Hoopercising: Hula Hoop Exercising For Weight Loss
August 27, 2013Hula Hooping Those Pounds Away!
While out shopping a few weeks ago I happened to walk by a big display of hula hoops and just like that I was brought back to my childhood days and found myself reminiscing about my very first hula hoop.
That simple plastic hula hoop, which was a birthday present, was bright red and had some sort of beads inside of it to make a shaking noise. Memories of my first attempts to move that hoop around my hips flooded my mind. That overly energetic little girl in me must have been a sight for sore eyes as I struggled time after time to keep that big hoop off the ground and from that dreaded downhill spiral. I carried that hoop around everywhere I went and practiced like crazy. Before too long, I had pretty well mastered the art of hula hooping and it became one of my favorite fun things to do to entertain myself.
But back to the here and now...
So as I stood there in my local “friendly” Walmart staring at the colorful hula hoops... I thought… what’s stopping me from hula hooping again and who said hooping is just for kids? Hooping would be a perfect exercise for this now middle aged woman! So I bought me a red and black hula hoop that lights up and added hooping to my exercise routine. Luckily, I live out in the country where tall pine trees, birches, and rock walls help to block me from view. At times, a middle aged woman in the throws of hooping can be quite funny to watch. Just ask my nieces and nephews!
Who knew?
Not me… I had been wondering just how beneficial “hoopercising” might be to my body and did some research only to find out I happen to be a little behind the times when it comes to the latest and greatest of hoop exercise and the communities dedicated to the sport! Ha ha! I mean, they have hoop wear, hoop parties, How to Hula Hoop Exercise videos, hoopathons and so much more. There's been a hula hoop craze going on and apparently, I have been out of the loop and hoop! Literally!
Click here to take a hula hooping exercise class for beginners via video!
So, just in case I am not the last to know about hoopmania, here are a few tidbits I have learned along the way...
Hooping in style!
Hula hoops have come a long way from the old original Wham-O plastic ones we bought as kids. These days, you can even custom design your very own hula hoop. Not to mention that there are collapsible hoops for when you travel, weighted hoops, water filled hoops, dance and performance hoops, hoops that light up, and colorful ones of all sizes for children and adults alike.
FAST FACT: In ancient times, the Greeks used hoops as a form of exercise and made them out of vines, bamboo, grasses, wood and metal.
Fitness and health benefits of hoopercise.
Not only is it fun to hoopercise, there are many benefits to joining those hoopers out there. Hooping can...
1. Tone and strengthen core muscles. These muscles include abdomen, glutes, thighs, hips, knees, legs, lower back, and with the right form of hooping, the forearms and shoulders.
2. Help to enhance your mood. It's like being a kid again! This is an exercise that is fun and lively.
3. Strengthen your back and spine. With this exercise, your body is increasing your range of motion and flexibility.
4. Benefit your weight loss journey. Hooping is a low-impact exercise that combines strength training and cardio and can burn 200 to 400 calories in just 30 minutes.
5. Improve your balance and coordination. The rhythm and timing efforts it requires to hoopercise helps to improve your body movements and agility.
Happy Hoopercising!
Have you incorporated hula hooping into your exercise routine? Send us your hoopercise photos and we will publish a photo journal of OH members happily hooping! You can email your photos to [email protected]!