No… not that! Get your mind out of the gutter, please! I don’t consider myself to be any kind of an authority when it comes to exercise. From an early age, I never enjoyed team sports, probably because I’ve been scarred for life by being forced out into the cold to play hockey and netball by strict, disciplinarian gym teachers. However, I’ve always absolutely loved dancing, aerobics, anything that involved moving to music. Now that I’m all grown up, I have a love hate relationship with the gym. I tend to go for a few months, get really into it when I see the results but then very quickly get bored because it’s so repetitive. I try to walk as much as I can but since I started working from home, I find it really difficult to stick to my 10,000 steps per day. I needed something that I could easily fit into my daily routine that I enjoyed doing, which didn’t take up too much of my time and that I can do along to music.
I was over at my friend’s house a few weeks ago and I noticed she had a hula hoop in her living room and I shamefully admitted that I had bought a hula hoop a few years ago because I thought it would be a really fun way to tone up my waist but I couldn’t keep it up for any longer than about 20 seconds and I ended up donating it to the neighbour’s daughter. My friend explained to me that her hula hoop is weighted which makes it easier to keep up around your midriff and that she spends about 20 minutes per day hula hooping whilst listening to music or watching TV and not only is it really enjoyable but she had noticed amazing results since she started using it!
Rachael hula hooping in the park on a lovely spring day
" data-orig-size="3968,2976" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" data-image-title="Hula Hooping" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.whatrachdidnext.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Hula-Hooping-close-up.jpg?fit=3968%2C2976" aperture="aperture" />Hula hooping in the parkSo, I was shopping in my local Home Bargains the other day and a weighted hula hoop caught my eye! Being the impulsive creature that I am, I decided to buy one. It was only cheap so I figured that if I couldn’t do it I wouldn’t be losing much. I must admit that when I first tried it, it wasn’t as easy as my friend made out. I got incredibly frustrated with it because I couldn’t keep it up around my waist even though it was weighted but I persevered with it and I’m so proud to say that I’m now on day four and I’ve managed to hula hoop this morning for 20 minutes! So whilst I can’t comment on it’s effectiveness just yet, I can say that it is very rewarding once you know how to do it and a lot of fun. I just wanted to share with you some tips that I think might help you to get started if you want to get a weighted hula hoop.
Crinkling in outer casing of cheap hula hoop after only a few days of use.
" data-orig-size="2624,1968" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-image-title="Hula Hoop Crinkled Casing" data-orig-file="https://i2.wp.com/www.whatrachdidnext.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/IMG_20180224_123429.jpg?fit=2624%2C1968" height="150" width="150" data-medium-file="https://i2.wp.com/www.whatrachdidnext.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/IMG_20180224_123429.jpg?fit=300%2C225" aperture="aperture" />Crinkled, casing of cheap hula hoop
Sections of soft outer casing no longer meet after a few days using cheap hula hoop
Firstly, I would say that if you’re serious about wanting a weighted hula hoop, I would take time doing your research and go for one a little more substantial than the one I purchased from Home Bargains.
Weighted hula hoops come in sections which click together. These section are covered in a layer of soft foam for comfort. As you can see from these pictures, after only a few days use, the soft outer covering is starting to slide along from where it is supposed to sit around the hoop. At one end of the section it is starting to crinkle up and at the other end there is a gap.
I’ve done a little bit of research on Amazon and this weighted hula hoop from ResultSport, which claims to be the original, seems to be much better quality judging by the reviews left by other users. This brand also supply three different levels so that as your hooping skills improve, you can step up a gear. The lightest, level one is 1.2 kg which is the same weight as the one I have and recommended for beginners. I may hang on and invest in a level 2 at some point or even level 3 if I’m feeling really brave!
Here’s some more general tips that I wish I had known before buying a weighted hula hoop. I still would have gone ahead and bought one but I may have invested in a higher quality hoop:
- When you first start hooping, it is difficult to get the hang of, I won’t lie. Persevere with it, your body will very quickly develop the muscle memory required to keep the hoop up around your waist. When I first started out, I couldn’t get it to stay up for more than about 10 seconds but after a few attempts, I managed to keep it going.
