Day 4: Keeping Fit with a Hula Hoop
The Computer Butt Challenge continues. Several of you have expressed interest in learning how to use a hula hoop to get fit. So, I asked our resident hula hoop expert for a guest blog post. Here it is… and be sure to post your exercise update below.
Guest Post from Angela Wills of www.MarketersMojo.com (You can listen to a free interview that Angela and I recorded here: Nicole Dean Talks with Angela Wills about Mojo).
Keeping Fit With a Hula Hoop
Ok, So Nicole asked me if I'd write a post about Hula Hooping.
I know what you're thinking – that's for kids! Oh no. This is different.
I don't use that little plastic hula hoop you can find at Wal-Mart or a dollar store. Hula Hooping is now for adults. It's called weighted hula hooping. And believe it or not there's a whole culture and a whole bunch of people who are hoop dancing for indoor fitness.
I became obsessed with learning about it after I saw Marissa Tomei on Ellen (DeGeneres) talking about hooping. Then I went to YouTube and found a whole bunch of tutorial videos on hooping, how to hoop and how to make a hula hoop. I was hooked!
So this summer I made my first hula hoop and I recorded a video on the tools I bought to create it. Here's the video:
So what do you need to make your own hula hoop?
How to Make a Weighted Hula Hoop
– 1 inch irrigation tubing (can get at Lowes)
– coupling to connect tubing (buy at the same place as the tubing)
– ratcheting tube cutter
– blow dryer to soften the ends of the tubing
– tape
That's it! It took me literally minutes to pop the tubing together and then about 20 minutes to tape it. I'm sure you could take longer to tape if you were being really careful and cautious about making it look perfect but I wasn't too worried.
How to Start Hula Hooping!
Next – the hooping! It takes a while to get the hoop to stay up. But I found it helpful to aim for a certain number of hoops. For example – at first I just wanted to do five hoops around. Then I upped it to ten hoops. Then up to twenty. Then I could hoop to a whole song! Then I hooped for ten minutes.
Oh yea – and it's so fun to hoop to your favorite songs.
I'm not there yet but over time as you get better you can learn neat tricks too. I see this being the sort of exercise that doesn't feel like exercise and that's what I LOVE about it. I love to dance but I don't often just turn on the music and bop. But with hoop dancing I am motivated to get better and better – so it's a daily challenge I can tackle.
Are You Ready to Hula Hoop?
I hope this post has inspired you to go grab or even make yourself a hula hoop. If you do decide to try it, let us know! I look forward to hearing what you think about hula hooping for indoor fitness.
Thanks, Angela! That looks fun. 🙂
Hula Hooping could be a great addition to any exercise routine. I believe very strongly in diversifying your workouts which is why I enjoy circuit training (like in Angie's program below). I get bored quickly doing the same thing every day (I have very little patience for tedium). Plus, I don't get as good of results when I *just* swim or walk or bike or rollerskate as I do when I do a a bunch of different things. So, variety is the spice of life – and it's also the key to losing your computer butt.
Here' s the workout that I'm doing this month (which incorporates a variety of exercises) – although I'm definitely thinking I might have to get a hula hoop, too. lol!
You can grab this program for only $10 here, if you'd like to join me:
http://www.fatlossquickie.com/Sizzlin-Circuits.php
Please post your update today and let me know what you think of the hula hoop idea.
((hugs)) to all and thank you!
Warmly,
Nicole Dean
PS. If you missed the first few days of this challenge, no worries. Jump in at any time!
Susan
October 28, 2010 at 9:20 amHey Nicole, very interesting. I’m a fitness pro myself and have never once had my client use a hula hoop. Not because I don’t approve, just because I simply have never thought of it. Another great perk to hula hopping is that it is great for using as part of your home workouts! Good luck with Scott and Angie’s program!
Nicole
October 28, 2010 at 2:44 pmThere are a whole bunch of hula videos on YouTube with a variety of workouts. Seems to be a new and growing trend. (Well, new “old” trend.) 🙂
Melissa Ingld
October 28, 2010 at 6:10 pmSusan, I went to check out your site and it looks really wonky in IE.
Kimmoy
October 28, 2010 at 9:14 amHehe, this is a fun post. I loved hula hooping ever since I was a kid and would challenge myself to never stop while my friends took a walk to the neighborhood candy shop.
It’s a great workout and I plan to get certified with Hoopnotica next year God’s willing. Maybe I’ll experiment with making my own hoop, looks like fun!
Nicole
October 28, 2010 at 2:46 pmThat sounds awesome, Kimmoy!
I don’t quite have your coordination, but I’m going to try. 😀
Nicole
October 28, 2010 at 12:06 pmSo far 10 minutes on the spinner.
More soon… 🙂
Nicole
October 28, 2010 at 3:30 pmDid 15 minutes more of miscellaneous stuff –
Sit ups, balancing on ball, etc, while listening to an audio that I wanted to hear.
Scott Tousignant
October 28, 2010 at 4:35 pmWay to go Nik! It’s great to see you taking the short quickie breaks throughout the day.
With so much work to do you could easily just keep working. Nearly a week under your belt and new healthy habits are forming 😉
Loretta
October 28, 2010 at 1:11 pmI’ve been doing stretching and a *few* squats out on the front porch in the mornings this week while waiting for the late-every-day school buses to pick up the kids (four kids, three schools, lots of waiting for buses that are never on time) I used to just sit out there and sip my coffee, but I figured it was a good time to get some movement going instead. So far so good and I feel much more ready to start work when I get back inside.
