Department: Health and Spirit
Massachusetts Health Department Gets Kids Hooping
Attendees at a conference aimed at food policy and obesity prevention among children sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health participated in mass hula-hooping. Panelist AJ Juarez, community organizer for the Massachusetts Public Health Association, said rising obesity rates among children have shortened their average life spans and increased rates of diseases traditionally associated with adults, including high cholesterol and certain types of cancer. Aside from the panelists other activities included hooping lessons for adults and children. What was the clear winner of the day though? According to The Republican it was tofu. "Most people tried it for the first time, and said: 'It's not that bad!'" The Republican
Fighting Fibroids? Try Hooping
She tried to describe to her boyfriend about blood stasis and how she had to get her blood moving in her pelvis and how belly dancing and qi gong would help with that. He said, "Well, if you need to get your hips going, how about a hula hoop?" She looked into, discovered the hooping resurgence, got herself a hoop and has been having fun with it ever since. Her hoop makers (a naturopath and an acupuncturist) claim the hoop is good for the reproductive organs too. She writes, "This many rotations of the hips have just got to be good for increasing pelvic blood flow. My boyfriend's intuition seems to have been right on the mark! A fibroid-fighting activity that is truly fun! Shrinking Fibroids Naturally
Lynn Gets Hoopercized
Lynn over at Knitknacks went to dance camp and came home a hooper. She writes, "I spent this past weekend at my favorite dance camp, and I came home with a new pastime to help me whittle away at the waistline. ... I tried the hoops at Curves a while back, and it was depressing that I couldn’t do it at all anymore. But this weekend I participated in a workshop called Hoopercize, and Karen, the instructor, said just the right words, and I was hooping right along. It helps too that the hoops Karen manufactures are soft and lightweight. Perfect for me. Of course, an hour spent in vigorous abdominal exercise, after a winter spent in vigorous couch time, resulted in several days of deeply buried muscles protesting that kind of playtime. But today I put on some music and hooped my way through a few songs. Exercise that’s fun….I need this." Knitknacks
Voice of America: The Hoop Is Back
On Voice of America, the multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government, they've discovered that "the hula hoop is making a comeback in the United States" and they're right. June Soh reports with Carol Pearson narrating as they visit one of Noelle Powers classes in a Maryland suburb and a Goddess Fitness class in Bethesda. The report also takes a look at World Hoop Day. Watch the full VOA video here.
Start Spinning Your Workout
SheKnows.com spins into a workout as Sarah Wassner Flynn writes, "As you are spinning, hold your arms above your head or out to the side. Slightly bend your knees and drop your butt down slightly as though you are about to sit down on a chair – that means rear back and knees above ankles. Slowly return to a standing position and repeat 10 times. Add a lunge. Keep your hoop in motion and turn to your left with your arms out to the side. Extend your right leg about two feet behind your left. Bending your left knee slightly, slowly drop the right knee down into a lunge position, and then gently return to a standing position. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides and do 10 reps with your right leg in front." Sheknows.com
Hula hoop your way to fitness
What are the benefits of hooping? Hoopnotica's Rayna McInturf told the Orange County Register, "First of all, it's fun. You can get a total body toning workout – especially in the arms, legs, gluts, back, chest and core muscles – cardio and fat-burning. Also, hooping can be meditative, help build self-confidence, and give you a way of creatively expressing yourself. You can never be upset inside a hoop," she told them. "It really does help to shift your mood." So what are the downsides? Read the full article. OC Register
Abs Are Out, Core Is In
The Chicago Tribune wants you to know: Abs are out, core is in. Lani Granum, pictured, is a 56-year-old psychotherapist with defined abs. How did she get them? "I hate that word, 'abs,'" she said. Granum prefers "core," or the body's deep muscles that stabilize and surround the torso, pelvis and spine. Granum doesn't just stay lean, physically fit and strong with a solid core; she believes it’s also the secret to her inner strength and self-confidence. How does she work on her core? One key component is hooping, of course. Chicago Tribune
