Harriet Walker writes for South Africa’s Independent Online, “Beset by memories of poor childhood co-ordination and playground ignominy, I approached this year’s latest fitness craze with a certain sense of gloom. But it’s hard to stay gloomy when you’re flinging a DayGlo hoop around your waist and waggling your hips like Ricky Martin.” She also notes, “Those 1950s housewives had the right idea: there’s nothing like developing your core strength (that is, your abs and stomach muscles) for keeping you trim. And there’s no better way to give them a rigorous going over than to stand and loop the loop with a hoop for half an hour.” Marawa The Amazing in the UK tells her, “The reason it’s such a good tool for exercise is that core strength is key to your whole body. You can work on your calf muscles and do lots of chin-ups and have strong arms, but if your core’s not right then forget it,” she says. “Then there’s the theory that… it’s breaking up fat cells every time it runs over you – so it’s a two-in-one: tightening up the core and keeping that area nice and firm.” The article also looks at American hooper Jen Moore of Roc City Hoop Dance’s amazing weight loss from hooping, as well as Hoopnotica, Maddy Wolmarans who is “driving the hooping trend in South Africa” and our South African Amazing Hoop Race hostess, Sandi “Sass” Schultz. IOL.
