Hoola Hooping is FUN!

The other day Skirt Sports posted a short video of fun with hoola hoops on their Instagram and facebook pages.  I was excited to see this because within the last couple of years, I have rediscovered the joy of hoola hooping. Seeing them give it the recognition it deserves made me feel less like a weirdo. Let's face it, many times when I tell people I love hoola hooping I feel like they give me a sideways glance as they imagine me in 70's flower child gear as I hoop in a field with flowers. Granted, some of the DVDs out there that teach hoola hooping do have people in fields with flowers wearing tasseled outfits but that's not me!  So. Not. Me. I will say, however, those field hoopers are GOOD! They've got skills, that's for sure!    But again, That's not me.  I wear my trusty Skirt Sports gear when I hoop.  And I'm in my workout room surrounded by weights, medals, yoga mats, my treadmill and a host of other workout necessities ... not flowers.

I remember loving my hoola hoop when I was a little girl.  I actually looked for some fun photos of me spinning that magical device in my pigtails but alas, none were to be found.  Apparently, my mom and dad didn't deem that hoola hooping contest in which I came in 2nd place worthy of a snapshot.  Oh, where were the digital cameras on smart phones back then?  In science fiction tales, that's where they were.  I'm getting old.  My childhood was in the dark ages, according to my kids.  But I digress.  At some point, probably nearing pre-adolescence, I gave up my hoop, relegating it to the category of "childhood play things".

Enter 40 plus year old me, years later, strolling through my local Kohls store, getting waylaid by the exercise equipment set up.  Perhaps they had a good yoga mat or some other item I needed?  What's this?  A weighted hoola hoop?  What the heck is that?  I picked up the box and read the description.  It came with a workout DVD.  I was intrigued and with a small bit of hesitation carried it to the checkout line.  

The hoop and DVD I found are from Empower Fitness, a company that sells fitness equipment geared for women.  And no I have no ties to them nor did I receive any compensation for mentioning them.  They have no idea who I am, I simply bought their hoop.  The hoop weighs 3lbs and can be configured in 3 different manners that make it easier, harder, and hardest to spin.  I went straight to the hardest setting.  Nothing like confidence in one's hooping ability!  I popped that DVD in with no expectations and here's what happened.  First, I realized I could still twirl a hoop!  Hurray!  Second, I got a really good workout! This wasn't just spinning a hoop.  This was full of stretching, squats, arm work, cardio and I was pretty sweaty at the end.  I also had a lot of fun.  The next day ... I was sore!  I learned that a weighted hoop, even if you can spin it for long stretches at a time without dropping it, needs some build up time.  My waist felt tender to the touch as though it were bruised.  Apparently, this is normal.  Everything I read promised that would go away as my body adjusted to the hoop.  Sure enough, within a couple weeks I could spin that puppy for long stretches without feeling any tenderness.  Phew!

Lunges with diagonal arm raises using the hoop

Squats with my 4lb weighted hoop

I'm a little blurry here but that's because I'm moving fast as I leap through the hoop doing one legged jumps. Fun!

I used my heart rate monitor so I could compare my calorie burn to the burn they promise one can get with this workout.  Maybe it's because I'm a runner and used to working out with a high heart rate but this was not near the same burn for me as running.  That said, with the added strength work and the obvious core work I was getting, I didn't mind the lower heart rate.  Except I did mind, a little bit.  I began to investigate other sized hoops.  Would a heavier hoop increase the cardio burn?  What about a lighter hoop?  This Christmas I ordered both a heavier (4 lb hoop) and a lighter dance hoop which comes in around 1.5 lbs.  I like them both for totally different reasons.  The heavier hoop works great with my Empower Workout. I was ready for something more challenging than the 3lb hoop and this one really adds to the arm work.  But where does the dance hoop come into this?  My hope was the smaller hoop would be more cardio because it would make me work harder to keep it spinning.  The weighted ones are actually easier to spin.

Ah, the dance hoop.  I went ahead and ordered a couple of those flower field hooping instructional DVD's. One from Hoopnotica and one from Hoop Girl. Okay, they aren't officially described as flower field hooping (that's my description for them) but they also aren't your typical workout DVD. The Empower workout felt like my normal exercise DVD. I felt like I'd done a workout when I was finished but these were different.  I didn't feel like I'd had a workout so much as I'd played.  They taught me how to spin the hoop low on my hips and also above my head in my hands.  I learned how to move around the room with the hoop still spinning which I found more difficult with the lighter hoop.  I learned how to take the hoop in one smooth move from my arm to my torso.  Okay, it may not have been so smooth on me but I'm getting there! These were definitely more skill/trick oriented but that made them fun!  I found an hour flew by as my focus was on trying to learn and practice skills I had never attempted before.  I did feel like a kid again.  When the DVD ended I put on some 80's music (cause I'm not a flower girl, I'm an 80's hair band girl) and practiced some more.  I wasn't ready to be done!

Putting the Dance Hoop to use!

Oops!  It fell!  I find I drop this lighter hoop a lot more than the weighted one.  Probably because I'm trying those fancy tricks!

Above the head.  Next, I'll do a little spin and let it drop around my waist.  Sorry, no photo of that awesomeness but I have been able to accomplish it, I promise!  

So, all in all, I highly recommend going out and getting yourself a hoola hoop if you're looking to relive what it was like to get exercise as a kid.  You know, that exercise you got even though you weren't aware you were getting it because you were playing!  Yep, playing!  That's what this is.  I've found it so fun I've actually considered coming up with some routines of my own and leading a hooping class.  Wouldn't that be fun?  Not sure if I need to be certified for that though.  Something to look into.  Meanwhile, hop on over to Amazon and do a search for hoola hoops, pop one in your cart and when it arrives, spin away!

* I did not receive any compensation from Empower Fitness, Hoopnotica, Hoop Girl, Kohls, or Amazon for mention of their names.  They don't know I exist.  Well, whoever does their billing knows my credit card exists but that's an entirely different matter.

*Skirt Sports does know I exist.  Why?  Because my credit card is busy there but also because I am a Skirt Sports Ambassador!  I receive compensation in the form of discounts and clothing for mentioning them but mostly, I mention them because I love their stuff, their company, and their #Realwomenmove ideal!