If studying was hard, waiting for the result is harder

One week ago tomorrow I took the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) workshop and tests to become certified as a group fitness instructor. My eventual goal is to become an instructor of Kangoo Jumps beginners. Before the AFAA workshop, I had already gotten the required CPR/AED certification and taken the Kangoo Jumps instructor workshop. Once certified by AFAA, I still need to submit a video of me actually teaching a segment of Kangoo Jumps.

Being honest with myself, I think I did OK on the AFAA multiple-choice test, but I'm not as sure about the practical skills demo part of the test. I noted a couple of areas I could have done better, and I am not going into details in case the evaluators missed them. If I don't pass both portions on the first try, I can re-take the portion I could improve on for a smaller fee than retaking the entire workshop. At this point all I can do is wait to get the results. Waiting is much harder for me than studying was, because I am restless and want to move to the next step.

As for the actual testing, I can't tell you much about the paper test, except that the test we took was easier than the practice test I purchased for studying. I think part of that is due to Pauline, our workshop instructor, who put us at ease and reinforced the most pertinent parts of the 41 chapter textbook, Fitness: Theory and Practice. (Thank you, Pauline!)

One surprise for me was how much time we spent in actual movement, broken up into smaller portions. I knew about the group warm-up, group cardiorespiratory segment, and group cool-down, but I did not realize we would have a chance to practice all that ahead of time. I knew about the 1-2 minute solo presentation we each had to do, teaching the rest of the group a strength exercise or cardio pattern, in three levels of intensity, but I did not expect to rehearse that in small groups or with a partner. While I am absolutely sure the rehearsal time improved my performance, I definitely felt sore the next day, and the next. My energy level took a couple days to return too, probably due to a combination of different workouts than usual and the sudden lifting of the pre-test stress.

My friends and acquaintances were incredibly supportive before, during and after the AFAA workshop. They commented on Facebook, texted me, came up to me during fitness classes or at the school where I work, and all wished me luck and said they were glad I was doing this (and not them!). Most of them will not see this blog, but I thank them here anyway. I may not be a child, but it takes a village to raise me too!

There will be great rejoicing if I pass this on the first try, so I can move on to the Kangoo Jumps video milestone. If I don't pass, there will be very minor partying and a re-test scheduled. Sooner or later, I look forward to inviting all who live close enough to come try Kangoo Jumps with me.

Latissimus Dorsi? Isn't that a star in a galaxy far, far away?

Yipes! I guess I have been so busy studying I forgot to keep track here of how all my preparation for the AFAA workshop and test are going. Let me give you a brief update.

It took almost a month to get through the Fitness: Theory & Practice textbook, a few chapters at a time. It's heavy and large, so I also read the AFAA Exercise Standards & Guidelines Reference Manual in between, because it's smaller, lighter, and easier to carry around and read a bit here and there. I kept taking my Kangoo Jumps classes, added the occasional toning class (resistance bands and more), and even made it to the local recreation center to lift weights a couple times.

Now I am down to the last week before the workshop and test. I am working my way through the Primary Group Exercise Certification (v4) Study Guide, going back to look up any answers I can't remember in enough detail, and writing the answers. Writing it helps me to remember the details because writing by hand is a physical activity (kinesthetic), I see what I am writing (visual) and I usually hear my own voice in my head as I write (auditory). After I make it to the end of the Study Guide, I will have notes to review if I have time. That feels like enough preparation for the multiple choice portion of the certification test.

As for the practical demonstration part of the test, that's where the intense studying this week will be. There is a section that requires about 15 minutes of demonstrating proper form, alignment, and execution of both strength and flexibility exercises, grouped by the specific muscle area on which they work. Listed in the study guide, those separate categories are these.

• pectorals
• trapezius, rhomboids, and/or latissimus dorsi
• deltoids
• biceps and/or triceps
• hip abductors and/or adductors
• gluteus maximus
• quadriceps and/or tibialis anterior
• hamstrings and/or gastrocnemius/soleus
• rectus abdominis and/or obliques
• erector spinae

So, I have to be able to remember—and execute—the right exercise for the right muscle group, for about a minute and a half per muscle group. On top of that, I then have to teach the group some exercise or "pattern" of my choice for 1-2 minutes, using either no music or music they provide that I probably have never heard. (Seriously, can I just slip on my Kangoo Jumps boots and jump a pattern for them all to learn? From what other certified people tell me, no, I can't.) If you actually know me, you know I love to rise to a challenge, so I can hardly wait to see how I manage this section.

I have to get to work now, so we won't be able to get into the details of "what shall I wear" and similar peripheral parts of the preparation.  (Oh, they do require clothes that show whether you are using proper form and alignment, so my typical baggy t-shirts are out. Sigh.)

Thanks for the encouragement I'm getting in both virtual and physical reality. I appreciate it!