Settling an Argument, She Learns About Hooping
Over at Health Living Questions she wanted to settle an argument and wound up getting a lesson in the benefits of hooping. One response explained, "I can only tell you from experience what happened with me... I was 50 lbs overweight when I joined Curves. I went 3-4 times/week and on the alternate days I used a 5 lb weighted hoola hoop for 20 minutes (started at 3 mins/day and added a min/day until I got to 20 mins). I did not change my diet other than perhaps I drank more water than I normally would. In 12 weeks I had only lost 13 lbs, but I had lost 21 1/2" overall (upper arms, bust, waist, hips, thighs) and dropped 3 clothes sizes!! I was amazed that there could be such a noticeable difference in such a short period of time and only 13 lbs weight loss. My body looked toned and fit and I felt heaps better mentally and physically!" Read the whole debate: Health Living Questions
Her Hoop Class Epiphany
Steph Auteri had an epiphany during her hooping class. "So many of the career-help books I read ... advise getting back into that childhood mindset... Last night, as I was flinging hula hoops around, dangerously close to the heads of other class-goers, I began to think that accessing your inner child is an excellent way to find happiness in other areas of your life.." Auteri takes a look at turning her childlike hooping innocence into her career, her diet, her love life and more. She lives in the New York City area. SelfHelpMe.net
Halifax Hoop Happenings
The Chronicle Herald of Halifax, Nova Scotia, reports, "Hula Hoops are in full swing and there isn't a kid in sight. Twenty- and 40-something hips swivel, dip and roll to a pop beat, sweat glistening as faces flush." Instructor Monique Ryan, pictured, told the paper, ""At the end of the class, I have so much more energy than when I started." How was it for those attending? Shannon Nearing, 45, commented, "It was a great, great . . . workout. If you’re going to work out, you may as well have fun doing it. It should be fun, it shouldn’t be torture." The Chronicle Herald
Hooping: For Fun or Fitness?
Editorial: After my interview last night with the San Francisco Chronicle on the topic of hooping and fitness, I found myself wondering why there is such a focus lately on what hooping can do for you - as if something isn't worth trying without a guarantee that you'll be sassy and svelte in six short weeks. Hooping is fun, it's sexy, it's spiritually centering, it gets me out of my cluttered mind and back into my body. And sure, I can burn 100 calories in ten minutes if I want to go for it. I've shed some pounds and taken the waist size of my jeans down a notch. I've built up my core strength, firmed my butt, flattened my stomach, but in all sincerity I must confess, I'd still be hooping up a storm even if I hadn't.
ABC's HOI-19 in Creve Couer, illinois, gives a nod to Hooping.org while noting: "Some people don’t exercise because they find many of the standard forms of activity to be boring. The American Council on Exercise says one way to make workouts more interesting is to use small “gadgets” or “toys” that make activity fun." In their interview with Tina Hemmerle, which is really all about fitness, Tina explains that hooping is a great way to get aerobic exercise. "It builds core strength and improves coordination and posture. It also requires the use of muscles that may not get any kind of regular workout."
While all this is true and good, thinking of hooping as my exercise routine would quite frankly dull the shine. As someone who is extremely busy and typically over-committed with my fingers in far too many projects, hooping is my escape from productivity. It's play time and creating time and space in my life for play time as an adult is as essential to my happiness as water or air.
Oddly enough, when the media is talking with those in the fitness field, the conclusion seems to be that, well, hooping is fun! In the UK, the Swindon Advertiser talks to Jayne Gaffney, pictured, the instructor of Fitness Hooping at the Calne Leisure Centre. Anna Mansell goes to one of her classes and outside of her complaints about breaking a fingernail, she has a great time. She writes, "Although I had mastered little more than the handful of circles, by the end of the class I was keen to come back again. ... I certainly got a good rosy glow to my cheeks during the class, although fitter candidates may find the cardio element of this class is not hard enough. I would suggest it to anyone wanting some form of exercise, as it is a fun class..."
