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.

Kangoo Jumps® Dance Instructor Training - February 7. 2016

Update!! This instructor licensing workshop has been rescheduled for February 7, 2016. New poster coming soon!

In the meanwhile, the 10 reasons (from my original post in 2015) are still valid, so enjoy the original blog post below. If you are interested in becoming a Kangoo Instructor, this gives you time to get certified as a Group Fitness Instructor first, if you aren't one already.

Ten Reasons You Want to Attend This Training!

10. You love to use your Kangoo Jumps® rebound boots yourself, and can't wait to share the euphoria with others.

9. Sunday, February 7, 2016 (new date) is a viable date for you to spend with a room full of other happy, jumping people. (New location too: Franconia Firehouse, Alexandria, VA.)

8. You jump with great enthusiasm and having the instructor discount on replacement parts would be brilliant. (The boots are well-constructed, and some of us just wear out t-springs, shells, and liners faster than other people.)

7. Being licensed in a specialty fitness format enhances your reputation and marketing, whether you are an employee, a contractor, or the owner of your own business.

6. If you are a fitness professional, the workshop (and other expenses to attend it) may be deductible on your income taxes. (Check with an accountant for details.)

5. This training counts for continuing education credit for renewing some other fitness certifications.

4. As an instructor, you will be able to help others achieve their fitness goals.

3. Roberson Magalhaes. Google the videos and see why. (International aerobic gymnastics champion - several times; co-owner and choreographer (with Leo Lins) at Chakaboom Fitness - watch their youtube videos; featured in the Kangoo Jumps DVDs Kangoo Power, Master Class vol. 2 and Kangoo Kickbox, Master Class vol. 2.)

2. You recognize that a low-impact workout with high-impact fun would be a great addition to your community, especially for the growing demographic of people with joint issues and for beginning exercisers. You will learn how to design choreography that is adaptable to beginners, competitive athletes, and every level in between.

1. You get to meet me and several other people who are as excited about rebound fitness as you are! (My peeps!)

If you want more specific details about the workshop, contact Kathleen as listed on the flyer. I'm available on Facebook (Loraine Says Jump) or by email if you have other sorts of questions (you know, the meaning of life, why we measure distance in minutes instead of miles in Northern Virginia, that kind of thing).

The Instructor Adventure Moves to Plan D

So, a few weeks ago, I had talked myself into believing I was OK with not renewing my Kangoo Jumps® Silver Level Power Instructor license. I could still teach the same classes, just not call them the official name. (See my earlier post about Plan B and Plan C.)

Ah, Plan D, how you snuck up on me. Someone offered to teach a licensing workshop in Northern Virginia, and I suddenly realized I really did want to keep that license after all. It's now the beginning of October 2015, and I am looking for a dozen people who want to become Kangoo Jumps instructors (or renew if they already are), so we can do this thing, before it snows if possible. (We need a minimum of six, but twelve would be so much more fun!)

The catch...to take the KJ instructor training, you need to already have a fitness certification from an accredited organization (e.g., AFAA, ACE). If you are a fitness professional already, and uncertain about adding KJ to your repertoire, take a class locally to try it, and let the euphoria of rebounding convince you. There are at least three locations in Virginia offering classes (Franconia, Lorton, and Lake Ridge), and possibly others in MD or DC. Ask me for details.

If you are interested, let me know so we can try to coordinate dates to make it convenient for as many people as possible. If you are in the Northern Virginia area and can offer a place for a weekend workshop (all day), please contact me too. Anticipation? You bet!

Plan B... or Plan C... and Window Shopping

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans," according to John Lennon. I am in the midst of switching to Plan B, or Plan C, and trying to remember that there are 23 more letters after that. In fact, I know several other people working their way through the alphabet this way. If a straight-ahead, linear path worked for everyone, we would have a lot fewer really interesting people in the world, and I tend to like the People of the Convoluted Path.

