The Plot Thickens

Hoop it Up

On Saturday, Keisuke’s sister journeyed in from the Mid-West to drop her older daughter off at camp.  While she was in town, she and her younger daughter swung by Wal-Mart to pick up some emergency hula hoops.  It seems that all three gals are completely addicted to hooping, and Mari, who recently lost a lot of weight and looks great, credits it to helping her keep in shape.  She insisted on buying a hoop for me, too.

When we got home, I was amazed to see that both she and her daughter can keep the hula hoop going for 15-20 minutes at a time, and probably longer.  Previously, I thought such feats were restricted to carnies, Burning Man participants (pretty much the same thing), and Gong Show America’s Got Talent contestants.  (I think I just dated myself.)

Because I’m highly competitive and fond of physical challenges, I started practicing with the hoop on Monday morning.  I’ve been working in 5-10 minute bouts throughout the day for the past 3 days. At first, nothing I did helped me get more than 7-12 rotations before the hoop clattered to the floor. YouTube videos on “How to Hoop” didn’t help, but finally, an entry on a message board did.  Someone suggested putting one foot in front of the other and turning your waist slightly in the direction that the hoop is spinning.

I tried 5 or 6 tiny variations on this same advice until something, at long last, clicked into place last night.  Suddenly I was able to do 50 rotations. 100.  150.  For 10 minutes.  15 minutes.  In either direction. 

Ultimately, I hooped more or less nonstop through 2 Hulu episodes of “The Outer Limits”.  (That’s 1 hour, folks.)  Here’s how I did it.

Kristen’s Tips for Hooping it Up:

1. Use a weighted hoop.  Apparently these are easier for beginners. Mine is weighted with water.  Experts say use a large hoop with a diameter that reaches somewhere between your waist and your chest when it’s standing upright.  Mine doesn’t. It’s a standard kid hoop that hits at my hip.  I’m still able to make it work.
2. Watch TV while you’re hooping.  Taking your mind off of the activity actually helps. Otherwise you risk over-analyzing the physics and beating yourself up if you don’t “get it” right away.
3. Put one foot in front of the other.  For me, hooping works best if the front foot is almost *exactly* in front of the back one, in an upright lunge position.  I’m guessing once I get good at this, I can vary the stance and move around.
4. Place the hoop an inch or two above the small of your back.  Start too high, and you risk hitting your boobs, which will knock the hoop off balance.  (Seriously.)  Start too low, and your chances of dropping the hoop skyrocket.
5. Twist to the opposite side, then give the hoop momentum when you fling it.  If you begin by spinning slowly, you have to move a lot more to keep the hoop from falling.  Fling it well, then move your body into the motion. Press your stomach, then your back against the hoop.  Your hips don’t have a lot to do with it at this point.  Do not let the hoop fling around your hips or sides.  The first thing it should touch when it begins its rotation is your stomach.
6. With your feet planted, shift your weight from your front to back foot.  The primary motion is a rocking or shifting of your weight from your front foot to your back foot — a mini lunge, where you’re bending your knees, but only slightly.  If you think of your waist at all, imagine you’re pushing and pulling the hoop from front to back.  You’re not wiggling your hips, though some small motions are sometimes necessary to bring the hoop back up if it starts to slide off balance or lose speed.
7. Keep your arms up.  If they get in the way, you’ll drop the hoop.
8. Have fun.  Creative visualization helps.  At first, I found it easier to succeed when I pretended to be a backup dancer in a Beyonce video. Once you get the knack you can drop the imagination, or not.  Whatever works.

As for the health and calorie burning benefits of hooping… My cursory search of the internet reveals no standard calorie count. 5 minutes may or may not burn 50-100 calories. 

Apparently a 3-4 pound hoop — commonly used at Curves workout centers for women — can burn a lot more. You definitely use your core, and you can do this workout while watching TV.  It makes a lot less noise than an exercise bike or treadmill, and it’s far more fun. 

Marisa Tomei does it, and I certainly wouldn’t mind looking like her.

— Kristen