Configure Your Rebound Boots to Fit Your Needs, Not Just Your Feet

People who have jumped with me in rebound classes know that I am really fussy about getting the right boots on each person, to maximize their chances of having a great time. Shoe size is definitely the starting point, but it's not enough. Using a predetermined weight as the dividing line between harder and softer boot parts is better, but definitely not enough. There are ways to configure your boots to suit your weight, your jumping style, your level of athleticism, and your body's existing conditions and replaced parts.

The benefits of exercising in rebound boots all depend on the person in the boots being able to compress them when she lands. If the boots won't compress enough, or sometimes at all, you are basically jumping around on curved three pound bricks. This may help train your balance, but does not decrease the impact on your joints. The good news about not compressing much is that you can keep up with faster music more easily, because you are not waiting for the longer time a deeper compression and rebound cycle takes for each step.

Conversely, if the boot is compressing too easily, or too far, you have more difficulty with music whose tempo is faster than your boots can rebound from each compression. It's possible to keep up, but it takes athletic skills, using your muscles to pull up as you land each step, so you are working against the compression (and limiting the height of each step and each rebound). Depending on why the boot is compressing too easily, or too far, you may be at greater risk of breaking parts on your boot after fewer hours of use.

The sweet spot, of course, is to custom configure your boots to the amount of compression with which you are most comfortable, at the tempo you usually jump, and to minimize risk of premature breakage for the boots. The picture shown here is three pairs of medium size rebound boots, configured for three different jumpers. They happen to be boots from Bounce by Dianna Rojas, but you can also custom configure boots from Kangoo Jumps or Aerower. The left has harder blades (curved pieces) and harder bands (looks like rubber bands in parallel). Someone carrying more weight (whether muscle or fat) or who jumps with more energy or enthusiasm, and has few or no joint issues to consider, would be most likely to use these. The pair on the right has the gentlest configuration, with softer blades and softer bands. Jumpers carrying less weight, jumping with less energy, or seeking to ease into rebounding in light of joint issues would be well-served by these.

The middle pair has the configuration I use, with softer blades and harder bands. The harder bands prevent the softer blades from compressing too far, but do allow a significant enough amount of compression to reduce the impact on my totally replaced right hip joint. The harder band also allows for a rather energetic rebound effect that gets me more time in the air when the music allows. The mismatch of soft/hard does mean I need to replace the bands slightly more often to prevent breakage of the blades. Note that the blades all match on each pair in the photo, so left and right, top and bottom, are all four the same on each pair; I never use or rent boots with unmatched top and bottom blades.

Coming back to shoe size for a moment, some feet will feel better in different brands of boots, just like we don't all wear the same brand of sneakers / trainers / athletic shoes. Both the thickness and shape of the liner and the feel of their rebound are considerations that may inform your choice of brand. If you have a chance, try on a couple different pairs of boots before you buy. Size charts are not perfect, and you may be a different size in different brands. For example, I wear a small in Kangoo Jumps boots, but a medium in Bounce by Dianna Rojas; my feet seem to shrink and swell too, so I try to bring both thick and thin socks most of the time. For teaching rebound classes, I have boots of both brands because neither feels best to everyone. I have not had a chance to try Aerower's boots yet, but that's on my "to do" list.

I welcome your comments, because I am always trying to learn more about how to make rebound boots work better for a wider variety of people. Let me know how you prefer to configure yours, and the pros and cons. Thanks!

Senior Fitness, Beginners, and Rebound Boots, Updated Version

In 2014, I took a self-study course in Senior Fitness for continuing education credits. These credits are required to renew my certification as a Group Fitness Instructor. Many courses were available, and I chose this one for several reasons. First, I'll be 61 years old next month, which pretty much makes me part of the demographic for "senior fitness." Second, seniors who want to become or remain fit are a growing segment of the fitness market and an astute business always recognizes a growing market. Third, it was available at a discount when I made a purchase I had to make anyway. (Since I wanted the course, this just determined the timing.)

The best reason was one I did not know until I started getting into the study materials. It turns out that many of the accommodations suggested in the course to help senior participants in a fitness class also happen to help most beginners. Those beginners are the reason I got my instructor license for rebound boot programs in the first place, to allow them to learn the basics at their own pace and not scare them away before they really started to feel the benefits of rebound exercise.