Three years ago I worked really hard to achieve certification as a Group Fitness Instructor, as part of becoming a licensed Kangoo Jumps® instructor. Two years ago, I got my official KJ license and started teaching classes using KJ rebound boots. Last year I renewed my GFI certification, which required money and continuing education credits. This year I am not renewing my KJ instructor license, although I will still be teaching music-based fitness classes using Kangoo Jumps rebound boots. I am not interested in attending the initial licensing class all over again (and having to fly somewhere to do it), nor submitting a no-edits, single-shot 11-13 minute video in a style I choose not to teach. This sounds like a simple decision, but it was not.

At the core of my decision is the belief that rebound boot classes should not be limited to those who are already fit and flexible. For the most part, those are not the people I want to reach with the delights of rebound fitness. I want the people who need that "up to 80% less impact" that these boots offer, who want high-impact fun with low impact on their joints. I want to make people comfortable with their own learning curve when they use these boots. More experienced jumpers who attend my classes are welcome to embellish the choreography I use, and they do. At the same time, other people choose to just "do singles or doubles" until they feel ready to follow the choreography, and I make sure they know that's OK too. "Keep moving and keep smiling, and we're all good!" If I were teaching 8-10 classes a week indoors, I would customize them for easier and more complex choreography, maybe even for musical themes, and would try to serve a variety of jumpers but not all in the same class.

Because of how I want to teach rebound fitness, I have never considered (at least not seriously) even applying at an established gym. I have taught in private settings (employees only) and in parking lots. For two years now I have been feeling "location lust" whenever I drive by a vacant storefront of a reasonable size, with good parking, and good food nearby (and a few other criteria). My current "plan" is to put more time into making this indoor rebound location happen. Hopefully before it gets too cold to jump outdoors! To make this profitable (can't pay a lease if it's not, right?), I am also interested in hearing from other instructors who would consider offering fitness classes there, offering health-related classes weekly or monthly, or even using the space for tutoring when classes are not scheduled. I am open to many possibilities to help pay for a place I can jump indoors in the winter. Find me on Facebook at Loraine Says JUMP and leave a message if you are interested in making this happen, as an instructor, location scout, decorator, investor, supporting member, or whatever else we need to make it work. Let's be indoors before it snows!

The Secret Behind "Effortless" Results

We've all witnessed amazing performances by people in the arts, athletics, academics, and many other areas of life that don't start with the letter "a." They make whatever they are doing look so effortless, almost as if they were born doing it. Here's the secret behind making something seem that effortless...EFFORT.

No, that can't be right. Do you mean if I put in enough hours practicing the right way to do something, I'll get better at it? Do you mean if I can identify my goal and the steps to get there, and I put time into working those steps, I can make progress toward achieving my goal? Do you mean I didn't have to be born the perfect weight, with the perfect skills, or start with any other perfect anything? I just have to work consistently (not constantly, mind you) and there will be consequences, which in this case are also called "positive results."

The babes in the front row of fitness classes who look like they could almost teach the class were once the beginners who wondered if they would last through the first class. They showed up consistently, they worked on their skills, and now they make it look effortless. Same for golfers, bowlers, gymnasts, spelling bee contestants, master teachers, Zamboni drivers, chefs, race car drivers, sculptors, musicians, and just about anything else you could want to become.

So, half the message today is set a goal, show up and put in the effort to improve specific skills, and good things happen. Nice. Motivational. Not enough.

The other half of today's message is for those who already did all that, or who are doing that currently. Please don't hide the effort it is taking you to get to where you want to be. Those who are struggling need to know you were not born perfect either. The education grad students in my family have learned that this is a "fixed mindset" vs. "growth mindset," this notion that you either are or are not smart, athletic, a good cook, or whatever else, vs. knowing that while you may not be good at something YET you could be better if you work at it.

This is part of why I kept (and will keep) posting updates about my recovery from carpal tunnel release surgery, and other things I have to work at if I want to accomplish them. I know that in public I will only use my left wrist to do the things I know I can (e.g., no heavy lifting, no strongly flexed or extended wrist) and it will look like an effortless recovery. NOT. I may not have an official curriculum of physical therapy for getting the flexibility and strength back, but I create many opportunities throughout the day to gently test and work through range of motion and weight-bearing activities. I identify the effort I need to make, and I make it.