- You will find it harder to rotate the hoop in one direction than the other. Try alternating directions to find which works best for you. Get going in one direction first, pay attention to the movements you are making to rotate the hoop in that direction and then try to replicate it in the opposite direction. My friend can only rotate her hoop in one direction, and was amazed when I told her I could do both after only a couple of days so don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t do it in both directions. It’s a little bit like learning to write with the opposite hand than you’re used to – not easy at all!
- Hooping hurts to begin with and not just the first day, it hurts every day until you get going but it doesn’t last, I promise you. Weighted hula hoops have nobbly bits around the inner edge which do give your waist quite a painful massage. My advice is to power through it, keep going, relax into the movements and it won’t hurt as much. If I can do it, you can do it – I’m the biggest wimp on the face of the planet, I hate pain! I promise you it doesn’t last more than a few moments.
- Keep your movements small. It’s so tempting when you first start out to rotate your hips in massively exaggerated circles and you will very quickly find you get out of breath! Focus on the muscles you are using to keep the hoop up around your waist and reduce the size of the movements, you will find it stays there as if by magic without as much effort.
- Don’t stick your bum out or arch your back too much, try to stay as upright as you can. Again, you will find that as you get going and relax into the movements you will feel your posture improve – not just whilst you are hooping either, I have noticed a definite improvement in my posture after only a few days of hooping.
- Don’t forget to breathe! Another contributing factor to breathlessness when you first start out is that because you’re concentrating so much on trying to keep your hoop up around your waist, you forget to breathe. Relax, enjoy it, try to breathe normally and you will find hooping becomes very easy very quickly.
- Hoop in bare feet, it’s easier. You will find if you try to hula hoop in trainers, as I did, that your feet slide around in your shoes and it will just give you another thing to worry about. Take your shoes off and keep your feel planted firmly on the floor, it makes hooping much easier.
Mostly, try to enjoy it! Using a weighted hula hoop is really difficult at first but you will find that you get really good at it really quickly, which in itself, is really rewarding. If you need some further encouragement, here’s a list of reasons why you should stick with it:
- Hooping strengthens every muscle in your core. Where sit ups, crunches etc only use one pair of muscles at a time, you will feel every muscle in your core working as the hoop swirls around your waist. It’s a fantastic feeling once you get the hang of it!
- As well as strengthening your core, hula hooping also works your arms, shoulders, bum, inner thighs, hips, calves and ankles! You will feel every single muscle in your body working as you work to keep that hoop in place and it feels wonderful!
- Slimmer waist and hips. A recent study conducted by the NCBI found that on average, women saw a reduction of 3.4 cm around their waist and 1.4 cm around their hips after only six weeks of use.
- Hooping burns a lot of calories! Another study conducted by a team from the Exercise and Health Program at the University of Wisconsin found that hooping burns 7 calories per minute which equates to a whopping 210 calories in half an hour!
- Hula hooping improves the strength and flexibility of your spine, resulting in decreased risk of back injuries. It goes without saying that strengthening your core will improve the strength in your back and protect it from injury but hooping also increases the range of motion in your back muscles and loosens tension in your lower back.
- Improved motor skills and hand/eye coordination. The movements required to keep a hula hoop up around your waist requires hand/eye coordination and stimulate your brain. Rotating the hoop in the opposite direction will strengthen both the dominant and non-dominant side of your brain.
- Increased ability to concentrate. I don’t know if any studies have been conducted on this but just from my own personal observation, I have found that after only a few days of hooping, I can focus for much longer on tasks which require intense concentration. You simply can’t keep a hula hoop up around your waist for any length of time if you don’t concentrate on keeping it there.
- Hooping makes you happy! Aside from the fact that exercise in general releases endorphins as we work out, there is something extra specially enjoyable about hula hooping. Once you get over the initial struggle, you will love it, I promise! You will feel the positive effects of hooping very quickly which will have a positive effect on your brain, self esteem, confidence and overall happiness.
So I really hope I have inspired you to start hooping. As you can see, there are some amazing benefits to using a weighted hula hoop to increase your levels of fitness, happiness and concentration.
If you do decide to try it, have fun and let me know how you get on!
Rach x
