Waisting Away

So what did you do for fun when you were a kid? Roller skate? Jump rope? Hide and seek? Maybe you did all of the above. Lucky you.

For many of us, hula hooping was the activity of choice. But as those pink swirly hoops floated effortlessly around our lithe waists, our heads were not filled with words like “cardiovascular”, “calories”, and “core strength”.  That was fun, plain and simple.

Well hooray for us! Hooping is back, but this time it’s for grown-ups. Adult-sized hoops for fitness hooping are bigger and heavier, and give us a better workout than the lightweight ones of our younger days…and you know what? It’s still just as fun.

Local mom and hardcore hooper Brigitte Ethier (who also goes by the name Hooperella) is teaching a new hooping class at Dovercourt Recreation Centre and she says if you’ve got rhythm, you can hoop.

Contrary to popular (okay, OUR) misguided belief, those of us who have a higher waist to hip ratio don’t have the advantage here.

The hoop works many different parts of our bodies, is a great cardiovascular workout and our abdominal muscles are always contracted when we hoop. Best of all, hooping releases endorphins, and that makes us feel good, just like when we were eight years old.

Brigitte likes to rock it out to her favourite music, but she says that hooping can also be very calming and is great for active meditation.

If you’d like to get yourself a hoop, you can order one from Brigitte. They’re not available in stores so she makes her own, and they range in price from $35 to $50. The secret is in their size. It’s easier to keep the momentum of a heavier hoop going for a longer period of time. They’re also great for hoopdancing. (You’ll have to take a class to get the basics—a few simple tricks and you’ll be moving like a pro.)

Brigitte says you can’t be unhappy when you hoop. We think she’s right. And your inner eight year-old will be happy too.

Comments