You are probably wondering what those accommodations are, right? With the caveat that not all beginners and not all "seniors" need these options, here are some that I try to incorporate when I choreograph each song and when I design the class to teach basic rebound boot skills.

• The warm-up and the next couple songs have a slightly slower tempo, because the point is to get people comfortable with the bouncing action of the boots, as well as the rhythm and balance of the simpler steps used in the first few songs.
• The warm-up has a very limited variety of steps, very basic, and the next few songs add only one or two movements per song.
• Transitions between different types of steps are spaced at longer intervals so that more time is spent on each step before we change to a new one, allowing more time for a feeling of mastery.
• There are few turns in my choreography. While these can be fun to perform, they also mean you can't see the instructor for at least part of the move, and it's easier to feel lost.
• Water breaks are scheduled after every three songs, for thirty seconds. If it seems appropriate when watching the participants during the break, that may be extended to a full minute. Seniors and beginners both may have more difficulty lowering their heart rate in 10-15 seconds, and the longer break takes the pressure off anyone struggling to keep up. Remember, this is a cardio workout with a three-pound weight on each foot, so what feels easy to some and moderate to others may feel like an uphill hike with a 30-pound backpack to a few.
• Explaining how to do the steps, or breaking them down into component parts, makes it easier to perform a variety of steps. (For those who are familiar, e.g., this means describing a "pendulum" as just a double step on the same foot with the other leg "out of the way" to the side.) Often I preview each new step between songs, then explain it again when it comes up in the choreography.

Do all these choices make for a slower-paced class? Yes. Is that right for everyone? No. That's the main thing I learned from the Senior Fitness course, that everyone comes to class from a different place along the fitness continuum, and what works for some will not work for all. The observant instructor offers options for easier and more challenging ways to do many of the movements, and the students must pay attention to their own bodies and move in ways that are right for them.

(This post is an updated version of a post I wrote in 2014, right after taking the Senior Fitness course.)

If you're not part of the solution...

Below is an article I wrote for Money, Marketing & More, published in May 1999. I found it again recently, and realized the more things change, the more they are the same. If anything, I would say it all more vehemently today. Back then, it seemed that violence and general disrespect were seeping into the fabric of our social existence; this week it seems more like the centerpiece on the family dinner table, boldly challenging whether we have a social contract anymore.

Becoming Part of the Solution

Most people reading this can remember the saying from the 1960s, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." Not everyone can give up their "real" life and lead a revolution, but each of us can take small steps toward solving larger problems that plague our communities.

For some time, I've wanted to write an editorial on various forms of disrespect, and how disrespect is on the same continuum with violence. I detest unwanted, unsolicited fax advertising; someone disrespects my time and resources enough to think it's OK to use them for their purposes instead of my own. I rant about rude, unsafe drivers who don't realize other drivers are just trying to get somewhere too, and wonder how many of us being courteous on the highways it will take to balance the "road karma." Now, in the wake of the Littleton school massacre, just after my own daughter was assaulted with a rock on a walk this weekend in her own neighborhood in broad daylight, my concern has been galvanized into action.

If we do not want to live in a world where everyone is a fair target for everyone else, we must examine our own actions and see how they contribute to the problem. Further, we must try to see the implications of our actions and change what a project manager would call the "precursors," the things that precede and enable an action.

Three key areas I see for being part of the solution are avoidance, modeling, and communication. You can avoid being in the situations that you feel contribute to the problem. You can model the alternative behaviors and attitudes in your daily life. The easiest...and most difficult: you can communicate your views, in conversation with friends and neighbors, letters to the editor, public forums, and heartfelt talks with your children.

I'm a big proponent of doing things your own way, so the following list of potential actions is not the end-all and be-all. Use it as a starting point for your own dialogue with yourself. If you don't like the world you currently live in, envision what you want to be different, and take action on that vision.

