Merideth Tall needed a change.
She had a badly damaged knee, lower back pain and no way to maintain the level of fitness and physical activity she had become so accustomed to throughout her life. Her daughter Alia was living in Hawaii and the owner of the bikini shop she worked at had begun renting a new fitness product known as Kangoo Jumps to tourists. Knowing her mother was looking for a way to get back into exercising, Alia told her about Kangoos and encouraged her to check them out.
“My original thought when I saw them on the internet was, ‘I wouldn’t ever be interested in buying a pair of these,” Tall said. “But I did some research and bought two pair. It’s been wonderful.”
Previously unable to run because of the pain in her knee and lower back, Kangoo Jumps have given Tall her life back. She is able to run four miles on a regular basis and has even stretched herself out to eight miles on occasion.
“I’ve seen enormous changes in my own body,” Tall said. “We do hills, trails, all kinds of weather. I’m really impressed.”
Originally conceived to help speed recovery from injury, Kangoo Jumps are a European designed, tension-powered rebounding shoe that combine the basics of walking and running with rebounding, all while reducing the impact on joints by up to 80 percent.
Other benefits, according to multiple studies performed by NASA, include an increase in oxygen intake (17-20 percent) and calorie burn (twice as much as conventional running or walking), an improved metabolic rate, stimulation of the lymphatic system, which helps remove toxins from the body and eliminate fat build-up and also a state of euphoria from the naturally stimulating activity of jumping.
For Ginny Morris, the owner of Old Town Bellevue’s specialty running shop Running Elements, Kangoo Jumps have provided another avenue to help athletes find an ideal blend of equipment and exercise. Running Elements specializes in custom shoe fitting and biomechanics and prides itself on blending Morris’ experiences as a life-long running enthusiast and running coach with her passion for helping others find the equipment they need to take back their health.
Currently, Running Elements is the only place in the Pacific Northwest to buy Kangoo Jumps. But when Morris heard of them, that wasn’t her first thought.
Running Elements opened in April with the intention of bringing custom shoe fitting and running equipment expertise to Bellevue. Morris said the part she enjoys the most is seeing the look of excitement on a person’s face when they find the perfect pair of shoes or get that ideal fit to help relieve pain.
“I was kind of thinking it was a hokey thing,” Morris said of her initial reaction to Kangoo Jumps.
But the skepticism didn’t last long.
While Kangoo Jumps are the ideal blend of exercise and rehabilitation equipment, Morris was in outstanding physical condition and wasn’t recovering from any kind of injury. But her husband and partner was. Greg Cosgrove had just underwent a complete rebuild on an Anterior Cruciate Ligament in one of his knees and like Tall, was looking for a way to get back to the active lifestyle he prided himself on.
“He started jumping around and realized within five minutes he could break a sweat and get a workout with nothing on his knees,” Morris said. “He came back and said, ‘these Kangoo Jumps are the real deal.”
That was all the more convincing Morris needed.
The initial reservations Morris had about Kangoo Jumps quickly turned to enthusiasm about the possibilities such an innovative product would offer. She and Cosgrove did extensive research with exercise, medical and rehabilitation professionals, learning the practical benefits before they ever considered placing them on the shelves at Running Elements. The major benefit according to Morris is the opportunity to get people an alternative to elliptical machines and treadmills for their cardiovascular exercise.
“We did not want to compromise what our goal is and what we want people to equate us with,” Morris said. “Everybody we know from a medical point of view that has researched them says they are pretty amazing. It’s an added dimension that nobody else really has right now.”
In concert with the theme of Running Elements, the service doesn’t end with the purchase. Morris has begun hosting workout classes focused around Kangoo Jumps with other fitness professionals around Bellevue, turning the shop into an impromptu workout studio three mornings per week. She has also organized running and walking groups for those searching for others to share the Kangoo experience with.
“What we really want to do is help people keep moving,” Morris said. “It’s just kind of evolved into one more neat part of what we’re doing here.”
For more information on Kangoo Jumps, visit the official website.
(Middle) Janelle Miller, owner of Define Fitness Studio, demonstrates Kangoos, a new fitness technology, at Running Elements on Old Main in Bellevue, October 5, 2011. (Bottom) A hard shell lined with padded material sits upon tension bands that provide rebound to lessen impact on joints. Rubber grips ensure grip in any conditions or surface and like the bands, can be replaced. Photo Credit: Chad Coleman, Bellevue Reporter.
Josh Suman can be reached at 425-453-5045 or at jsuman@bellevuereporter.com
