Fitness Hula Hoops.......Does it work?

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Ladytrajedi
Ladytrajedi Posts: 16 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Thinking about getting a 2.5lb-3lb Fitness Hula Hoop for a light, low-impact workout in the evening.....Has anyone every tried it before and if so, does it really wittle down the waist.

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  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    Hula hooping burns calories, the rest is up to you and your food choices. Nothing will spot reduce, you have to lose the fat all over.

    The problem with heavier fitness hoops is that you can really only hoop around your waist and that can get pretty boring before you have burned a lot of calories. I don't know anyone who has kept using their weighted hoop for months and months.

    With lighter dance hoops, if you get bored, you can start learning to do tricks that get your arms involved in the workout, as well. You may have professional hoopers in your area that sell these hoops (and offer classes) or you can order them online at places like hoopnotica.com. Do NOT get a smaller children's hoop - both the weighted and the dance hoops are 35-45 inches in diameter to go around our adult waists.
  • jessthep1rate
    jessthep1rate Posts: 47 Member
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    I just got one last week, and I've only used it a couple of times, but it does seem promising. Mine is 2.5 pounds, and if no one's warned you, it does definitely leave some bruises the next day! But from what I've read this goes away once you get more accustomed to the movement of hooping and you don't rock so hard into the hoop when you do it.

    Anyway, I could definitely feel some soreness the next day with the hoop, all the way around my waist, so it seems like it might be pretty effective! There's a lot of good info out there online, and some good videos on Youtube also. There's also a lot of exercises that can be done with the hoop in addition to just hula-hooping, which can target other ares, too, but I haven't tried them yet. I'll have to keep MFP posted as I keep it up!
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    Anything works if you use it. Is it going to be your only workout?
  • jessthep1rate
    jessthep1rate Posts: 47 Member
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    Concordancia, I'm sad to hear most people you know who've tried hula hooping don't stick with it. I'm new to the weighted hoops but I used to use a regular hoop all the time for exercise, and even with just hula hooping, I never got bored! It's really fun, IMO, and something I could do for 45 mins or an hour at a time watching TV :)
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
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    Personally, I'd use a regular hula hoop (not the kid ones, but the hippie ones) if you're interested in hooping at all. A smaller, lighter hoop is actually harder to keep up, plus you can actually learn tricks if you're so inclined. Makes for a much more fun workout, IMO.
  • Ladytrajedi
    Ladytrajedi Posts: 16 Member
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    Anything works if you use it. Is it going to be your only workout?

    No....I do a 45-60 min workout in the mornings....I just wanted to something a little extra in the evening that can burn some energy and is fun at the same time.
  • philohagen
    philohagen Posts: 7
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    Hooping burns 210 calories in half an hour according to the American Council on Exercise - and that's a whole lot of bang for something low impact. The cool thing about it too is that it directly works on and strengthen our core which is where most of us have our biggest issues. The bruising thing does tend to happen the first time you use a hoop but once they heal they seem to never come back, some odd right of passage. But I personally don't recommend getting a hoop that's heavier than 2 pounds cause you can run the risk of causing some internal injury - and you're less likely to use it. Most of the heavier hoops come with warning labels that they're not to be used for more than ten minutes and if you get a lighter hoop you'll still get the burn and the fun and you can hoop in your living room while watching TV even and spin out an hour really easy. I do it all the time. There's a lot more info on all things hooping at hooping.org and with the adult sized hoops you can work your whole body into it the more you learn too, which makes it a lot more fun and a better work out. Crank the tunes and have a blast getting your groove on. :)

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