On The Kangoo Path: CPR, AED, cueing, and studying for the test

Yesterday was the CPR/AED training, which has to be completed before the AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) certification can be issued. I scheduled it this early because I wanted the CPR out of the way before I had to start studying seriously for the September 23 class and test. My thanks go to Michelle Law, who was both encouraging and matter-of-fact in teaching the class.

Other ongoing preparation I’ve chosen to help get me ready for the AFAA class includes making flash cards of the muscles I want to learn the names of, crunches and other ab work so the middle of me matches my arms and legs better (OK, that’s vanity as well as prep work), and paying more attention to the cueing in my Kangoo and zumba classes.

Let me make a brief digression here to explain what cueing is. Cueing is when you let the students know what is coming next, either verbally, by body language, whistling to let them know the next transition is at hand, or any other means that communicates effectively. It’s like a classroom teacher planning for effective transitions between activities, except that you cue new moves much more frequently than you change classroom activities. To be able to remember the choreography (or the exercise progression), perform the choreography yourself, and cue the students in the class to what move comes next, all while facing a room full of people who are (more or less) following what you are doing --- this is a skill that comes easier to some people than others. I am counting on the idea that practice will improve the skill if it’s there at all.

While waiting for the official study materials to arrive, I had checked out a couple books from the public library --- Anatomy for Strength and Fitness Training and Group Strength Training, second edition.) Today the package from AFAA arrived. I was not expecting Fitness: Theory & Practice to be a thick hardcover book; it is. There’s also an Exercise Standards & Guidelines Reference Manual, a practice test, a study guide to help you pace yourself and self-test to see what you have learned adequately, and a DVD that covers some of the same material in a way visual learners will appreciate. Right now, I am going to hunker down with some milk and cookies and skim through the book to see what all I have to learn in 30 days. Wish me luck!

The Kangoo Jumps® Instructor Adventure Begins

Welcome back. I am reviving Loraine Says So to let those who are interested follow my progress in becoming a licensed Kangoo Jumps® instructor. Posting it “in public” will also help me hold myself accountable for following through on the plan, step by step. If you’ve read some of the earlier posts here, you may remember I need that kind of outside feedback. You know, I give in to peer pressure easily so please pressure me to do what I said I should be doing. I really envy people who are more self-directed and don’t need outside encouragement, but that’s apparently not me.

The story begins in August 2011, when I tried on a pair of Kangoo Jumps boots for the first time. Chakaboom Fitness, my zumba instructors, added Kangoo to the classes they offered. Jumping has never been my favorite part of zumba, but the KJ boots absorb about 80% of the impact, so I figured I would try it. It was probably the hardest workout I have ever finished! I loved it. I went to class as often as they offered it, first twice a week, then three times (when I could), and this summer even four times some weeks.

In October 2011 I bought my own pair of boots. This was partly because wearing them as often as I did it would not take that long to “save” the cost of the boots by not having to pay to rent them. The other reason was because I figured I could get better at it faster if I wore the same pair of boots every time, rather than whatever pair was available. The best part of buying the boots was in the instructions. They actually say not to wear them for too long at a time because it may cause euphoria. YES! Bring on the euphoria! (We can discuss this more in a later blog, OK?)

I will fill in some of the details about the KJ workout and intervening months in later blogs, but I don’t want this one to end up as long as War and Peace. Short version, I jumped a lot, learned my best timing for eating before and after class, got cramps in muscles I never knew were there, started studying how muscles work, and kept on jumping like a little kid on a pogo stick after candy. Good times!

In mid-July 2012, my instructor mentioned that there would a KJ instructor licensing class at our site on August 12, in case anyone was interested. I went back and forth for four weeks deciding whether or not to try this. (Another blog on that decision process later, remember, no War and Peace today.) Two days before the class I decided and signed up. I now felt committed to doing this.

During the decision process, I discovered that in addition to the KJ instructor training, I would have to take and pass the certification for group fitness instructor through a major fitness organization (paper test and practical demo of skills), get my CPR/AED certification, and actually teach a KJ sequence (although I can submit that as a video). Doing the KJ first means I got what amounts to a certificate of attendance until I pass the other two hurdles.  (Since you ask, more details on the training later too.)

Here is the timing for what’s left.

• August 21, CPR/AED training
• August 22, study materials should arrive so I can study for AFAA test

• September 23, AFAA group fitness instructor training and test
• October (tentative), shoot video of me teaching KJ (plan still not clear for this) and submit it
• Later in October, hopefully receive KJ license to teach, celebrate like crazy, and find a way to start teaching Kangoo Jumps for beginners

Naturally, intense planner that I am, there are smaller step breakdowns for the studying and practicing for leading class. We’ll save those for another blog, another day.

Did I mention that I will turn 60 next February? I’m still figuring out if that is something I can use as a marketing asset to recruit students (Hey, if I can do it, YOU can do it), or if I should just ignore it because it’s irrelevant. Got an opinion on this? Feel free to share it.