While the secret is out that hooping is great exercise, and it most certainly is that and then some, what concerns me is an ever-growing ideology that having fun isn't a worthwhile endeavor in an of itself. While it's perhaps a somewhat worthy side benefit, it certainly is not worthy as a goal. For me I beg to differ. I want to continue to focus on hooping as my play time, dance time, joy time, bliss time, a respite from my focus on being a human doing back into being a human simply "being." As Shirley McClaine once said, “I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I've written for myself, and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my part.”
Published on January 28, 2008 | LINK | Comments (1)Mailbag: Knee Pain?
Dear Hooping.org:
I have been hooping since summer, but need some advice and am hoping you and your readers might be able to help. No matter what I do to avoid it, hooping seems to hurt my left knee. It's breaking my heart because hooping is so much fun and such a great workout, but every time I do it, I can't bend my knee afterwards without having extreme pain that lasts until I stop hooping all together. It does clear it up within a few weeks, but who wants to stop hooping?. Does anyone else have this kind of problem? What have you done to avoid injury? Or am I just doomed because I hurt my knee playing sand volleyball many years ago? - Aimee
Dear Aimee: I have a problem with knee pain from hooping sometimes, but I do a lot of knee level hooping and there's a little spot at your knee that "bruises" really easily. My guess is this isn't what you're talking about though. If it's happening all the time even if you're keeping it waist level, it's probably something bigger than hooping and more a result of being on your feet and that type of movement. One solution I would recommend you check out though would be trying an elastic support knee brace similar to this cheap one. Maybe with some additional compression and support to the knee you'll be good as new, and maybe our readers have other ideas to share. Good luck!
Philo Hagen, Editor
Hooping.org Magazine
On Jan 25, 2008, at 7:43 AM, Aimee Gertsch wrote:
No worries! Thanks for getting back with me. It happens when I hoop in general... like above the waist, or on the hips. I could see how it would make sense if it happened while knee hooping, but it's all the time.
~Aimee
http://4theloveofanimals.com/blog
http://aimeeroo.com
On Jan 25, 2008, at 8:31 AM, Philo Hagen wrote:
Aimee,
Sorry it's taken me awhile to get back to you. I was swamped with the Hoopies and the redesign and somehow missed this along the way.
Published on January 28, 2008 | LINK | Comments (3)BBC Radio 4 Spins The Hoop
BBC Radio 4 aired a new program called "Y'know For Kids" that was all about the hoop. Janet Ellis spends time on the episode exploring hooping history and takes a look at "how a new generation is using the hoop as a tool for promoting physical and spiritual well being." Two time 2008 Hoopies nominee Sharna Rose is featured on the program. She told Hooping.org, "There's a lot of info about the Whammo thingy, and this seems quite poignant in relation to the sad loss of Richard Knerr." You can listen to "Yknow For Kids" online: BBC Radio 4
Hoopnotic Fitness For The Easily Bored
Jessica Pauline writes for LAist, the popular Los Angeles weblog, "I’ve always been a worker-outer. But lately, as I’ve spent more and more time on the cardio machines at 24 Hour Fitness, I can’t shake feeling that I’m just a hamster on a wheel in a vicious human experiment. To combat my paranoia and possibly find a mentally healthier hobby, I’ve decided to scope out what else LA has to offer in a weekly series, 'Fitness for the Easily Bored.'" She begins with a trip to Marina Del Ray to take a hoop class from Hoopnotica. Meanwhile, the folks at Daily Mantra get in the loop as well, only through checking out Hoopnotica's DVD. LAist, Daily Mantra.
Sticking To Our New Years Revolutions
by Philo Hagen
What are your New Year’s revolutions, I mean resolutions? Some of the most popular answers include healthier eating, more exercise and losing weight, but most people don't have a strategy for achieving their new found goals. If you don't have an actual plan, now is the perfect opportunity to take some time out to develop yours. Even if you've already dropped the hoop, as it were, that doesn't mean you have to throw it all away. New behaviors take time to grow into.
