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Kangoo Jumps instructor keeps her fitness hopping

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They’re called Kangoo Jumps — not Kangaroo Jumps.

But the spring-loaded exercise shoes will certainly transform you into a human kangaroo, says Tina Takacs.

The Calgary-based certified Kangoo Jumps instructor admits with a chuckle that she often gets asked about “kangaroo” shoes.

The misnomer is understandable and entirely forgivable.

“It’s close to kangaroo bouncing,” Takacs tells Sun Media in a phone interview. “You bounce and you’re weightless. It’s the best feeling.”

Just like a kangaroo.

And have you ever seen a kangaroo with flabby thighs?

“It’s the best exercise I ever tried. I can recommend it to everybody,” Takacs adds.

“It suits me perfectly because I’m hyper and I love to jump.”

The self-confessed jumping junkie — a fit 120 pounds at 5-foot-7 — discovered KJs three years ago while vacationing in her Romanian birthplace. Takacs stumbled across a fitness instructor who was leading rebound classes featuring the unique footwear, so she signed up.

“I fell in love with the sport,” she recalls.

After returning home, Takacs got her feet into a pair of KJs as soon as she could, and she’s been hopping to it ever since.

The Swiss manufacturers of Kangoo Jumps tout a kangaroo pouch full of fitness benefits.

Among the claims, the bouncing boots are said to reduce the impact of exercise on the knees and other joints by as much as 80%, bolster the lymphatic system by helping to flush toxins, and aid in weight loss by burning more calories than other activities.

They’re also fun, something to which Takacs can attest.

“It just puts a smile on your face. It makes you happy. It gives you a (feeling of) euphoria,” notes the 35-year-old mom.

Takacs, an avid jogger, wears her KJs while going on frequent 5- to 10-kilometre runs, usually along a bike path in Calgary’s Glenmore Park.

“For jogging, it’s really good because it gives you a big push forward,” she says, noting that the low-impact shoes are ideal for joggers looking to dramatically reduce the wear and tear on their joints.

“You can go faster … you just make bigger steps.”

Takacs also teaches six KJ exercise classes a week — two at her local Gold’s Gym and four in her basement.

“I have a big basement so I can fit around 15 people,” she says.

While KJs have been known to add nearly a metre to a wearer’s leap, Takacs is pleased to report that there are no head-sized holes in her basement ceiling. Yet.

Her whimsical workouts, she notes, offer much more than high-intensity cardio.

“You get really fit everywhere,” she says. “It works every inch of your body.”

Especially the legs and abs.

“The legs are working for the whole class,” she adds. “And you get a really nice abdomen. When you’re lifting both legs, the abdomen contracts all the time.”

Takacs wraps up her classes with some floor work, which includes conditioning with light weights for the upper body.

KJs, which cost about $300, aren’t recommended for use on gravel or ice.

But Takacs wears them in fresh snow during the winter when the weather permits.

Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, don’t just take her word for it, Takacs says.

“You need to try it.”

Visit Kangooclubcalgary.com for more information.

Fast facts:

• Springed boots were developed as early as the 1920s in Eastern Europe to help athletes rehab injured ankles, knees, hips and backs.

• In the 1980s, Swiss entrepreneur Denis Naville redeveloped the innovative product with an emphasis on comfort, design and performance. And Kangoo Jumps were born.

• Naville’s first model, the KJ-1, was unveiled in Paris in 1994.

• The spring-loaded exercise shoes have enjoyed a surge in popularity in North America in recent years. Celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, have been spotted using them.

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