I am currently reading a couple of different books that relate to all this. In Flow: the psychology of optimal experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says, "Although the flow experience appears to be effortless, it is far from being so. It often requires strenuous physical exertion, or highly disciplined mental activity. It does not happen without the application of skilled performance." (You know, flow, that in-the-zone great experience when you become one with the activity you are doing; yeah.) Then there is Brené Brown, in Daring Greatly, who says "Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance." The effort-making stage is us being authentic and imperfect, and if we can't accept that, we will never feel like we are "enough."

This week, think about some of the people you meet and ask yourself what effort they put in to make their results look so effortless, or what effort they could make to get past where they are stuck in a fixed mindset. Then spot-check your own life and congratulate yourself where you've worked hard to get where you are, and ask yourself what effort could make a difference where you feel stuck. (You knew there would be homework, right? At least I'm not asking you to write it down!)

Kangoo Jumps® Rebound Boots Demo at Wellness Fair, April 18 in VA

Kids know fun when they see it, and the Kangoo Jumps® rebound boots "try 'em on" booth was extremely popular at last year's Rose Hill ES Wellness Fair. We have more boots in smaller sizes this year (and still have plenty of adult-size boots for parents, staff, and random grown-ups).

Starting at 9:30 am, people can come talk with us, try on boots and wear them for a few minutes (in our marked off, supervised area of the gym), and find out where they can take classes locally. I hope to be able to let people know when the next instructor licensing will be offered locally, for other fitness providers who might be interested.

At some point during the Wellness Fair, a few of us will do a brief demonstration of rebound jumping, so everyone can see what you can do in these fabulous boots with a little practice.




Preceding the Wellness Fair, there will be a Kid's Fun Run at 8 am and a 5K Run/Walk at 8:30 am to benefit the Autism Society of America. If you are interested in this, you can find the registration form at www.fcps.edu/rosehilles. If you want to run in rebound boots and don't have your own...contact me and we'll see what we can arrange.

For my local followers who like to help out, I am definitely looking for volunteers to help get people (mostly kids) in and out of boots, supervise the enclosed jumping space, keep order in the line and answer questions, and be part of the on-stage demo. (I don't have a time for the demo yet; will post on Facebook and here when I do.) Whether you can help for a few minutes, or longer, "it takes a village" to make this work smoothly!

For any other instructors out there reading this, I have found that wellness fairs and similar demo opportunities are great opportunities for introducing people to Kangoo Jumps rebound boots. Five minutes in boots and they realize they won't fall, they really can balance, and it's SO MUCH FUN! Then it's up to you to keep them coming back for more.

Questions? Leave them here as comments, or find me on Facebook and ask, or if you know me then you know how to find me in person. I'm really looking forward to this event!

Snow Days and Birthdays and Death, Oh My!

This is a post about being prepared for the good and bad in your life, and whatever else comes along. Today is a snow day, next week is my birthday, and just over a month ago my youngest sister died. These don’t sound related, but they are.

January and February in northern Virginia we all play a game called Guess the Snow Days. There will always be some, they will not always match the weather or the weather predictions, and they will often be over- or under-prepared for by localities. With one of the nation’s largest school districts (Fairfax County), the school system is usually the trendsetter in calling a snow day, but some years they can’t win for trying. This is one of those years. On the home front, we were better prepared this year than usual. We now have six shovels at the house (with four people to use them) and one in each car, snow brush and scraper in each car, two snow-blowers (gas and electric), an ice chopper, and a leaf blower that we could probably use to blow snow off the cars. We have a kerosene heater, a propane camping stove, and a gas grill out back if the power goes out. We have a generator, for the coffeemaker and other important reasons. We live in a townhouse. Really, we are ready for some snow.

