Hoop Dreams

I have never been very coordinated. I struggled to learn to ride a bike. I had constant skinned knees and bruises from tripping. I was the last person to be picked for team sports, and I couldn't make a hula hoop work. So when my friend came to visit tonight and shared with me her path to fitness through hula  hooping, I wasn't just skeptical, I was sure there was no way that would work for me. I could never manage to keep the hoop spinning longer than ten seconds, and certainly not long enough to achieve any kind of physical benefit.

My friend had stumbled across an article about hooping several months ago and decided to give it a try. It seemed the perfect exercise for a Mother of two children under the age 5 who had limited windows of opportunities for working out. Instead of sitting and watching the kids at the park, she could use the time to multi-task and hoop while the kids played. She had been skeptical in the beginning as well, but it didn't take her long to pick it up. She was pleasantly surprised at how much she got out of it. Not only did it work her core, but it really got her heart pumping, and she saw direct results in weight loss. There were even DVDs, books and classes that taught hooping and the more advanced you got, the more muscles you could work simply using your hoop.

I was having a hard time reconciling what she was saying with the hula hooping I recalled as a child where I spent most of my time retrieving the hoop from the ground. I certainly couldn't imagine that  I could achieve any kind of benefit, but I was intrigued none the less. That is when she offered to go get her hoop for me to try. She had a travel version that folded down into a convenient carrying size, and she had brought it along for me to try.

I was sure I would step into the hoop, pull it up to my waist and promptly send it sailing to the ground again! But what the heck, I'd give it a shot. The first thing I noticed when I pulled the hoop up over my hips was that it was heavier than a child's hoop. It also had a bigger diameter.  I started the hoop spinning in a clockwise direction around my waist while swaying back and forth. The hoop responded and continued to circle around my waist. I was immediately excited. The hoop wasn't dropping to the ground, and I was actually managing to keep it above my waist. Surely any second now it would plummet below my knees! Somehow, though, the hoop kept spinning. I swayed a little faster, and my breathing started getting heavier. My heart started pumping harder, and it wasn't from the excitement. I was getting a work-out.

A few minutes later, the hoop finally dropped below my waist, and then quickly fell to my feet. I had seen the possibilities though. My friend showed me a few more tricks she had been working on, and then I found myself reaching for the hoop again. Could I do it again or had it simply been beginner's luck? I grabbed the hoop and started it spinning. Once again, I was able to keep the effort going. This time I stopped because I was getting tired. My mind started racing with ideas. This could be great for a work break or something to do on a rainy day at home.

So thank you Tonya for showing me that I am not as klutzy as I imagine myself to be and turning me on to something both fun and new. I have already ordered my hoop from www.hoopnotica.com Rock Hard Abs....Here I come!!!!!