Trudy wrote about her love for "hooping" a while back, and I was intrigued, to say the least. I kept thinking about it, so I recently took the plunge and ordered an adult-sized fitness hoop and an instructional DVD. The best part about the purchase was the mail room guy walking into my office holding my pink, glittery hula hoop (wrapped in a bit of clear plastic). Luckily, he seems to have a good sense of humor.
I took it home, cleared away the coffee table, and proceeded to fail miserably at hula hooping for the next five minutes or so. But then, something magical happened: I was hooping! And it was fun! And, it must be said, it was a tremendous workout that left me extremely sweaty—and with some decidedly weird hip bruises (I'm told these will pass). With the help of my DVD and a two-hour workshop I took last weekend, I've now even progressed to some cool moves.
Of course, the right outfit is everything at chez Gertie, and I'll admit that in my hooping daydreams I've been planning the perfect outfit for my new retro fitness activity. I think that some sort of 50s-style romper should be involved, don't you? This lady had the right idea:
Any hoopers in the house?
Wheee. Fun.
ReplyDeleteTania
I love hooping! Its the only exercise that i find really fun and doesn't feel like exercise :)there are some wonderful hooping tutorials on youtube.
ReplyDeleteGertie, thank you so much for posting this - until now I thought I was the only adult person in the whole wide world to a) get bruises, b) destroying furniture and c) even have the wish to start hooping :)
ReplyDeleteHave fun and that romper definately is a great outfit!
Hooping is actually my superhero skill. I've always been good at it. Only at the waist, through. I'm not that good at doing it with my ankle.
ReplyDeleteIt's a really fun thing to do. :)
ohh I want to do that! Cool
ReplyDeleteI went to a festival this summer where there was a hoop vendor who let everyone play all day. I was a complete spaz at first but once you get it, it's so much fun. I may have to consider one for home now.
ReplyDeleteYes! A friend got me so hooked that I had a rack of hoops for the guests at my wedding (aka "the quasi-nuptial event" because of its questionable legality...) to use on the dance floor. Have you found hooping.org yet? They have instructions on how to make your own hoop and video tutorials demonstrating fancy moves.
ReplyDeleteThat is funny, I was at a festival, and there was a hula hoop workshop space where you could try it. I could never do it AT ALL as a child, but I managed about 30 seconds at the festival, so I reckon with a bit of practice I could get good. Maybe I'll get a hoop too!
ReplyDeletefun way to work out.
ReplyDeletehere!! i'm a hooper. i've been doing it a little over a year now and it is so fun. i've only ever learned and done things through youtube videos, but i'd really like to try a fitness dvd. i've thought about getting certified as a hooping instructor.
ReplyDeleteOH boy! I've been waiting for the instructor to start up again in the fall. I saw her perform once and it was absolutely amazing - she was so graceful. She did it to songs from the 50's. That was when I was in my hooping heyday. I'm sure it will come back to me.
ReplyDeletePlease post a video!
ReplyDeleteWaving hand in back row - hooping is fun, and they are really fun to make too. There are quite a few tutes on how to make them - it is basically underground sprinkler hose and fun glittery tapes.
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to figure out how to go from my waist to above my head and back down again - the "beam me up" trick.
I'm ordering that video. I used to love hula hooping as a kid. I was a dynamo.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago I tried it after 20+ years away and yikes! Maybe the video will bring back my A game. At the very least it should help minimize the midsection.
Thanks, Gertie!
Gertie, I will have to sit this one out and live vicariously through you. No hooping in my studio ... Sharon can tell you about my place :o).
ReplyDeletethe year i was born (1958), hula hooping was THE fad. one page in my baby book had a fill-in-the-blank list of what was current, and that's what my mother wrote on the "fad" line. it always struck me as funny, that hula hooping was in my baby book.
ReplyDeletetotally love your blog.
Great Post. Last year I was all about the hula hoop after hearing about it being a hot new fitness trend and purchased the weighted hula hoop from Body Hoops. Enjoyed it until I couldn't move my hips for a few days...lol. Ummm yeah about that... it is currently taking up residence behind my china cabinet.
ReplyDeleteI've been hooping since I was knee high to a grasshopper! I'm so glad you got in on the action! I used to win hoola hooping and pogo stick competitions at recess. Go Gertie! I can't wait to see your hooping atire:)
ReplyDeleteI was always hoop-challenged, but that sounds like fun. And, yes, I think a romper is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteYAY! I've been mulling good indoor exercise options since we just moved to a larger place and I'm all over hooping!
ReplyDeleteOne of my hometown Nashville girls does reasonably priced custom hoops and classes. You should check it out when you visit! http://www.hooprama.com/
I love this...As a child I was a hopeless hooper. But as an adult (and thanks to an evening babysitting) something clicked. I can also confess to owning a hoop and am now a hula hoop convert. Even if, as my husband said, 'a slightly aggressive one'. Apparently it's my stance and the fact I may have whacked his computer...and a lamp...and a coffee table.....
ReplyDeleteYou can buy a fitness hula hoop sized for an adult?? I'm there!! I was great at it when I was young but those hula hoops you get at ToysRUs do not cut it for adults.
ReplyDeleteOh, Gertie, this is so awesome! I'm so excited that you are into hopping now. And yes. the bruises will go away. I got bruises around the ribs and hips as I was learning proper placement and other parts of the body when learning new tricks. But so what, when you think about the long-term benefits. Hope we get to see a video one day and definitely make that romper. That would be perfect. Keep us updated on how it's going. Gotta go. Gotta get my hoop!
