Get Fit with Hula Hooping

Photos via Hearts Expanding.

Today I bring you a guest post from Amelia Wood... who, like me, has caught on to the hula hooping craze. :)

It’s a Medical Miracle! Hula Hooping is Good For Your Health

 A 2011 study by WebMD researchers found that hula hooping with a weighted hoop is just as effective as boot camp and step aerobics. Yes, that's right: Hula hooping is not just for kids, and I couldn’t be happier to hear this news!

The study, which recruited 16 women between the ages of 16 and 59, asked participants to learn a 30-minute aerobic routine using a weighted hula hoop.  The routine involved twirling the hoop around the waist, arms and legs.

Wearing portable oxygen analyzers and heart rate monitors, the participants’ exertion rates were recorded as they performed the aerobic routine, and the results were startling. With an average heart rate of 151 beats per minute and an average oxygen consumption amount of 20 milliliters per kilogram per minute, hula hooping was shown to burn about 210 calories every half hour. That’s about the same as my morning jog!

Photo via Hooping.org.

Like me, a lot of adults just don’t have the guts to bust out their hula hooping skills in the middle of a public space. But if we listen to our inner child (and consider the health benefits), it's easier to let go of our egos and try some hooping...

I can see myself now; nonchalantly walking toward the lonely hoop in the corner, waiting for a moment when no one is watching, slowly lifting it over my head before breaking into an all-out hooping frenzy. I’m sure everyone in the gym would turn their heads to see the performance... but really, who cares? It’s like my mom always told me; they’re only staring because they wish they could do the same. 

As for hooping; if you can dream it, you can do it. Take for instance Houston, Texas-based Hoopnotica hoopdance instructor, Kristen Tucker. Kristen recently returned from a photography tour of Mongolia, where she was photographed hooping in the Gobi Desert. You can view her photos at HoopyThoughts.com. They’re quite beautiful and moving.

You see; hula hooping is not only good for your body, it’s good for your soul. Have you ever noticed that you just can’t help but smile when you twirl a hoop around your waist? There’s just something about the circular motion that puts you at ease. It’s freeing and natural. You can almost hear your hip joints saying, “Thank you!”

Break free from your hula hooping misconceptions! It’s not just an activity for the young; it’s a fun exercise that will make you young at heart. Namaste.

Amelia Wood is a freelance blogger who enjoys writing about issues related to health care and fitness. In addition to sharing information about personal wellness, Amelia also works to disseminate valuable health care career information for readers interested in working in the medical billing and coding field. 

Please direct any questions or comments to Amelia1612 at gmail.com.