Next week I will enter a whole new demographic. I will turn 62, eligible to apply for Social Security. I feel somewhat less prepared for this than for snow, although I have seen this coming for a lot longer. I take better care of my body, spirit, and emotional health than I used to, although I am still not a great example to follow. (No, really; just ask me.) I was 10 when my mother died of a heart attack, and assumed for many years I would be lucky to see 50. Around 58 years old, I realized I was still here, and might have another 20 or more years to go, and if I wanted to keep doing anything interesting I had better whip this body of mine into a condition that would support those interesting things. I had dabbled in exercise before (weights, treadmill, Zumba, tap dancing) but in 2011 I got serious, partly because I found something that felt better than cookies and milk taste. I lost 45 pounds by going to Zumba, and later rebound classes using Kangoo Jumps® rebound boots, at Chakaboom Fitness. This was no casual fling, since by fall of 2011 I was attending as many as 12-13 classes a week. The classes were high energy, the instructors were easy on the eyes, and the camaraderie with the other students was amazing and supportive. In 2013, very gradually, the classes changed and it became easier to skip them sometimes, and eventually almost all I still attended were rebound classes. I was not the demographic they were aiming the classes at any more, and it just wasn’t fun for me like before. That’s when the struggle began. I started to gain weight back, and a snow shoveling injury started a year of less than optimal movement which made it even easier to skip exercise classes. (To condense the medical side of this, I should have started with the massage therapist, not waited 10 months to try that.) Apparently, I was not prepared for aging; I had just been lucky most of my life.

My youngest sister was also not prepared for aging. I suspect she did not expect to outlive our mother as long as she did either. She started smoking in her early teens, kept smoking after four minor heart attacks, and got her only exercise taking out the trash. Even when you know someone’s habits are going to get her, you are still not prepared for her to leave so suddenly or so soon. My preparedness take-away from losing my youngest sister is to stop procrastinating about being in touch with friends and relatives. I am turning an age she will never see, and that’s an opportunity I choose not to waste. I am trying to learn to cherish most of the moments I have left, whether they are days or many years. (Admittedly, there are some moments I am not cherishing, but I am at least trying to accept them.)

So as I turn 62 next week, there are some things I am looking forward to and some I am hoping to change.

• I want to return to sending letters on paper to one of my longest-known friends, Nancy, since she refuses to use Facebook and I still want to keep in touch.
• I want to start talking on the phone regularly with my second-longest-known friend, “Bean,” because I still can’t figure out how to get us in the same state again.
• I want to find something else to do that is fun-fitness in addition to the rebounding I adore, because too much of just one form of exercise is not a good balance for the body I happen to have.
• I want more time to sit on the deck and enjoy the beautiful flowers in my garden, both alone and with friends. (Um, but not until it’s warmer out there.)

I want to do, or stop doing, many other things, but I find myself typing and erasing them, so I guess I am not ready to share the rest of this list. Let’s just say 62 feels like more of a landmark birthday than 50 or 60 did, and we will see how prepared I can become for whatever life brings my way.

Recertified and Ready to Rock

Some days things just fall into place. For example, my recertification for another two years as a group fitness instructor came today from AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America). I needed that in order to renew my fitness instructor liability insurance, which is due very soon. I needed both of those to continue offering rebound fitness classes using Kangoo Jumps boots to public school employees as a "staff wellness" class the rest of fall and early winter. The timing is working nicely for all this.

It's been a good couple weeks for finding the balance between the business side and the creative side of teaching KJ rebound fitness. I introduced the choreography for four new songs to my students, and they got almost all of it on the first try. I helped a friend find a solution to a boot that couldn't be repaired (and now it IS repaired). That's the creative side. I decided to reorder pink t-shirts and pink hoodies with "Loraine Says JUMP" on them to offer to other people, not just wear them myself like I did the first order. I learned how to offer them in the Square Market (mkt.com/LoraineSaysJUMP). I learned how to invoice students for classes using my Square account. And I started researching locations again, because it won't be that long before it's too cold to jump on my deck for several months.

