance fitness model instead.  I had three paid appearances with Leandro and some fellow bootylicious ladies on the home-shopping channel QVC. All with live on-air interviews!

Check out my bum bum America!

I was a background model in an online cardio kickboxing workout produced by CafeMom, starring my fellow fit mom Chana Balk, and I appeared in three fitness video blogs produced by Leandro Fitness (Leandro's private business site). 

Click here to see video clips of my year in fitness modeling: 

http://www.youtube.com/user/FORMERLYFATMOM 

So, I didn't become a personal trainer or a nutritionist, but I got paid to exercise and stay fit! Nice work if you can get it...

I also said I'd devote 2012 to the pursuit of eradicating my saddle bags. Yeah, I still have them. But, they aren't worse. And while I would love to have no jiggle on my thighs at all, I am extraordinarily happy with the body I have today. In that same year-end post I spoke of the struggle to find balance. And that - finding balance - was what 2012 was all about for me.  Enjoying my new slim body, but also enjoying my life. When you spend three intense months in a test group designed to change your physical appearance, your mental state gets lost in the shuffle. You can't undo 30 years of negative body image with 90 days of exercise.  In June of 2012, I celebrated one year of being a single-digit size. I wrote in my anniversary post, "One year later, the image in my head still doesn't match what I see in the mirror. While on an intellectual level I know that I'm not fat, emotionally I am still a "fat girl" -- with all the baggage that entails." After I wrote that post, I began to concentrate on believing I'm worthy of lifelong success. Not cowering under the crushing weight of guilt if I skipped a workout or ate dessert  or had a few bites of my son's giant pretzel at a baseball game. I changed my body, then I changed my mind. The body part was much easier!

Though the mental part of this transformation is still a work-in-progress, I've come a long way since my June anniversary. I no longer think of myself as a fat girl in a thin girl's body. I'm not afraid that one meal will be my downfall. Hell, Saturday I had a big ole greasy shrimp quesadilla -- ate the whole damn thing. Did I go to bed feeling like a bloated pig? Absolutely. Did I internally tell myself that I suck? NO! I don't suck! I'm not a loser! I'm not worthless! It's just one fucking meal, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I enjoyed myself! The next day I spent one hour of my morning working out. Just like I would have if I had eaten a kale salad instead of a quesadilla. One meal cannot break me because I won't let that happen. Allowing myself to enjoy a cheat meal here and there, makes it far less likely that I'll go on an all-out binge for two days if I'm feeling deprived. (That's happened several times over the past year-and-a-half, and it's not pretty...)

I'm not saying that I don't still struggle emotionally. If it gets too easy, I'm doing something wrong. I am saying that I've gotten much better at forgiving myself, and that - unlike 2011 Alison - I totally believe in my capacity for success and my ability to continue this lifestyle forever. That is my greatest accomplishment of 2012.

Bring it on 2013! What do you have in store for me?

Under African Skies

(song: Under African Skies/artist: Paul Simon)

A few months ago, I finally joined Crunch, my local gym. Now that I hold myself to a higher standard, I realize that my best workouts happen in a class environment, with other people around, so that I wont half-ass my way through the workout. I still do Brazil Butt Lift moves at home, at least three days a week. I remain a devout Leandro loyalist...

My new favorite class is Tabura. The Crunch website says, "Tabura is a Swahili name for training used in improving military endurance and strength in Africa. This intensely fun class uses kickboxing combinations and basic West African dance moves set to hot Tribal House music and a live drummer. Get ready to burn massive calories and become a true powerhouse warrior." I describe Taubra as Tae Bo, meets Insanity, meets Alvin Ailey. 

The creator and instructor is Reign Hudson. She is equal parts drill sergeant and sassy best girlfriend. (Also, she's a mom, so that makes me love her even more.) She'll engage you in fun chat before class, but once that drumming starts, she is all business, and you better be ready to sweat! Reign will literally sit on you (me) if she knows that you (I) can squat lower, but you (I) are just being lazy. She gets right in your face and counts - loudly - while she spots your jabs. I love her energy! She makes you want to kick higher, jump longer, go harder. 

That's Miss Reign. She don't play...

The first time I did Tabura, I felt like I did on the f irst day of the Brazil Butt Lift test group, because of the intense cardio workout, and the "choreography". I have never felt whiter in my life! I was a total spazz, but I loved the workout! By the end of class, I was dripping with sweat. I love the powerful grace of the West African dance steps, combined with the straight-forward workout. If it was exclusively dance, I'd feel so awkward, but the blend of dance, kickboxing and high-intensity drills, somehow help me forget that I have no rhythm.


Here's a little taste of Tabura.

Reign has been profiled on the Today Show, on New York 1 and The New York Times. (Click the links to her footage.) I think the stars are aligning, and 2013 is her year to explode. Tabura would be an excellent addition to a fitness company that wants to target the African American females aged 25-50+ market.  If there's a fitness company or a business-savvy celebrity (P. Diddy, I'm talking to you!) looking for an investment in the next big fitness craze, look no further than Reign. I'd buy her DVD faster than you can say TABURA! 

Getting my Tabura on in Central Park.

This s the Taburo demo at the Self Magazine Workout in Central Park. I was on the stage, but too far to the right to be seen...thankfully.

I can't wait to say, "I knew her when..."