Starre Vartan writes, “Most of us need more movement in our lives, and even the most dedicated exerciser gets tired, bored or worn out doing the same type of workout over time. I’ve found that even though I love running, I love to break it up and do something completely different sometimes.” So at the recent Wanderlust Festival in Stratton, Vermont, she decided to give hooping a spin. What was it like for her? “Well, hooping and hoopdancing are way more than keeping the hula hoop aloft around your waist; I remember doing that as a kid and then becoming bored with the hula hoop after figuring out how to make it work. The Hoopnotica class was so much more. Our instructor, Jocelyn, took us through basic hooping moves… Once you start turning in a circle, getting your feet into the action and adding music and a bit of body movement, you find yourself combining moves and dancing away.” What was the best part for Starre? “Your hoop regularly flies off your hand or leg and ends up on the ground, or rolling away — and that’s just fine, and shows that you’re learning, which is always a great feeling. And the second best part was definitely how sore my upper body was the next couple of days. Since most of my workouts are leg- and core-focused, it was awesome to find a fun activity that would really get my arms, chest and shoulders working hard.”