I've also been in touch online with other instructors licensed by Kangoo Jumps, having conversations where we learn from each other. Not every idea transfers from one situation to another, but sometimes one of us writes something that sparks a new approach for the other. I am sure that's going to be one of the best parts of the Kangoo Jumps Festival in Fort Lauderdale in Florida in October, that exchange of ideas and energy between instructors. I won't be there (other commitments), but everyone is welcome to attend the actual Festival Day on Sunday, October 12. For more details, go to  www.kjfestival.com.

(OK, so I have been sitting here trying to come up with a suitable conclusion for this post for way too long. I am officially giving up and going to get some sleep, in the hopes of accomplishing a lot more tomorrow. Now that I am recertified, I want to be rested and ready to rock!)

If The Boot Fits...

In both places where I put first-time jumpers in Kangoo Jumps® rebounding boots, I try to get the best overall fit for each person. This includes not just their shoe size, but a variety of other considerations.

The starting place is always the person's shoe size, but that is just a start. KJ boots come in extra-small, small, medium, large, and extra-large, which is enough to fit most adults. (There are also children's boots and heavy duty boots, but I don't work with those.) My personal experience is that the sizes on the official size chart are a "guideline" (like the Pirates' Code), and some people need a size larger or smaller than the chart says. I try for the closest comfortable fit, and tell people to use trial and error in choosing the best sock combination to optimize the fit (thinner socks, thicker socks, two pairs of socks, etc.). The size of the boot is most dependent on the size of the liner inside the boot, and you can put a small liner in a medium outer boot and accommodate someone who is right on the fence between sizes.

The next consideration for most people is the configuration of the t-springs, the things that look like heavy-duty rubber bands inside the two curved shells of each boot. Most brand new boots come with all three bands intact. Cutting or removing the middle band will make it easier to compress the boot, for example, if someone with less weight is using them. Cutting or removing the two outer bands and leaving the middle one intact only works for people don't have enough weight to compress the boot otherwise. The boots are meant to handle a wide range of weights with all three bands in place, and people of any weight who are willing to jump harder can use them. There is even an optional coil spring set that can be purchased and used with the t-spring, for those who want to jump harder or who weigh more.

Further customizing can be done by changing the curved shells on the boots. The three smaller sizes come with L shells, which compress easier than H shells (when used by people of the same weight). The large and extra large boots come with H shells, because people with bigger feet usually weigh more. It is possible to buy replacement shells of the type your size boot would not normally have, and swap them, so that someone with larger feet and a lower weight could compress more, or someone with smaller feet but weighing more could get more rebound effect. Normally you would have to buy your own boots to achieve this level of customizing, but sometimes you will find a location that has a medium boot with H shells.

Whenever I put first time users into rebounding boots, I try to match as many of the shoe size, weight, and fitness level criteria as I can, to ensure the best "ride" for them that day. My theory is that the better the boots fit, the more they will enjoy it.  Once they try it and fall in love with rebounding, they can buy their own boots and customize them to their heart's content.

The Best Birthday Present? Memories!

Birthdays. You can acknowledge them or not, but they keep happening as long as you stick around on the planet. I decided that this year was a good year for celebrating more rather than less, because I am of an age to start wondering how many birthdays I have left. So I started a few days ahead of my actual birthday, and plan to continue for at least a week after it. Just thinking about ways to celebrate this auspicious event reminded me of how I've spent my birthday in years past.

My favorite undergraduate birthday in college was a picnic in my living room, using the back of the ugly painting that came with the furnished apartment as a floor-level "table." My roommate, best friend, and next door neighbor shared fried chicken and other summer delights with me, trying to forget that my birthday was deep in the snowy time of year.

My 25th birthday found me in a college bar with someone I liked more than he liked me. The state authorities chose that date to "inspect" the bar and asked everyone there for ID...except me. They carded OLD guys, but not me. This was a little disconcerting. Really, I am the only one here who looks obviously old enough to drink, so you don't have to check me?

My first drink in a bar was the night I turned 18, because I lived just a couple miles from a state where the drinking age was 18 (at that time). My best friend and I went to a movie (Straw Dogs) and stopped at a bar afterward. I had no idea what to order since I had never done this before. I can't remember what I ended up with, but I'm sure it was some cocktail suitable for a first-time drinker.

