Welcome back. I am reviving Loraine Says So to let those who
are interested follow my progress in becoming a licensed Kangoo Jumps® instructor.
Posting it “in public” will also help me hold myself accountable for following
through on the plan, step by step. If you’ve read some of the earlier posts
here, you may remember I need that kind of outside feedback. You know, I give
in to peer pressure easily so please pressure me to do what I said I should be
doing. I really envy people who are more self-directed and don’t need outside encouragement,
but that’s apparently not me.
The story begins in August 2011, when I tried on a pair of
Kangoo Jumps boots for the first time. Chakaboom Fitness, my zumba instructors,
added Kangoo to the classes they offered. Jumping has never been my favorite
part of zumba, but the KJ boots absorb about 80% of the impact, so I figured I
would try it. It was probably the hardest workout I have ever finished! I loved
it. I went to class as often as they offered it, first twice a week, then three
times (when I could), and this summer even four times some weeks.
In October 2011 I bought my own pair of boots. This was
partly because wearing them as often as I did it would not take that long to “save”
the cost of the boots by not having to pay to rent them. The other reason was
because I figured I could get better at it faster if I wore the same pair of
boots every time, rather than whatever pair was available. The best part of
buying the boots was in the instructions. They actually say not to wear them
for too long at a time because it may cause euphoria. YES! Bring on the
euphoria! (We can discuss this more in a later blog, OK?)
I will fill in some of the details about the KJ workout and
intervening months in later blogs, but I don’t want this one to end up as long
as War and Peace. Short version, I
jumped a lot, learned my best timing for eating before and after class, got
cramps in muscles I never knew were there, started studying how muscles work,
and kept on jumping like a little kid on a pogo stick after candy. Good times!
In mid-July 2012, my instructor mentioned that there would a
KJ instructor licensing class at our site on August 12, in case anyone was
interested. I went back and forth for four weeks deciding whether or not to try
this. (Another blog on that decision process later, remember, no War and Peace today.) Two days before
the class I decided and signed up. I now felt committed to doing this.
During the decision process, I discovered that in addition
to the KJ instructor training, I would have to take and pass the certification
for group fitness instructor through a major fitness organization (paper test
and practical demo of skills), get my CPR/AED certification, and actually teach
a KJ sequence (although I can submit that as a video). Doing the KJ first means
I got what amounts to a certificate of attendance until I pass the other two
hurdles. (Since you ask, more details on
the training later too.)
Here is the timing for what’s left.
August 21, CPR/AED training
August 22, study materials should arrive so I can study for AFAA test
September 23, AFAA group fitness instructor training and test
October (tentative), shoot video of me teaching KJ (plan still not clear for this) and submit it
Later in October, hopefully receive KJ license to teach, celebrate like crazy, and find a way to start teaching Kangoo Jumps for beginners
Naturally, intense planner that I am, there are smaller step
breakdowns for the studying and practicing for leading class. We’ll save those
for another blog, another day.
Did I mention that I will turn 60 next February? I’m still
figuring out if that is something I can use as a marketing asset to recruit
students (Hey, if I can do it, YOU can do it), or if I should just ignore it
because it’s irrelevant. Got an opinion on this? Feel free to share it.
So, this adventure has begun. Let’s see where it leads.
Until next time, Loraine