While research over the years has concluded that about 80 percent of all New Year’s resolutions are broken by January 31, and if that resolution has something to do with health and fitness that 90 percent don't last past January 15th, the resolutions most likely to succeed are achieved when you are doing something you enjoy. Let's break it down a bit more, shall we?
Hooping is one of the best things that we can do with our time, yet life seems to always have other ideas for us. There is work to be done, bills to pay, the needs of others to address in our lives, yet taking time out for ourselves makes all of the above that much more worthwhile. We all know hooping is great exercise, but we don't always take into consideration is that when we feel better physically that this can only impact our lives in a positive way. How much time have I wasted running circles in my head about things, when spending even a few minutes spinning circles inside the hoop somehow centers my mind and brings greater focus. We need to give ourselves permission to spend the the extra time on ourselves and with ourselves. Everyone in our lives will benefit from it.
Another obstacle to achieving our New Years revolutions, I mean resolutions, is setting unrealistic goals. If we haven't been taking time out to exercise or eat right, or hoop for that matter, setting small milestones for ourselves that are easily within reach and take us a step further not only delivers us progress, it also does wonders for patting oneself on the back. When you set a goal and you achieve it, it's great for inspiring yourself for setting another goal, another step on your road to success.
Consider setting practice goals for 2008, a month at a time. For January, Caroleeena is going to be concentrating on kicking one leg out of the hoop. She explains, "I have a long way to go with this trick so every time I hoop, I plan to practice it at least once." Meanwhile, Nixi is going to "work on dancing to different styles of music. I have a tendency to have problems with hooping to some music, but I know I need to be able to hoop to anything." A New Years revolution, I mean resolution, doesn't have to be that you'll hoop every day for an hour. It can be that you'll challenge yourself to learn something new each month, or each week.
Another great tool for achieving our New Years resolutions is to also take a look at what we qualify as success. I grew up in a family chock full of black and white thinking and I inherited a very judgmental self critic somewhere along the way. Why try something new when I won't be any good at it overnight was a standard thought process for me. But who really is good at something new overnight? Maybe somebody, but for most of us it takes practice. If I set a goal to hoop everybody even if it's just for one minute, that for me would be a great success. It would represent that I thought of myself, my health, my happiness, the big picture and I did something, however small, in being true to myself. What greater success is there in life than that?
All of those incremental steps certainly add up along the way as well. Ask any seasoned hooper with a bag of tricks how long it took them to learn them. If anything, those who are new to hooping or returning to their hoops have the advantage of being able to utilize all the experience surrounding them in their communities and online to take progressive steps much faster than those of us who started out years ago ever could.
Let's make 2008 truly great by setting our New Years revolutions, I mean resolutions, to be something that nurtures us and supports us, not something that we use as a measuring stick we can never quite live up to. Set a schedule that allows the necessary time that we need and defend that time as invaluable. Set small achievable goals along the way. Get the positive support that you need for change, whether that is online or by heading out to your local hoop group - or if you don't have one, starting one of your own in your area. Practice love and tolerance of ourselves, changing our definitions of success to something that makes us feel like we truly are one, because we truly are. Hooping.org wishes everyone the very best in 2008 and may all your New Years revolutions, I mean resolutions, be ones you look back on with a sense of accomplishment and a grin on your beautiful face.
Published on January 10, 2008 | LINK | Comments (2)Lose Weight In The New Year and Get Inspired
Many are making resolutions to lose weight in 2008 and one great way to do it is hooping. Jessica, pictured, was "almost 200 pounds and depressed with [my husband] being gone to Iraq for a year." Then she found hooping. She explained, "I was hooked and wanted to learn more. I bought a bigger, slightly heavier, easier hoop ... looked up tricks and moves from hooping.org... Three to four months later I found myself 40 pounds lighter and inspired!" Supplemental Science agrees: "Along with the physical benefits, hooping provides a meditative benefit as well, it can be incredibly calming. The concentration required to do it, coupled with the constant circling gives it a meditational quality that helps relieve stress and revive the spirits." Raks Gothique, Supplemental Science.com
Hoop Dreams: To Look Good In Lingerie
A "Ukranian Princess" in Prestwich, Manchester, UK, had a dream. She wanted to look good in lingerie. "I know a lot of women who don’t like their bodies are put off by the prospect, but i love it anyway." She wanted to look in the mirror and like what she saw, "and [I wanted] Mr. Boyfriend to look at me and agree!" So she exercised, she dance trained, and then she added hooping to the mix. "After a few weeks of hula-hooping before dance training, I have noticed more of a waist. Yes! All those nights of looking like a knob gyrating in a plastic circle have paid off because i now have shape." Ukranian Princess
Hoopgirl Fitness
Christabel hoops her way to fitness, teaching a basic hoop trick or two as well.