The biggest party I remember having for my birthday was the year I left the Air Force. We had a combined birthday / farewell bash in someone's apartment. San Bernardino, California; I'm sworn to secrecy about the details.

A dozen or so years ago, I had a birthday party at my own house, with friends and neighbors, and an assortment of children because most of us had them at the time. I enjoyed that it was very eclectic, and I did not have to drive home.

Two years ago, a friend let me have a party at her house, much bigger and cleaner than mine. It was a fairly small event, because I felt awkward inviting too many people to someone else's house. It was still a wonderful time, small enough to actually talk to people and get to know more about them. Oh, and to try new foods, like pani puri (which I am probably killing the spelling of). And try on bright yellow shoes with 6 inch heels. And learn about the background of a song called Brasileirinho.

Other birthday memories are not from parties. I realized recently that while I would never want to have to make a living at it, I really enjoy performing. (That would help explain the recent conversations about a karaoke party once the weather warms up, and the fond memories from high school musicals.) This came to me after having dinner with a friend and his family, at which I spent so much time talking (and entertaining them, I hope) that I only ate half of my dinner. (If you have eaten with me, you know that's rare.) I started to see a pattern that other people probably could have pointed out but did not realize I didn't know. Which leads to one of my favorite birthday memories, from a couple years ago. The Zumba class I was attending at the time used to invite people from the room up on stage with the instructor occasionally. The week of my birthday, I got invited up to dance with the instructor four days in a row, including once by someone who had never done that before. Ah, the good old days; but things change and we move on.

This year's birthday has already seen a lunch with friends and a dinner with more friends. A couple other activities are in the plans. I highly recommend celebrating your birthdays, every one of them, because whether you are young or not-so-young, you can't predict which birthday will be your last. Enjoy them all!

Senior Fitness, Beginners, and Kangoo Jumps® Rebound Boots

A few weeks ago, 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 Kangoo Power™ instructor license 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 skills on KJ boots.

• The warm-up and the next couple songs have a slightly slower tempo, because the point is to get them 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 no 360 degree turns in one move. While these can be fun to perform, they also mean you can't see the instructor for at least part of the move. Instead, there are four successive 90 degree turns with plenty of time to catch up if you miss one.
• 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.

Kangoo Jumps® Adventure: License in Hand

The highly anticipated Kangoo Jumps Instructor License is now in my actual, physical hands. (The photo is on Facebook, at my page Loraine Says JUMP.) It took almost as long as getting my college diploma. So of course I took a week or so to relax and savor the actual possession of the license before taking time to write this blog entry. (OK, I was busy with family and Thanksgiving activities; yeah, that's it.)

Now it's time to become more active in contacting venues where classes could be offered. There is research to be done here, but I like research so that's OK with me. In terms of timing, I hope to be offering classes that "the public" can attend not too long after the new year starts, to convert new people to euphoric members of the Kangoo Jumps "cult" before their New Year's Resolutions wear off.

All kidding aside, if you know of a location in Northern Virginia, USA, that is at least 20' by 30' and has at least 9' ceiling height, that is the minimum space I need for getting people acquainted with Kangoo Jumps boots. If you want to arrange a private session, that is the smallest space that will work and we need 5 or 6 people (who happen to wear the size boots I have on hand). I mention the location only because I am constantly surprised by and grateful for the number of readers of this blog who live in other countries.

Just this short entry today, so I can make it to the Kangoo Jumps class I take on Saturdays. After all, good teachers like to keep learning too.

Kangoo Jumps® Rebound Boot Maintenance and My Aching Muscles

Ow! My aching legs! And it's my own fault, so I had better learn from this and not do it again.

All right, I'm done whining for now. Here's the scoop. I bought a pair of Kangoo Jumps® rebound boots in October 2011, and have worn them for well over 300 classes and quite a few out-of-class adventures. I figured it was probably past time for me to change the t-springs (the part that looks like triple rubber bands inside the two curved shells), so I ordered a pair and replaced them.

