Thoughts and BELIEFS:
(BELIEF is my chosen word for 2026 - what is yours?)
Hello Reader,
“Can I call you sometime… I need a good heart to ❤️”
That was the text I got from one of my college roommates from PT school.
Five days earlier, she’d had her hip replaced.
That part surprised me—she’s always been incredibly active. She’s 66 now, and her hip pain had been brewing for months.
What didn’t surprise me was what “the system” told her she couldn’t do—
instead of telling her what she could.
Joint replacement is no small thing. The physical recovery is hard enough—but the mental and emotional side is often ignored.
Loss. Grief. Fear. Identity shifts. Especially for active people.
Then came the pamphlet from her surgeon:
No lifting more than 35 pounds.
“I lifted more than that when my hip was wrecked,” she told me.
(She also follows Dr. Stacy Sims, who reminds us to lift heavy 💩.)
The combo of post-op pain and outdated limits sent her to a dark place.
So I offered what we never focused on in PT school:
hope, encouragement, and belief.
And I shared a story with her:
We talked about tracking tiny daily wins.
About “stacking bricks” to build a wall of wins—one brick at a time.
The next day, she texted me an update:
When I called her the next week to check in, she laughed and said:
“I Googled: Don’t tell me I can’t lift weights after hip replacement.”
One of the first articles that popped up?
Dr. Stacy Sims.
My former roomie may not run marathons with her bionic hip—but if she wants to lift heavy 💩, she can.
And now, she believes it too.
There is strength and courage in reaching out to someone when you need a good heart to ❤️
There is power in questioning limits that don’t fit your body -Lindsey Vonn, Team USA Olympian competing with a torn ACL
As for hope, encouragement, and belief?
Sometimes they’re just as important as pain meds.
GOOD LUCK TEAM USA!!! 🇺🇸
Walking (or running) beside you — one step at a time.
Coach Nikki
A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FEET:
A lot of my clients will tell you we spend way more time strengthening their feet than they ever expected.
Foot strength isn’t sexy.
And let’s be honest—strength work is already hard to fit in.
But if you want a big return on small time investment,
8–10 minutes a few times a week goes a long way.
Especially if you’re a runner.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing three of my favorite foot-strength resources.
This week’s highlight: the MOBO board.
It was created by Jay Dicharry (brilliant PT + great human), and it’s a tool I consider a must-have for most of the runners I work with. He just updated the MOBO website with great demo videos and progressions—worth a peek.
Full transparency: I do have an affiliate relationship with MOBO.
That’s only because I genuinely use it—with clients and in my own training.
If you’re curious to try it, you can save 10% with this code:
JUMPSTARTRUNNING10
And if you want ideas for how to use the MOBO board with your current routine, hit reply - I’m happy to help you plug it in.
JOIN US FOR THE WORKSHOP:
Women's Midlife In 2026: WTF??
BECOME THE CEO OF YOUR HEALTH
Just a few more weeks until you get an explanation AND a strategy to manage all of this!
Sunday, February, 22nd!
The workshop is $27 to attend, and if you can't make it live, I'll send you the replay.
Here's the link to sign up: https://www.jumpstartrunning.com/offers/Z2EqfNNZ
LOOK WHO'S LIFTING:
Speaking of joint replacements, Oprah underwent surgery for both knees in 2021.
She swore to herself and her doctor to use her new level of function to the fullest.
She started with hiking, and has now added strength - for her 72nd birthday, she completed a 72-minute workout:
Another example of pushing the limits, and showing others what is possible.
Let's GO ladies!!
LET ME HELP YOU!
Stop wasting time "guessing" about your issues, and talk to an expert that speaks running better than AI :)
HIT REPLY WITH YOUR QUESTIONS OR SET UP A FREE 20 MINUTE CONSULT CLICK HERE
If you (or someone you know) are interested in learning more about JSR Coaching/Injury or Performance Consult - hit reply, and we'll have a chat!
Let me know if you have any questions or requests for topics in these emails. Thank you so much for reading, and forward to your running friends as well!
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