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.