• Don't watch violent movies, videos, or television shows, particularly where the violence is the only entertainment value. There is no positive social value in hacking babysitters to death.
• Ask friends, neighbors, and relatives why they find violence entertaining, and ask them to stop watching it.
• Don't spend your money to support corporations that profit from violence. We're talking small actions here, not organizing a boycott, although if organizing on that level is your vision, put me on your mailing list.
• Stop taunting and cruel teasing between children as young as possible, because both those who taunt and those who are taunted can become victims and perpetrators of violence, both verbal and physical.
• Watch your language. Violence has become such an invisible part of our culture that we don't even hear ourselves say things like "We didn't just win the game; we KILLED them!" Your children are listening.
• On a more proactive note, go out of your way to connect with strangers in non-dangerous situations. Talk to the person in line at the grocery store or deli, and exchange small talk with the cashier. They are someone's next door neighbor too. I believe that when you affirm someone's humanity with friendly conversation, the rest of their day goes better, and that ripples outward to more people.
• Leave five minutes early to drive anywhere, so you can graciously allow others to merge, and generally drive courteously to balance the road karma of those who don't. The accident you prevent may save your life.
• If a specific aspect of the disrespect/violence continuum bothers you significantly, find out more about it. Search for resources or organizations on the Internet, in the phonebook, or by telling everyone you know about your concern. Learn more about what is being done in that area, or could be done, and see how you can make a difference.
• Consider carefully how to maintain safety while not giving up the great outdoors, or the night-time, or whatever else you enjoy and would miss. Take a self-defense class, but don't get cocky.

Anthropologist Margaret Meade once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world: indeed it's the only thing that ever has!" Choose to be one of those people.

Back in the Instructor Boots in April 2017

Back in my boots, and barely off the ground

Gently, low to the ground, sometimes more walking through the choreography than jumping at all...I am back in my Kangoo Jumps rebound boots. Yesterday was eleven weeks after total hip replacement surgery, and I have been in my boots 4 times in the last week. This is absolutely not standard practice for this amount of time post-op.

Lest you worry, I am being careful. I am easing back into rebounding. I have (mostly) done my physical therapy before the surgery and since the surgery, and returned to my other dance fitness a few weeks ago. Caution is not forgotten. However, you don't rebuild muscle by watching other people work out. When the instructor says, "Go at your own pace," I take him at his word. Sometimes I do different choreography altogether, or at least modify what others are doing to match my capabilities at that moment.

I am also (mostly) eating in ways that support my healing, where I can see it and where I can't. I am taking specific supplements that support my energy, healing, and help keep further arthritis at bay.

For now, I am slowly regaining the skills I once had and I realize some will return faster than others. By being mindful and observant, and patient (OK, as patient as possible for me), and allowing for progress to happen at a natural (not forced or time-sensitive) pace, I fully expect to be able to teach Kangoo Jumps classes again in 2017.

For now, I am grateful to be back in my boots, and happy to be jumping low to the ground. Enough time later for flying!

The Bionic Hip...Just Add W.A.T.E.R.

After resisting a diagnosis of osteoarthritis for a couple years, I finally decided to have my right hip joint replaced six weeks ago. In order for everyone who was part of the process to understand that I had very high expectations for after the surgery, I began calling it my Bionic Hip even before I  had it installed. Somewhere along the way, I may have started to believe my own publicity on this. I certainly was disappointed at how slow the immediate recovery was, before I left the hospital. It gradually dawned on me after coming home that it was just like planting a seed in my garden, I had to add W.A.T.E.R.

Water - Both inside (hydration, wash out remaining anesthesia and medications, encourage new growth) and out (feeling good and clean is healthy too), water and other healthy liquids are critical. (OK, for me, coffee is critical too, but no more than two cups a day for now; and hey, it's made with water.) Plus, swimming in water is a recent addition to this, now that the scar has healed enough.

Appropriate foods - A good balance of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats; don't starve your body for building materials for healing; fruits and veggies also counteract pain medicine side effects, besides being good for you anyway. Healthy treats are good for marking milestones (each week post-op) - thanks to my co-workers for a well-timed Edible Arrangement!

Time - Progress is gradual, step by step, and rushing can actually slow the healing. Invest time in doing the rehab work, and allow the time for healing to be thorough rather than quick. I know some people who see me at Chakaboom Fitness, already dancing again, think I am rushing it, but — believe me — I am being careful of the specific prohibitions from the doctor and the physical therapist. I want to heal well enough to be back in my magic rebound boots before 2017.

Effort - This is key: do the rehab work, keep your form accurate, try to understand how each specific movement is meant to help. Some moves help re-grow muscle and bone, some are for untraining bad habits picked up pre-op, some are strengthening and some are stretching gradually.

