Hula Hoop Fitness: Waist Hooping Leaves You Whooping

From total beginners to fitness experts: hula hoop exercises are booming and there is no end in sight! Read on to make the most of your circling fitness gear!

What Is A Hula Hoop?

The origins of the hula hoop trace back to Ancient Greece. People used wooden rings for exercising, whereas their kids played with these round toys for fun. However, the modern hoop’s big boom started in the 1950s. An Australian businessman was the first one to produce and sell hollow plastic rings as toys. They become so popular, that people all over the world fell for the hula hoop fever soon. After a few years, however, the demand weakened and the hoops sank into obscurity.

In the 1980s, the rings made a big comeback – but now more as a workout gear instead of a toy. They have been a part of fitness workouts ever since.

How Do I Hula Hoop?

The name hula hoop was taken from the Hawaiian Hula dance and its significant waist move. That was supposed to indicate how to use the ring: revolving around your middle body. As soon as people figured out how to move their bodies to keep the hoop in constant motion they longed for more challenging exercises.

Nowadays, there are workouts for your arms and legs as well. Some people even move it around their neck – or use more than one hula! Whichever training you prefer, you should always talk to your doctor if you have exercise limitations.

Tips For Buying A Hoop

You have never had a hula hoop as a kid and want to try out an exercise today? No problem! There is probably no other fitness trend you can adapt as fast as spinning that hoop around yourself. If you are a total beginner, we highly recommend exercising with a regular one first. There are hula hoops for adults in different sizes.

To find the right gear, let it stand on the ground in front of you. If it reaches up to your belly button, you have the correct size. There are also different materials, which has an effect on its weight. If you have never used a hula hoop before, take a light plastic ring. Do you already have a little experience? Then you could also use a wooden one. For hula hoop fitness, there are also specially weighted hoops. As with any workout gear, we recommend you to try out different items to find the one that’s perfect for you.

Hula Hoop Workout For Beginners

When you have the right hula hoop for you, you can immediately start your first try. One of the best parts is: you can use it nearly everywhere! If you want to swirl indoors, make sure there is no furniture, decoration or husband nearby that you could knock over.

Use a yoga mat or non-slip socks for a strong position. Hold your back and head up straight, whereas your shoulders point down. Push up your hoop with a nice dash and try to counter-balance the motion at the same time. At the start, your hula hoop might fall down a few times, but don’t worry! After a little while, you will know how to do it. Just pick that hoop up with a straight back and give it another try. Once you get the hang of it, you will have so much fun, believe me!

Waist Hooping For Fitness Fans

You have been hooping and whooping for some time now and want to take things a step further? There might be a hula hoop fitness class near you. You can also find many of the now popular 30-days-challenges to improve your skills online. How about increasing your hula time without dropping the hoop up to 30 minutes?

But circling the hoop around yourself is not much fun, it also offers many benefits to your body. With a weighted hula hoop you can strengthen your middle body and define your abs. Plus, you burn as much fat as treadmill workouts do at the same time. Many celebrities are said to be fans of hula hoop exercises. So what are you waiting for? Hop on the hula hoop trend, today!

For more family fitness tips and advice, check out the Fitness Category on FamilyApp.