You can find your springs again ...

I recently posted a video on Instagram with a caption that talked about how, a few years ago now, I was surprised to realize I had developed a fear of jumping.

And about how I set out to reclaim my springs and my courage. (Mission accomplished, btw).

Jumping might not be for everyone, but working toward jumping has tonnes of benefits - building muscle and bone, training balance, and learning how to absorb energy rather than resisting it with your joints.

And everyone can be springier without ever having to leave the ground.

Here are some tips to help you:

1. Spend LOTS of time with the idea of jumping, before you ever leave the ground.
​Practice simply rocking onto the balls of your feet and feeling your body shift upward, without actually leaving the ground. Rebuild that upward intention first.

2. LONG before you lift off, work on your landing.
​Safe landings are crucial for confidence. Work on exercises that teach your muscles and joints to work together collaboratively to absorb impact. Do this for several sessions before you attempt to leave the ground. The absorbing response needs to become automatic in your body.

3. Strengthen your foundations.
​Jumping is powered by strong ankles, calves, glutes, and core. Include exercises like calf raises, mini squats, and glute bridges in your routine.

4. Work on stability and balance.

You need stability and balance both for take-off and for landing. Make sure to do some dynamic balance and stability work that includes your moving body with a little speed and then freezing.

5. Reawaken your reflexes.
​Practice light, quick footwork—things like toe taps - to reconnect your brain and body.

6. Start tiny. Give your body time to adapt
​Step before you bounce. Bounce before you hop. Hop before you jump. You are in no hurry. Start where you are, not where you think you should be. Your body needs time to adjust. It will.

7. Don’t forget your arms.
​Your arms can have a tremendous influence both on leaving the ground and on meeting it again softly. Practice movements that use the arms to move the feet.

8. Trust comes with repetition.
​ Confidence doesn't come before the jump—it comes after lots of small, successful reps where your body says, "Hey, we can handle this."

9. Respect your nervous system.
​If fear spikes, listen. Pause. Reset. Go smaller. Building trust with your body and nervous system is more important than pushing through fear.

10. Celebrate consistency.
​Even if you never leave the ground, preparing to jump improves your physical capacity in all sorts of ways. Strength, stability, balance, coordination. You are rewriting your story. You can learn. You can stick with hard things. You can respect your body and work with what you have. You can meet what you encounter with patience and give yourself time.

Now let's get MOVING in ways that respect who and where you are right now. Give yourself time, space and grace with this!

Want a little help?

Here are a couple of videos to help you get hopping. Spend some time with them. Give your body time to adapt. These videos are usually available to 5MM: The 5 Minute Movement subscribers only, but I'd like to help you get a jump on things.

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Want MORE help?

Reclaiming your springs can be tricky. You can find some MORE instructional videos corresponding to the above tips in 5MM: The 5 Minute Movement (my subscription online space). Lots of videos for lots of movement variety to get you moving in all sorts of ways. And you can ask for a little guidance from me, too. I've tried to price it affordably - at about 50 cents a day. Cancel any time.