ReplyDeleteTrudy
www.sewingwithtrudy.blogspot.com
Oh yes! I have been hula hooping for years and love it! I don't do it as an exercise or have a DVD... nothing that official... but I do have a handmade hula hoop and use it all the time! It's hard to start off the day with a frown if you're hula hooping in the morning! I think a video post of you hooping is in order :)
ReplyDeleteI've been dying to try it -- it sounds like so much fun! Must find a class...
ReplyDeleteI was a major hooper at one time and may reconsider it as an exercise option again! On to the romper...yes, yes, yes. Perfect for hooping. Think 60's one piece romper with a square neckline, sleeveless, mid-thigh length in navy polka-dot cotton with white eyelet trim at the neckline. Somewhere in the photo archives I have that romper!
ReplyDeleteYes! I love hula-hooping while I'm watching TV. I didn't know there were fitness DVDs related to this?!? I just see how long I can go one way, then spin the other way.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm a hooper! It is great fun, and a romper like that could only make it more so. (Bonus: the more skin you bare, the easier it is to pull off tricks.) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post. You made me happy/sad nostalgic for my grandmother who has passed on. She was an avid hula hooper even in her 60's and 70's. She always told me that's how she kept a slim waist. Please make the romper!
ReplyDeleteIve seen a lot of ads lately for hooping classes. I passed it by as a joke. Certainly didnt realize how popular its become.
ReplyDeletePersonally Im terrible at hula hooping so I wont be jumping on this wagon :)
For a while there I thought I couldn't hoop until I realized that a child's large still was not big enough for me. So I gave it away and now need to get an adult one so I can regain my lost muscle tone from belly dancing.
ReplyDeleteBeen hula hooping for over a year now and it sure does wonders for my waist! I love that I can do it listening to music and when Iam actually lazy I jsut distract myself with a movie during it :-D
ReplyDeleteFun! Hula hooping was mentioned in a few recent fashion/style mags as well as the "new" celebrity fitness routine. I'd like to give it a try myself!
ReplyDeleteWOW! I hooped a lot when I was a kid and loved it. Now I realize that I must start again. Hadn't thought about what good workout it must be for the waist.....
ReplyDeleteis the difference big between the workout hula hoop and the ones children play with....must get one pronto.
Thanks for the great tip!
Olivia
I have a three pound and a five pound hoop! If I must say so myself, I am a smashing "hooper." I must caution you: when you select fabrics for your hooping outfit, 100% cotton makes all the difference. Synthetic fabrics are too slippery against the hoop, and you sacrifice a lot of control. Bare skin is best, but 100% cotton works wonders.
ReplyDeleteHula Hooping always reminds me of the movie "The Hudsucker Proxy". It is a really good movie, with some really fine costumes as well.
ReplyDeleteI love hooping! Forget the fitness videos - just put on some music and rock out!
ReplyDeleteI started hooping a little while ago, too! After hitting the living room lamp a few times, I moved out to the back yard.
ReplyDeleteMight I recommend a romper with straps or sleeves? Before you knew it, you would hoop the top of that strapless romper right down to your waist.
I'm so glad to hear about another hooper going back (costume-wise) to the hoop's 1950s roots! The hoopers around my area all wear sort of flowy hippie things that fly out when they spin. Fun, but not my thing.
i'm a hooper, too. have been since 2007... and also in elementary school - started a hooping club at the school where i teach and have turned on lots of kids AND teachers to hooplove! it's just so much fun.
ReplyDeletei saw another poster mention hooprama in nashville. that's where i started hooping as an adult.. and the last two years we have had over 50 women hooping the Country Music Half Marathon for Breast Cancer - it's one of the most amazing things I've ever done in my life and we do it to raise awareness and fund free hoops and classes for breast-cancer survivors and their caretakers. http://www.hoopingforhope.org!!!
you go for it Gal! With the hips I have one would think I could be one heck of a hooper. Sadly my coordination is no where near my ambition level!
ReplyDeleteWe have a friend who hoop dances and she has gone from a medium size woman to a very skinny woman.
Never done it for a work out. However, I found that I had a preternatural ability to keep it on my waist long before I had hips.
ReplyDeleteIn elementary school we had a four day long "olympics" in which the entire school participated in events. one of the events was how long someone could hula hoop.
i tied with someone else only because we were taking so long we holding up lunch- 47 minutes.
i was tired.
I love my hula hoops! One of the interns where I work with started making them a few months ago- you can see them dotted around our cubes. I have one at work and one at home. The one at work has replaced coffee and candy and running the stairs. It is an excellent distraction and perfect to wake up my sleepy brain when needed.
ReplyDeleteI am a hooper too! Woo!
ReplyDeleteYou need to go to hoopcity.ca to chat to everyone :)
Yay! Here's one hooper! And my hoop is pink and glittery too! You'll love it.
ReplyDeleteThe outfits at the top of this post are amazing! Holy cow!
ReplyDeleteI could hoop when I was a kid but now it just falls down on me. I suppose I just need practice?
Hooping is the best. Just 3 weeks ago I was introduced to hooping. Bought a custom hoop from a friend. Still can't do much but have fun. Keep on hooping for the fun of it.
ReplyDeleteI just ordered my third hoop. This one is from Hoopnotica. I can't wait for it to arrive! My other work great but this came with a workout DVD.
ReplyDeleteMeasure the hoop against your body. Once you have found a hoop in approximately the right circumference, stand it on end and measure it against your body. The hula-hoop should come up to somewhere between your upper chest and your stomach, according to the online Dimensions Guide.
ReplyDeleteI love hooping too! I guess i started reading your blog after this post because I never you were into this too. I hope you still do! If you have the space it's a great stress reliever.
ReplyDelete