Nicole
October 28, 2010 at 2:43 pmHey, anything is better than nothing at this point. I think consistency beats everything else.
Kind of like how brushing your teeth for 2 minutes twice a day beats brushing them reeeeeeally well, once a year, right?
Scott Tousignant
October 28, 2010 at 4:33 pmYou’re taking some great steps already Loretta… way to go! They’re all adding up!
Lisa Marie Mary
October 28, 2010 at 1:22 pmI would love to hula hoop – it looks like so much fun AND like such a great workout! All at the same time – you’re having so much fun you don’t even realize you’re exercising! The problem? Hahaha! I can’t do it! My daughter loves to laugh and laugh and laugh at me when I try. She gets me to show people how redonkulous I look trying it. LOL Maybe with the ‘adult’ version of hoop I could be victorious! No exercise yet….will come back!
Lisa Marie Mary
October 28, 2010 at 2:39 pmOk – 13 minutes ‘aerobic stuff’ (danc-y stuff, grapevine, marching, etc) to another TED.com video. With some squats worked in, too.
And – on the one year anniversary of breaking my foot, too! The one that hasn’t really healed! I’m so PROUD of myself!!!!
Thank you, Nicole!!
Nicole
October 28, 2010 at 2:42 pmI’m proud of you, too!!!
Nicole
October 28, 2010 at 2:45 pmI’ve been told that, even if you can’t do a kids one, that the adult (or homemade) ones are a lot easier to use.
I’ll let you know when I get one!
Satu
October 29, 2010 at 5:21 amLMM, I think you should shoot a video of yourself hula hooping and put it in Youtube (with an Amazon link of course)
It might just go viral! 😀
Lisa Marie Mary
October 29, 2010 at 10:23 amOMG, Satu – it is seriously the funniest thing ever – you might just be onto something!!! Hahaha!
Scott Tousignant
October 28, 2010 at 4:39 pmWay cool Angela! We’re all about making fitness fun… and hula-hooping definitely adds the fun factor.
I really appreciate your video demo on how to make your own adult hula hoop. Do you know what kind of savings you get from making your own vs purchasing one?
Melissa Ingld
October 28, 2010 at 6:21 pmChecking in to post that I had another great 45 minute workout at the gym today. It’s kind of funny because after I went a couple of times, my hubby decided he was going to join and now he comes with me. He won’t be able to go every day because of his work schedule, but I’m so happy that he’s getting into it too 🙂
Scott Tousignant
October 28, 2010 at 6:24 pmThat’s way awesome Melissa! When a husband and wife work together as a team and support each other, they become unstoppable!
Hey, have you read Angie’s book More Love Less Fat: A Couples Guide To Transforming Your Body and Relationship?
She shares some great strategies for couples as well as the challenges that we overcame.
The Mom
October 28, 2010 at 6:51 pmThis is so dang much fun! I, of course, was around for the first hula hoop trend. Never thought of it back then as exercise… of course didn’t NEED exercise back then either! HA! 😉
Thanks Angela for sharing this with Nicole and us Computer Butts. I don’t have the room to swing a hula hoop around in my condo so I’m thinking this may be another excuse to hang out at Nicole’s house more often. Are you going to get one Nicole? What do you think… out back by the pool?? Put the wine on ice and I’ll be there!
BTW… exercise didn’t happen today. Refer to yesterday’s blog. Yeah, I overdid it a bit. But, even though I’m sore I’m a GOOD sore. Not from sitting on my butt, from working my muscles. Yippee! That kinda sore I can take! I’ll get back on my floor ball tomorrow for sure!
Satu
October 29, 2010 at 5:19 amHuh, If I wasn’t already using another program I would get the Sizzling circuits asap.
I happened to pass a mirror yesterday and for some reason I took note of my scary hanging underarms! We also need a program for computer guts and those hanging underarms (hint).
Yes, the hula hoop thing is a new trend, I have even seen them in fitness stores in Finland. I just can’t understand how it’s possible to keep those heavy hoops in the air…
Lisa Marie Mary
October 29, 2010 at 10:26 amSatu – my daughter (13yrs) is so good with them, it’s scary. She can do all kinds of things WHILE she’s doing it! Walk around, talk to you, brush her hair, get something to eat…it’s pure nuts!!
Diana
October 29, 2010 at 10:59 amGosh, I went and looked at some of the hulu hoop videos, those girls look like about a size 2. I’ve only seen one woman with smaller hips and she was a size 0.
Maybe I’ll watch them again and get inspired to hoop to a smaller end, of me that is.
Thanks for the article.
Angela Wills
October 30, 2010 at 9:23 amGlad you liked the post and video!
Sorry for the slow reply, I’m on vacation and sent that to Nicole before I left.
Lisa Marie Mary the heavier hops are way easier than the kids hoops, the heavier and bigger the easier they are to keep going.
Scott for making then it’s waaay cheaper. You buy one for about $30 or you can make about 8 for around $80 depending on what tape you use. Hmmm maybe I should sell them lol.
It takes a little while to get the hang of but once you get it going you can go longer and longer.
Since I’m away I haven’t been reporting back in but my update is I’ve been walking for an hour ever day and eating good – that’s my checking! Looks like you guys are doing pretty good!