Hooping Hits The It List
Shelly Mantei writes, "About 5 years ago I discovered the 'adult' benefits of hoola-hooping when I bought a kooky gift of 'his and her' hoops as a wedding present. I thought the glittery rings were so fun I got one for me too - and with just 10 minutes a night in under two months I’d knocked 1.5” of my waist. Serious! The rockin’ ring works your rear, burns fat and speeds up your metabolism." Mantei gives nods to Hoopnotica, Hoopgirl and Hooping.org. The It Lists
Hoop Yoga with Mercedes Gomez
Nancy Maes writes for the Chicago Tribune, "Mercedes Gomez (pictured) combines hooping with the ancient Indian art of yoga in a class at the Gold Coast location of Yoga Now. The hoops are not the lightweight plastic rings that are great for kids but a version that Gomez creates out of irrigation tubing and colorful tape that are heavier and easier to control. Gomez, who attended a workshop to become a certified hoop dance instructor, starts the class with warm-ups that include yoga-style stretching and breathing exercises. The students hold the hoops between their hands as they reach and twist and inhale and exhale. Then it's time to begin twirling the hoops around the body to the sounds of house music, hip-hop or world music with an Arabic, Indian or Brazilian beat." Read the full article.
Hoop Your Way to a Better Body
KUSA TV Channel 9 in Colorado reports, "Hula Hoops have improved a lot in the last few decades. The plastic red, white and blue hoops with the beads inside have graduated into wider and larger hoops with bright colors and many contain water. Oh, and it's not just for your waist anymore either. Laura Blakeman from Kaivalya Hoops joined Susie Wargin for the latest Wargin's Workout to demonstrate how hula hooping can benefit every shape and size." Link includes video. 9 News.com
Mayo Clinic Says Yes To Hooping
At the Mayo Clinic website the question is raised, "Weighted hula hoops: Exercise gimmick or good idea?" Dr. Edward Laskowski gives hooping a thumbs up.
"It's not a gimmick. Weighted hula hoops, available at most sporting goods stores, are bigger and heavier than traditional hula hoops. You can use weighted hula hoops as one component of an overall fitness program or simply as a fun way to burn calories. In general, the bigger you are, the bigger the hoop should be." Read their full post.
Hooping Through Pregnancy
Sunny Becks writes, "I just had my third child, so what made this pregnancy experience so incredibly different from the other two? Three words. The Hula Hoop. ... It was clear that my body was embracing the pregnancy so well because of my past and continued hoop experience. My muscle tone was incredibly strong and my abdominals were quite prepared, which in turn lessened a lot of the pregnancy complaints that most tend to have, like backache and lack of energy among others. The biggest impact for me in this journey was the emotional and spiritual connection that I had with my body throughout the experience. Hooping had already given me such confidence and security in my womanhood and that in turn translated into the connection that I developed with this pregnancy in particular. For the first time in my life, I felt in sync with my entire being and that, for me, was priceless. Read all of Hooping Through Pregnancy.
Baxter: The Hoop Path
Baxter, full name Jonathan Livingston Baxter, lives in Carrboro, North Carolina where the first big Hoop Path Retreat will be held July 12th - 15th. The 33-year-old hoop teacher and founder of The Hoop Path™ whose story is included in Hoop: The Movie is most definitely devoted. He hoops for 90 minutes to two hours daily. Why? Find out for yourself in our interview with Baxter, our Hooper of the Week.
