Hula Hooping as Hobby

 

A lot of people have special memories of hula hooping as a child. Whether it was with our best friend in her driveway or on your own in the backyard, it was always a wonderful source of lively fun and sometimes a little competition. The hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twisted around the waist, limbs, or neck. They measure around 28 inches in diameter and about 40 inches for adults. Today hula hoops are made from plastic tubing.

The hula hoop is an ancient invention. The Greeks used hooping as a form of exercise. The conventional materials for hoops included willow, rattan (a flexible and robust vine), grapevines, rigid grasses and sometimes metals, such an iron and aluminum. Kids and adults around the world have played with hoops. They have twirled, thrown and rolled them throughout history. Hooping as a toy for children was introduced in Great Britain in the 14th century. From the early 19th century, British soldiers witnessed "Hula" dancing in the islands of Hawaii. The hooping and hula dancing had some similarities because dancing uses the hoops. Therefore, the name hula hooping was given to this activity.

Hula hooping for 30 minutes a day can be just as valuable as running for half an hour. There are many benefits to hula hooping:

• Increased flexibility and strength.

• Toned hips, thighs, and waist.

• Help to straighten your back.

• Strengthen your neck, arms and leg muscles.

• Weight loss.

• Strengthen your heart.

• Lower your blood pressure.

• Helps to increase the flow of blood to your brain.

 

As an adult, I still love to hula hoop. They now sell special hoops with weights on them for exercise. You can twirl them around your neck or roll the hoop around one arm at a time. You could also twirl the hula hoop around one ankle and jump over it with the other foot. Some individuals even use it as a modified jump rope. Hula hooping is extremely easy once you get the hang of it. The key is to make sure you have the right size. Do not buy a child size just as they sell at Toys R Us. To quantify correctly, stand with your hoop in front of you. The general rule of thumb is that a hoop should be between stomach and nipple height. The bigger you are, the bigger the hula hoop ought to be. Larger hoops will rotate slower, making getting started easier.

 

Eventually, when you, get the hang of it; you can begin to utilize smaller hoops because these are better for exercise. 
 

 

Related hobbies: Disc golf, Backyard activities

 

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