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Day Hoops
 Hooping has been making a comeback in the fitness and dance world in the past ten years. No longer the hula hoops of the fifties - these heavier, bigger hoops are all grown up. While many adults feel they could never use a hula hoop, the larger hoops move more slowly around the waist, allowing more awareness to succeed quickly. FitnessWhether you stick with meditative waist hooping or try tricks to dance and move with the hoop, this is a really fun way to stay in shape. Hooping burns up to 100 calories every ten minutes, works the waist muscles, keeps the hips flexible, and provides a low impact aerobic activity. More advanced hooping can be a whole body work out - toning the arms and legs as well as the center of the body.Well BeingIn addition to the physical advantages of hooping, it also brings a playful joy to participants. Personally, I don't even realize that I'm getting a work out at all, I have so much fun. I can't help but smile and be completely content in the hoop. I hoop when I'm happy, and my happiness increases. I hoop when I'm sad, and my mood lifts almost immediately.AwarenessFrom a Somatic standpoint, the hoop gives us something tangible to sense around us while bringing proprioceptive awareness. Our brains are given the task of "keeping up the hoop" while we move the rest of our body. This contact with the hoop provides constant feedback with which the voluntary nervous system can respond and adapt. That challenge increases brain plasticity, allowing us to stay flexible and healthy. |
