History repeats itself, even in fitness. Everyone join me in welcoming back the “Hula Hoop!” Break out your favorite childhood toy, sweat it out and also mellow out. Hula hooping is more than just fun, it can also be a great mental and emotional medicine too, so here’s the scoop on why you should hula hoop.
Join The Revolution
Not sure how to bring back this fitness throwback? Let Hoopdance Revolution be your guide. I had the pleasure of meeting internationally acclaimed and author of Hoopdance Revolution Jan Camp and couldn’t get a hoop around my waist fast enough. As a chronicled cultural movement toward wellness, this easy read seamlessly illustrates how incorporating dance, aerobic exercise, juggling, and yoga all within the hooping experience can be an energy enhancing addition to your daily life. Make your own hoop (P.S. instructions on “how to” are in the book), grab a copy of this guide and get your swivel on sistah!
Burn Baby Burn
Hula hooping is naturally aerobic, puts no harmful stress on the body (when performed correctly), and due to the effort required from some of the biggest muscles in the body (glutes, thighs, hips, legs, knees and abdomen) this format can also lead to a serious burn. Plus, your metabolism automatically gets an extra boost and your cardiovascular system will most certainly appreciate the strengthening power of hula hooping too. Convinced?
Back It Up
What’s that you say? The number one region of your body that loves the spirally fitness fun of hula hooping is your core. That repetitive circular motion both strengthens and tones these muscles while simultaneously conditioning your spine. Master your hula hoop skills and keep back problems at bay by increasing your spine’s range of motion and it’s overall flexibility. See sis, I always have your “back.”
Master Your Mind
Whipping a hoop from your midsection, to your leg and then up to your arm again takes not only some serious coordination but some legitimate focus too. Try it. According to Camp- “the sharper mental acuity, emotional balance, increased spacial awareness, and overall sense of well-being and connectedness” make this fitness fun beyond worth it when it comes to your mind. So unleash your sense of play and become sharp as a tack all in one fell swoop of a hoop.
About The Author:
Jan Camp is an artist and graphic designer with an active hoopdance practice. She has contributed to three books that inspired Hoopdance Revolution, A Door in the Swamp by Joell Jones and The Fish Arm Collective (Comix Press), and Cay Lang’s Taking the Leap (Chronicle Books). A resident of Berkeley, California, Jan studied art and writing at the College of Santa Fe, San Francisco State University, and University of Chicago. Her critically acclaimed work as a visual artist is represented in art galleries all over the States and gained her a residency at the MacDowell artist colony. Together with her husband, award-winning documentary filmmaker Tom Weidlinger, Jan Camp runs Arclight Books in the SF Bay Area, a grassroots publishing group dedicated bringing local artists and authors together to share resources and participate in events.
Robbie Ann Darby (RAD Experience) is a professional FitGirl, Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer in NYC. Follow her sweaty life on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more fun health and fitness tips!
Hula Hoop Your Way To Improved Physical & Mental Health was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
