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!