Rest - Some days you need more rest than others, but don't shortchange yourself even if you are not feeling tired. You know how hard you are working at rehab and ADL (activities of daily life) but you have no idea how hard your body is working inside at healing muscles and bones. Your stamina will come back if you don't force it.

My unnatural Bionic Hip is just like my very natural garden — just add WATER and wait for the magic to begin.

The Best Laid Plans...

Our story starts in August 2011, when I first put on a pair of Kangoo Jumps® rebound boots for a group fitness class at Chakaboom Fitness. It was love at first jump. By October I bought my own boots. In August 2012, I took the instructor workshop. Sheepishly, I will admit it took another year to finalize the details and get the instructor license, but I never stopped working toward it. In October 2013, I bought a dozen pairs of boots, got insured, and taught my first group fitness class ever. I learned so much about teaching by teaching those first few classes: what to do when the music disappears from your playlist; what to do when your own boot breaks while teaching; how to graciously accept assistance so set up, payment, fitting boots, teaching, stretching, putting boots away, and taking boots away all add up to one professional whole.

October 2013 through August 2015, I taught classes in a variety of venues, both indoor and outdoor. I have taught in an elementary school gym, a high school cafeteria, the fitness center in a government building, a tennis court, two different parking lots, and even in someone's garage. (Yes, there was a height limit on the garage jumpers, for safety reasons.) I visited other venues, but for different reasons they did not work out. My wooden deck became the main rehearsal hall for trying out new songs, and creating choreography that would keep my jumpers coming back for more.

Through this entire time, I also kept taking classes where I began, in Franconia, VA. At my busiest, I was taking class three or four times a week and teaching class three times a week. It was so much fun I was determined to keep up the pace as long as I could.

Complicating the picture, I thought I injured myself shoveling snow in February 2014, and it was slow to heal. Well, it turns out that was the first sign of osteoarthritis in my hip joint, and it slowly and progressively got worse, despite my stubborn attempts at denial. I kept right on jumping, although a little more gently, and with fewer "high off the ground" jumps because landing the high jumps felt less secure some days. You might think I regret continuing to  jump, because you might think this made things deteriorate faster, but I am pretty sure the opposite is true. By continuing to jump frequently, I kept the muscles in my legs and around the hip joints strong and flexible for longer than they would  have if I had stopped jumping. I came to this conclusion when I did stop jumping as often, then chose to stop entirely for a few weeks, and saw the difference it made.

In February 2016, after the second orthopedic surgeon said he couldn't suggest anything I was not already doing, I became very frustrated and determined, and designed my own "improvement" plan, based on research in books and on the Internet. (I was still in denial that I would need a total hip replacement sooner rather than later, because at that point it still did not hurt when I was jumping, only afterward; and all day at work, and anytime I did not have my boots on.) My plan consisted of 19 supplements, better food choices, alternative forms of working out, and not jumping for eight weeks. Subjectively, it seemed like things were improving the first three or four weeks on the plan. (I only lasted seven weeks without jumping, by the way, and the first day back in boots was FABULOUS, with all the endorphins I remembered; the next few times were ok, but not great.)  By the end of eight weeks, the good days were about the same as before, but the bad days were worse than before, and I was asking my primary care doctor about stronger pain relief options.

Today I am writing this from a place of frustration and hope. I hope each day will be good, and I am frustrated when some are not. I am frustrated that once I agreed to the hip replacement, THEN they told me it's a six month wait for a surgery date, with a slim hope of getting an earlier date if someone else cancels their surgery. I hope to bounce in my boots a year from now, summer 2017, although I am frustrated that I can't find any information on anyone who has done that after hip replacement. (I could be the first!) I am frustrated that I can't tell from day to day whether I will be able to jump, so I can't schedule classes to teach, and I hope that the people who keep asking me when my summer classes will start will still be around to jump with me next year if things work out the way I really hope.

For the next several months, there will probably be less about Kangoo Jumps in my posts, and more about other things I think about. It will not be all about the pain and waiting (I prefer to whine about that in person). I have learned to write my plans on a dry-erase board, rather than in stone, but not making  plans feels like acknowledging there is no future. I'm not there yet! Stay tuned for the upcoming Adventures of the Bionic Hip.