Hula Hoop & Exercise

The hula hoop has come full circle, from the ultimate faddish toy back to its roots as an exercise tool. "Hooping," as the grown-up approach is now called, offers users a challenging yet fun approach to exercise and fitness professionals a new tool in their never-ending quest to keep workouts varied.

History

Many of us grew up with the Hula-Hoop, a plastic ring designed to spin around the user's waist. Now sold by venerable toymaker Wham-O, the hoop still offers a ball inside for what Wham-O calls "shoop-shoop Hula Hoop sound effect."
Those who remember the hooping as being a physical challenge will understand why "hooping" has become a popular exercise.
According to Encyclopedia.com, the activity goes back much further than our childhood. The hoop was an exercise tool, as well as a toy, in both ancient Rome and ancient Greece.

Expert Insight

"Although there's little research on the effects of weighted hula hoops, any type of hula hooping can be an aerobic activity--especially if you're able to hoop for 10 minutes or longer at a time," writes Edward R. Laskowski, M.D., co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center and a professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (see link in References).
Laskowski noted that either a toy hula hoop or the new weighted model designed specifically for exercise can be a "fun way to burn calories," or a way to keep workouts varied and interesting.

Fun and Functional

Allyson Makiej, M.Ed., pro hoop dancer, offers hoop classes at several locations in eastern Massachusetts, including her studio in Lowell (see link in References). She first learned about the technique from a "traveling hoop performer" when she was living in Colorado, and she found that it helped her recover from a chronic digestive illness.
"It made my stomach stronger, from the outside and the inside," she said in an interview.
Makiej strongly recommends against picking up a child's toy or using the equipment without guidance from an experienced trainer. She herself is trained in dance, Pilates and yoga.
The risk of injury from improper use or incorrectly sized hoops is great, Makiej said. She sells 18 different sizes and styles of hoops and can get the perfect fit for any user, she said. To prepare a newcomer to the activity, she said she often uses a technique called Thai-Yoga Bodywork, a combination of stretching and massage that makes a person more flexible.
As a result, she said, anyone can do this exercise, and she specializes in working with women age 30 and older.

Benefits

Lori Lecuyer, a certified personal trainer in central Massachusetts who participated in a sample session with Makiej, said she could see the potential for "hooping," because the workout was challenging (see link in References).
The motion is similar to what you remember from childhood. Put one foot in front of the other, start the hoop at your waist and rock back and forth to keep the hoop aloft.
Counterintuitively, a smaller and lighter hoop requires more energy, wrote Laskowski. With a bigger and heavier hoop, the motion is easier to maintain.

Potential

According to Makiej, hooping can burn 600 to 800 calories in an hour. Of course, an hour of this activity would be challenging. Even five to 15 minutes offers benefits, she said. "It's definitely the maximum benefit for anything you can do for that amount of time," she said.