So how did it all begin? Baxter explains, "I don't remember the first time I hooped, specifically. I was introduced to hooping several years ago by my girlfriend at the time, Julia Hartsell (aka Julah Hoop Flower). She had gone to a festival and been turned on to hooping by a woman we would later come to know as Spiral. I was in art school and was working on a project using white plumbing grade pvc. We made a bunch of hoops out of that stuff, but I wasn't super into hooping at that point. We made one hoop out of black cvcc that was really, really big 2.25 inch tubing that later became my first hoop."
How long has he been hooping then? He tells us, "I have been hooping for about six years. When I started I hooped randomly, whenever it occurred to me. Then, about four and a half years ago, I broke my collarbone, and in an effort to heal from this injury I began a daily hoop practice." He's been hooping daily ever since. His favorite hoop is his beloved 121-inch gazelle. "It isn't flashy, it isn't shiny, but it is an instrument through which I dance with a higher rhythm."
You could say that hooping has made a definite impact on his life. He explains, "It has changed my life in so many ways, I still cannot grasp its full impact on me. But I do know that one of the first and most profound aspects of my life that hooping has changed is the way I handle depression. Before hooping, I used to allow depression to pull me down and keep me down for months. These days, through my daily practice, I'm able to limit bouts of depression to days or even hours. It's as if I have built up my emotional white-blood-cell count; I have both more immunity to the disease of depression, and more strength to fight the disease if it does creep in. Ultimately, my entire view of life has changed from feeling cursed to feeling blessed."
What does Baxter do when he isn't hooping? He teaches hooping. He told hooping.org, "I consider teaching a part of my own hoop path, and it is a very important part of my life outside of my own personal hoop practice. I'm also really interested in connecting with other hoopers in other communities, that has become a recent passion. There are very few aspects of my life that are not hoop-related, but I admit to secretly being a HUGE sports fan...I'm possibly the only hooper in existence who plays fantasy football."
Could he tell us about a personal issue or obstacle? Baxter said, "I think anytime one puts themselves, their teaching, or their services out in the world, they find themselves in a vulnerable position, open to ridicule, criticism or complaint. I, like many, struggle in that awkward position, and I do a lot of work with and without the hoop to get me through these trying moments. I am fortunate to be a part of such a loving and supportive community that is willing to provide me with just enough wind at my back to keep me moving forth."
A favorite book of his is "Mortality" by Milan Kundera. "The thing that I like about Kundera is that he trusts that he can share with the reader both the story he's telling and the process he has gone through in order to write it." His favorite music to hoop to is Hip-hop, but he clarifies. "Because I hoop every day, my music library grows. I listen to everything, but I am not a big country/bluegrass fan."
The quality he most admires in a hooper is "Flow." So what does he see as his most marked hooping characteristic? He explains, "My style of hooping is probably more aggressive and masculine than most of the styles I've seen." If he could give a hoop to one person in the world it would be "Dick Cheney, because it would make it harder for me to dislike him." And if he was suddenly put in charge of fostering unity and building a world-wide hooping community, what would he do first? He notes, "I would deliver truckloads of hoops to forgotten, neglected, and impoverished areas both here and abroad."
So what is his idea of earthly happiness? "Earthly happiness, for me, is the freedom to become the person I want to be. Freedom to believe what I feel, the strength to stick to that belief, and the grace to allow others to believe differently." His girlfriend, who is another amazing hooper, is Ann Humphreys. She also handles all the booking and business affairs of The Hoop Path™.
These days Baxter is excited to return to the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Seattle, Vancouver) this month. He says, "Establishing a hoop tour series has been a dream of mine for a long time, and so far, it has far exceeded my expectations. I'm also really looking forward to the Hoop Path Retreat which is happening in Carrboro, North Carolina on July 12-15th. This is an opportunity for hoopers of all skill levels to come together to meet, commune and hoop with the members of our extraordinary Hoop Path community. There will be Hoop Path workshops offered at a reduced rate, as well as many other celebratory hooping events that will be free and open to the public. Please come! We want to meet you!"
