Hula Hoop - Where to start
Hula Hoop - Where to start
Fitness crazes come and go, but the popularity of hula hooping shows no signs of abating. Indeed, anyone who’s anyone is picking up a hula hoop and giving it a go, including Beyoncé, Michelle Obama, and queen of the chat show, Oprah Winfrey. And for good reason. Not only is hula hooping bags of fun, but it’s easy to do, regardless of your fitness. What’s more, it's seriously good for your health. Core Balance explores the benefits of hula hooping. Plus, how to choose a weighted hoop.
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Burn Calories
If you’re looking to burn calories, grab yourself a hula hoop. According to a study by the American College on Exercise (ACE), you can burn up to 7 calories a minute by hula hooping. That’s a massive 210 calories every 30 minutes and 420 calories an hour.
Boost Your Cardio Fitness
Doing a hula hoop workout gets your blood pumping and your lungs working, making it a great way to boost your cardiovascular and respiratory health. As a result, hula hooping can help to reduce your blood pressure, lower your risk of heart disease, and improve your stamina and fitness.
Slim Your Waistline
Just because an exercise burns calories, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to slim your waistline. If you’re desperate for a flatter stomach, you need to do cardio exercises that engage your abdominal muscles and hula hooping is one of them.
Indeed, a clinical trial in 2015 studied the benefits hula hooping had on thirteen women. After just six weeks, the trial found that the women had lost an average of 3.4cm around their waist and 1.4cm around their hips. Pretty impressive, right?
Challenge Your Core
Abs aren’t the only core muscles you target by hula hooping. It also works your hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors. Like all core exercises, this helps to strengthen your back and improve your balance and posture, leading to a better performance when you’re exercising and a reduced risk of injury.
Get Your Groove On
When keeping fit is fun, you’re more likely to stick to it. Conversely, if it’s as dull as dishwater, you’re more likely to give up and reach for the chocolate. The majority of people find hula hooping easy to stick to because it is a lot of fun, but if you want to make it really fun, go check out Rachel at @huladancercise.
Rachel combines hula hooping with dancing and shares videos of her routines on social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok. Her routines are so popular that some have clocked up millions of views. Trust us, once you’ve seen the video of her hula dancing to the Piu Piu song, you’ll want to grab a hoop and get your groove on too.
Choosing a Weighted Hula Hoop
So, now you know the benefits of hula hooping, it’s time to get a hoop. At Core Balance, we stock two types of hula hoop. Both weigh 1kg, making them heavier than the hula hoops you probably played with as a kid. Put simply, the extra weight enables you to build up momentum and hula hoop for longer, resulting in more calories burned.
Smooth Hoop - Best for Beginners
If the last time you used a hula hoop was in the playground, our smooth weighted hoop is a perfect option. Because it has a smooth interior, it’s more comfortable to practise with than our wavy hula hoop, making it a top choice if your stomach muscles are unaccustomed to hula hooping. Also, it’s lightly padded with foam for enhanced grip when spinning.
Available in teal, black and purple.
Wavy Hoop - Best for Hooping Pros
Unlike our smooth hoop, our wavy weighted hoop has ‘power waves’ on the inside which bump against your hips, back, and stomach. As a result, it can feel uncomfortable to use if your muscles are unaccustomed to hula hooping. Put simply, the ‘power waves’ stimulate your core and tighten your abs, making it a more effective way to slim your waistline.
Available in teal, black and purple.
