Not only is the February 2020 Momma of the Month Efé G. Dangerfield an amazing fitness instructor at the Hoover YMCA, but she recently retired as a special agent with the Alabama Department of Revenue and is entering a new phase of life.

Tell me about yourself.

Efé G. Dangerfield

Age: 48

One child: son, Javaris Dangerfield, 12 years

Spouse: Jerome Dangerfield

Career: Retired Special Agent (Alabama Department of Revenue)

What do you want your son to learn from your life?
I want my son to learn to trust and depend on God.  However, I also want him to know that he has to work hard.

What are the best and worst things about living in Birmingham?
Best: The people, the cost of living and the weather.

The people: Birmingham residents are the epitome of Southern Hospitality.  I just had to spend one week in New York City to appreciate and understand.

The cost of living:  The cost of living here is good.  You can have a fairly decent lifestyle without making an exorbitant amount of money.  I considered taking a job in Hartford, Connecticut, after school.  When I found out that I would need to have two other roommates in order to have a decent apartment, I shifted my thoughts back home.

The weather: The weather here can’t be beat (except for Florida or the Caribbean).  Enough snow to offer a snow-day every once in a while.  And nice long summers. (I hate the cold weather.)

Worst: The night life is not so hot.  However, I am pushing 50.  That really shouldn’t bother me.

What is your proudest personal moment?
After I got myself into a heap of debt in my 20’s, I made a commitment to get out in three years.  Those three years were filled with a lot of sacrifice and hard work.  At one point I had three jobs.  I was determined, and I did it! I was so happy, and I felt accomplished.

What is your proudest mom moment?
My son entered his first Mercedes Kids Marathon at the age of five.  They had to run one mile through Downtown Birmingham.  That was a rather daunting task for a five-year-old.  He was tired, but he pushed through and finished.  We were so proud of him.

What is your proudest wife moment?
My husband  coached basketball at Bessemer Academy. One year he started with a team that seemingly didn’t have a lot of talent and didn’t have a lot of bodies.  In other words, his bench was low.  But he took that team all the way to the State Tournament and WON.  I was so happy and proud that night.

You recently retired. What has been the best part of retirement so far?
I am just as busy, if not more, than when I was working.  God took me from one capacity and put me in several others.  I would say that the best part is being home when my son gets off the bus.  Since I stopped working, he suddenly likes to have his dinner as soon as he walks into the house.  I am happy that I can do this.

You are an amazing fitness instructor. What advice do you have for women who want to lose weight/get in shape, but they have no clue where to start?
I was in the marching band at Tuskegee University.  We practiced long, hard and frequently.  This rigorous activity balanced my terrible college-life eating habits.  When I graduated, the activity stopped, but the bad eating continued.  Over a three-year span I found myself steadily gaining weight, loosing stamina and loosing muscle mass.  Finally, in 1996, I was fed up.  I wanted a change.  I thought I didn’t know where to start.  But, I did.  Just Do It.  I joined the YMCA, obtained advice from the staff and started attending fitness classes.  I never looked back.

Even if a person can’t or does not want to join a gym, they can still walk.  That is a good starting point.  A good walk through the neighborhood, progressing from there.  It does not matter what a person chooses to do, just do it.  I always ask people, “You want to be able to play with your grandchildren, don’t you?”

We will all be on this earth as long as God wants us to be.  But we have control over the physical quality of the life that we have.  Do you want to be huffing and puffing, barely able to walk?  Or do you want to be as healthy as you can be?  It’s your choice.  JUST DO IT!!!

What’s next for Efé Dangerfield?
I am happy and blessed doing what I am doing now (fitness instructor, Sunday school teacher, PTO board member and chief operating officer of the Dangerfield Household, Inc.).  I am content…until God moves me.