Working Out Gets a New Twist During the Gym Closures
Hula hoops aren’t just for kids! When gyms closed and people began spending more time at home, many turned to unique ways to work out. Sales of trampolines soared not only so bored kids would have something to do, but also so adults had a way to get some much-needed physical activity—and stress-relieving fun! Right behind the early pandemic surge in trampoline sales, hula hoop sales began to pick up last year and were soon spinning out of control in numbers not seen since the first hula hoop craze in the 1950s. Along with exercise bikes, ellipticals and treadmills, a hula hoop became a favorite way to work out at home or in new outdoor hula-hooping classes in public parks and other spaces with room for social distancing. Groups like Boston's Hoop Troop have sprung up in cities all over. TikTok and Youtube videos of hula hoopers spinning their way to a whittled-down waist received millions of views.
So just how does a hula hoop help with physical fitness and weight loss?
Put a New Spin on Your Workout
Not only does a regular spin with the hula hoop help to bring good news when you step on your bathroom scale, but according to a 2015 study, six weeks of working out with a hula hoop results in an average loss of 1.3 inches from the waist. With today’s weighted hula hoops for working out, you can lose inches from the waistline even faster. It tones the abs, flattens the tummy, and shrinks love handles. According to research shared by Insider, hula-hooping also improves posture and balance, as well as providing a good cardio workout when you spin for at least 20 minutes. It’s a low-impact, high-benefit exercise activity that spinners tell us is so much fun you hardly feel like you’re working out — which is an important plus for the workout-reluctant. Keeping the hula hoop going becomes a fun challenge to make the minutes fly by. Learning tricks makes it even more fun and challenging. Youtube is full of trick tutorials.
Hula hooping is a unique way to work out in that those who try it are soon so proud of their newfound abilities that they may show them off to friends and family. Kids love it when they have a hula-hooping parent! Or at least little kids do — teen children may cringe in embarrassment. Some have found outdoor hula-hooping to be a fun family activity during the pandemic.
Not Your Mom’s Hula Hoop
Unlike the lightweight toy hula hoops that sold 25 million during the first four months of production in 1958 when the first hula hoop craze began, today’s hula hoop fad is focused on the more adult-oriented (and more expensive) weighted hula hoops. They often feature a soft foam construction with a stainless steel core or a padded inner lining to make them more comfortable for the waist and hips. Some allow weight adjustment with steel balls you add as you increase your workout intensity. They come in interlocking sections so users can adjust the fit for their size. The detachable sections also make workout hula hoops easier to store than toy hula hoops.
For those of us who once spent time in our backyards practicing hula hoop tricks as kids, working out with a hula hoop is not only great exercise but it's also a fun trip back to the simple joys of childhood—something we could all use during turbulent times.
Resources— History, Quartz, AthleticBusiness
About The Author