So, this adventure has begun. Let’s see where it leads. Until next time, Loraine

When S.M.A.R.T. Goals Are Not Enough

This blog will be my example of what happens when you don't identify the steps necessary to meet your goal. I said I wanted to write something new in this blog once a week, and I started out fairly well in January, but went downhill quickly after that. At first, seeing the stats of my readership kept me going. (Who knew I could have readers in Latvia or Indonesia?) I have now gone over six weeks without writing anything here. Where did I go wrong?

My goal was Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-bound: I will write and post one blog entry per week. Umm, I think I mentioned that the steps have to work for your personality too, and this one misses something crucial. I need someone or something outside of me to notice if I either meet the goal or keep working the steps to meet it. (I'm externally motivated like that, as opposed to some people who do not seem to need positive feedback from anyone but themselves.) The checklist was not the only key to the weight loss process last year; having people say they missed me in class when I was not there was also important!

Similarly, my goal to earn more money... no outside feedback if I did or did not, applied for jobs or did not, whatever. Similarly, my goal to put skim milk in my coffee more often than cream — didn't happen. The cardio classes kept up; people missed me. Spending time on the weight workouts went downhill once I couldn't match schedules with my workout partner.

What did I learn from this? If I truly want to reach a goal, I must build in some kind of outside positive feedback for working the process, doing the steps to reach it. I'm considering asking a friend to be my weekly draft nag ("Have you written a draft yet? Send me a copy!"). Suggestions for things you wish I would write about would also be positive feedback. Apparently I'm not one of those writers who can labor in solitude indefinitely, not minding if anyone ever sees their work.

So, let me know if you miss me in class, at work, or posting on Loraine Says So. For now, I've just been invited out to dinner so this entry ends here.

Identifying the Steps to Reach Your Goal

Let's say you have a goal, a result you want to reach. To get there from where you are, you will have to identify the action steps to take.

For example, if your goal is to improve at tennis so that you win at least half of your games you might identify steps like the following.

• Practice one hour three times a week with someone as good as or better than you are
• Take a tennis lesson once a week
• Do specific weight-lifting exercises twice a week to strengthen your backhand swing
• Always use the stairs at work to increase cardio endurance

If you see no improvement after a month, revisit the steps to see which need adjusting. (Disclaimer: I don't play tennis, so take this example list with a grain of salt, not as real tennis advice.)

If your goal is to lose weight, as mine was, these might be some of your steps.

• Do a cardio workout at least four times a week for 60 minutes each
• Decrease sweet treats (cookies, cakes, name your weakness) one day at a time, eventually cutting back by 95%
• Lift weights twice a week (not randomly, but with a plan)
• Gradually move from whole milk down through the range to skim milk, with a set date for each change
• Eat more fish and less butter, and have salad at least 4 times a week

These are not all the steps, and other steps would work better for someone else, but you have the idea.

Some goals will be easier to identify the steps for than others. Remodeling your kitchen or learning a new language—easy to identify; changing career fields and finding a great job in the new field—not so easy, but still possible. The key is to break the process down into very specific steps, identifying which ones need other ones accomplished before they can start, e.g., getting a passport comes before practicing your new language in another country. (For more info on this, check out the jargon of project management, especially dependencies and precursors.)

To track my process goals, I needed a checklist of some sort. For me, an Excel spreadsheet works well. There is a row for every date, and columns for weight that morning, cardio time, other exercises I track, and a set of columns for what I eat each day. This design makes it easy for me to spot correlations between what I eat, how I work out, and my weight (the actual goal).

Being a visual person, I don't skip days because they leave a gap in the colorful graph I run periodically to see my progress. The graph also makes it easier for me to see that, although my weight goes up and down daily, the trend over time is clearly in the right direction.

In the past I have used bright colored stars on my calendar as a reward for tracking process goals. While that is fun and very visual, I got better results with the spreadsheet. The key is to find out what works for you. Perhaps it's a daily check-in with a specific friend, or posting your workout progress on Facebook, or putting a quarter in a jar for every "good choice" you make (and perhaps taking one out for each "bad choice" as well). What you measure is where your attention will be, so set yourself up with a process that works with your goal and your personality.

The Real Purpose of My Treadmill

There are people I know who don't like using a treadmill because walking ought to get you somewhere, not just wear you out going nowhere. I never had a good counter-argument until this week. I realized that if I sat on the couch listening to my favorite music with headphones, people would think I was doing nothing and interrupt me. If I listen to the same music with my earbuds while on a treadmill or any other exercise equipment, no one bothers me; they assume I am busy!

The epiphany here is that the purpose of the treadmill might be just to get you uninterrupted time alone with your favorite music. And THAT would be worth it even if it didn't make you healthier on the way there! (But it does, and that's even better.)

Let the playlist begin!