Walking around my house in them to make sure they were seated properly after reassembling the boots, they seemed fine. A little stiffer but that was the whole point of replacing them. Then I took a class wearing them. OMG! I wore myself out during the warm-up song! First, they were noticeably harder to compress (to squish the curved parts together and make them more flat, for those who are visual readers), which I sort of expected. But the bounce back up...so much higher! I was not prepared for this. Instant euphoria and adrenaline and a grin so big I thought my face would split. Clearly I should have traded out these t-bands sooner! By the end of class, I was more tired than usual, partly from peaking so early and partly because it requires more effort to compress the boots now. This seemed reasonable.

I have continued to find new sore muscles along my legs for a couple weeks now. To me, this is an indication that I should have changed the t-bands sooner, before my legs got used to the over-squish of the original ones invisibly wearing out. Plus, I should have treated myself more like a beginner or at least someone who had been away from rebounding for a few weeks, because breaking in the new t-bands did not need to feel like breaking me in instead. I have heard similar stories from friends who have replaced either their shells (curved pieces) or t-bands over the last few months.

Here's the take-away for you, reading this in search of avoiding similar aches.

• Maintain your boots before they need it, not after they break. Wipe them off after use, spray inside with disinfectant, let the liners dry between uses, and if you wear them outdoors (especially in grass, dirt, or sand), take them apart and clean where the parts meet.
• There are recommended intervals for changing different parts of the boots, so check the instructions that came with them. If you don't use yours very hard (more aerobics than power jumping, more dancing than distance running), you can probably go longer than suggested on the original parts. If you use the living daylights out of them (run on sand, fully flatten the shells when you jump, etc.), you probably want to order the spare parts and have them ready, even if you can't bring yourself to replace things that are not yet broken. Carrying a broken boot home from a rebounding run will convince most people that preventive maintenance is worth it.
• Now that I am teaching, I make sure I have spare boots with me, because stopping class to repair my own boots would not be very professional.
• When you do replace any part on your boots, even the liner, give yourself time to adjust. Just as a new car should be driven more gently for the first couple hundred miles, so should your new shells or t-springs. Expect things to feel different than they did before the switch, and be aware of your body so that the boots are getting broken in, and not you.

Now it's time to go "maintain my brain" by rehearsing the playlist for my Monday rebounding class. Until next time, take your of yourself...and your boots!

Four, three, two, one... and we're LIVE!

So, yesterday I taught my first Kangoo Jumps class by myself. And survived. And got invited back. These are all good things. Was I as good as I wanted to be? No. Was I more than adequate? Yes. Given that my personal life was pretty unusual the week leading up to this, I feel OK about the first class, and have plans for how to improve the aspects that were not quite how I envisioned them.

Here are a few of the lessons learned from that first class.

• Setting up in a new place will always take longer than expected, so arrive even more early than seems reasonable.
• Tech rehearsal should not be done the same day as the event or show, regardless of lack of options.
• An index card with a few key words on it, taped to the top of my sound system, supplements memorizing.
• Experiment with my microphone more to find that perfect angle so they can hear me talking to them but not hear me licking my lips due to nervous cotton-mouth.

There were also a few things that worked exactly as planned.

• Having an assistant who has been through the Kangoo Jumps instructor training is helpful beyond words. (Thank you, thank you, thank you!)
• Songs that I practiced cueing while driving, and rehearsed dozens of times exactly alike, worked perfectly. (So make that ALL of them next time.)
• The class schedule was not finalized until the newly purchased KJ boots arrived.
• A small class encourages people who prefer not to learn the basics in the same class with people who are way beyond the beginner level. They were the ones who invited me back.

Now I have my self-critique done, and my plan for improvement in place. (Of course there are more details, but if I tell you everything, many of you would say "TMI!") My boots are all arranged on their to-go cart, and the pretty knee socks are in a pretty hat box. Disinfectant spray, forms new students must fill in, spare batteries for microphones, even a spare microphone -- all packed and ready for the next class. My sound system is almost done recharging. Now it's time to get dressed for the class where I am the student, because good instructors never stop learning.