Is there anything else new in the works? He confides, "Finally, I'm extremely excited about making the first Hoop Path instructional DVD. It will be geared towards the beginning hooper. We'll be shooting it this July, so look for it on this website in the fall!"
So in closing, I asked Baxter what he would tell someone picking up a hoop for the first time if he could only give them one hooping tip or something he has learned from hooping. His response, "Relax, feel, and don't worry."
Published on June 08, 2007 | LINK | Comments (1)Hurray For Hoola
Trendhunter Magazine has noticed a trend involving, you guessed it, hooping! They write, "Exercise is boring. But sadly for many us who dont want a BFA (big fat arse) then its also a necessary evil. So lets all drop down on our knees, get some carpet burns and thank the exercise gods for reintroduncing grown adults to the Hula. Hula hoops are a great all round form of exercise - help weight loss, fitness, building mobility and flexibility, and even building on your balance." Their props go to Groovehoops. Read Hurray For Hoola.
Hoop, There It Is
In Georgia, the Savannah News is letting readers know how to "hula hoop your way to fitness." Some of the advice prior to directing readers to hooping.org: "Celebrate small victories. Don't be hard on yourself when you can't get a move. Step away from the hoop and come back to it when you're at an impasse. Close your eyes while inside the hoop to help align your body's rhythm to the hoop." Read Hoop, There It Is
Hulaerobics: All You Need To Know
Joanna Hall writes in her Guardian Unlimited UK article All You Need To Know About Hulaerobics, "These days, many hoopers make their own (hoops) from polyethylene tubing and the activity influences a range of exercise classes, among them Hulaerobics, a new body toning class in which you learn to hoop on your torso, arms and legs. Hoop dance classes are more aerobic and Beyonce is said to be a huge fan." Her complete rundown also mentions Hooping.org "which features plenty of practical tips, advice on how to make your own hoop and tips on starting a 'hoop' group with friends." Read the full Guardian Unlimited article.
Ballroom Dancing With Gravity
When someone over in the Low Carber Forums asked about the best ab workout, CS Carver in North Carolina suggested getting a big hoop - then delivered one of the best hooping quotes I've heard: "Ballroom Dancing With Gravity." They write, "30 minutes with my hoop and an MP3 player on my headband is a massive CV PLUS abs workout, and it's the really good kind of multi-directional abs work that counts as 'core.' Ballroom dancing with gravity, is what I call it." Isn't that the best? Read the Low Carber Forum page.
Will Hooping Help Me?
Rhonda writes, "Dear Hooping.org. I'm just starting out. I have lower back problems - it's fused, but my tummy is huge after losing 70 lbs. and I can't find anything to help make it smaller. Will hooping help? Also I walk kind of hunched over because my muscles are all so weak and walking alone isn't enough. Can hooping help me?"
- Rhonda T., Imperial, CA
Hooping.org isn't really qualified to answer this question other than to simply say yes, but we know there are those of you out there with more health related expertise, as well as personal experience. So we ask you, dear hooping community, what do you think?
Beyonce and Charlize Theron Hoop For Health
In the UK, the Bolton News reports that hooping "is the latest contraption shown to work wonders on your waist and tummy muscles. Beyonce and Charlize Theron swear by it which means, if the celebs say yes, then so do we. Swivelling and twirling is the ultimate exercise for a trimmer, slimmer midriff." In the article personal trainer Lucy Brown notes, "...Hooping certainly burns calories, and specifically works the hips and obliques - love handles. Try enacting what you used to get up to as a child, and weight loss is guaranteed - it's tiring being a kid!" The Bolton News
Start Spinning Your Workout
Hula hoop your way to fitness
Abs Are Out, Core Is In
Settling an Argument, She Learns About Hooping
Her Hoop Class Epiphany
Dig Deeper: Into the Archives