Do you know a couple that hoops together? Though I can think of a few romantic hooping duos in my own social circles, I’d bet that many of us have partners that haven’t yet jumped in. I’m among them. Even though my other half and I run a hooping business together, make hoops together, and have at least three hooping-related conversations a day, my darling dear puts a hoop around his waist maybe once a year … for all of a few seconds. If you’ve met my handsome hubby, you’ve probably heard him intone his sing-songy refrain, “Nope, Drew don’t hoop.”
Now, to be fair, Drew won’t dance, walk, or run with me either. He’s hip to the hoop, just not down with shaking his hips inside one. Your non-hooping partner, like mine, is likely very supportive of your passion — you look great doing it and it makes you happy, right? — but odds are that, on occasion, you’ve wished that hoop-love was something you shared. So, what’s to be done? Are you doomed to forever be the solo hooper in your couple?
Maybe. There’s no saying your partner won’t catch the hoop-bug one day, but luckily, it’s not a deal-breaker. Here are a few ways to make the hoop something that brings the two of you together … even if you’re the only one hooping.
Do it together. Hooping, like many spiritual, fitness, and lifestyle regimens, benefits from a regular practice. Whatever your partner’s exercise routine, make it coincide with your hoop-time. If you can do your thing, and they can do theirs, in the same space, even better! Coordinating your fitness-meditation-fun time is simple enough and the benefits are more than worth it.
1) For one, you’ll provide one another with at-home accountability. Committing to being active together significantly increases your chances of sticking to your practice goals. It doesn’t matter whether you hoop while they do yoga or pump iron. As long as you’re doing it together, you’re supporting one another and keeping each other on track.
2) You’ll deepen your bond. Exercise of any kind brings on the feel-good brain chemicals that increase feelings of happiness and decrease feelings of stress. And yes, it boosts your libidos, too! Big time. Double win, my friends.
3) You’ll be working on communication – whether you’re talking or not. Just by sharing your workout time, you’re showing one another your respect and support. Add in eye contact and some well-placed encouragement — Lookin’ Good! — and you’re building intimacy.
Before and After. If your workout routines require different spaces, but you still schedule them at the same time, you can work together during warm-up and stretching. Maybe you even make the argument for hooping as the ultimate ab workout or warm-up you can share.
Involve Your Partner in Your Practice. Drew don’t hoop, but I just melt when he catches me out of the corner of his eye and says, “Hey, that looks cool!” He’s always eager to film a video, or take some stunning photographs. He watches me experiment, learn, get frustrated and erupt in joy. Whatever I’m doing, he reminds me always that I’m one fantastic hooper. No, Drew don’t hoop, but I never hoop alone.
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Hooping.org columnist Lara Eastburn has been dancing in meadows and singing with the moon while spinning in circles for eons at Superhooper.org. Beyond commenting here, you can also discuss this and other topics related to the Hooposophy for living in Hooping.org’s Hooposophy Group and Forum. Lara is also the planting and gardening force behind discovering our hooping community roots at The Hooping Family Tree Project.
I wish I could get my other half to hoop with me lol! He tried it once and it was a sad attempt he wasn’t really trying at all.
But I do know a couple that hoops together and it is so beautiful to watch! They teach together too! They are IndyHoopers Lynn Spencer Nelson & Scott Nelson! The kids hoop with them too! It is so much fun to hoop with them and watch them!
I love this article and I’m immediately sending it to my partner. I’m lucky that he’s always excited to watch me learn a new trick or see me improve on some other aspect. But at the same time, I want to get him more active and off the couch. One benefit? The dog is starting to enjoying sitting at my feet while I hoop above him. I still don’t get it, but I love the look on his face. Maybe it’s dooping
This is a good article. Also sending link to hubby. He picked up hooping the same time I did, but after about 10 months, he just kinduh let it taper off, though he always talks about how he misses it, but never has time for it. I think people are VERY lucky when their significant other is impressed by a move. Adam knows how they’re done, not much impresses him with hooping. I sometimes wish hooping was this thing of mystery to him. When we hoop together, we don’t seem to connect like this. No eye contact, he’s always looking at his hoop. What does she have that I don’t lol! Seriously though, I celebrate when I nail a difficult move, and he missed it because he wasn’t really paying attention, or he was in his own zone. I’m grateful for my hooping hubby, I hope for more hoop connection with him.
Once in a while I see my supportive, but non-hooping husband twirling a hoop for a few minutes but if I say anything, he stops immediately. So I pretend to ignore it.
He enjoys non-traditional hoop play. We had a lot of fun at camp creating this two-person hoop move for the Japan Tricks Showcase:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP5a8zkh2Bk
My husband doesn’t hoop, but is so supportive that when I asked if we could get married standing inside a hoop he said yes, and didn’t even roll his eyes. We didn’t wind up doing that (we were barefoot in the grass though), and there was lots of hooping at the reception.
Ah, to find a hot hooper man friend in my area. That would be key. siiiiighhhh
My hunny does not hoop, but he’s jokingly tried it a couple times. I think he could totally do it if he really tried. I don’t bug him about it though. He’s always happy to watch when I want to show him a new trick and if he hasn’t seen me hoop in a while (and hasn’t seen my progression in a while) he’s always saying great things like, “It’s awesome that you can really string those couple tricks together now, it looked cool!” And he’s all about me teaching, hooping in public, doing performances and whatnot. He’s also always trying to help find new ways to organize and store all my hoops. That’s mostly because he wants them out of his way, but still, he tries to make sure they’re ways that work and are convenient. Plus we live in a two-bedroom condo so sometimes the hoops can get out of control…