I grew up with a hula hoop and was able to hoop with the best on the playground – in fact, I even hula hooped on a recent cruise and came in 2nd (the things you’ll do for a bottle of champagne!), but until I started taking Nichole’s Hoop it “UP” Class, I never realized:
- I was hula hooping the hard way – once Nichole taught me the correct hooping technique it was soooo much easier
- There were so many ways I could use a hula hoop to get fit!
From the warm-up, my brain, as well as my body were working as I stepped over , across and around the hoop in patterns, then with her instruction and the correct size hoop for my body, I was able to hoop with ease, once I found my rhythm. I discovered how much more dominant one side of my body was and the effort it took to use my non-dominant side was definitely a workout.
Initially I felt really silly and uncoordinated as my brain and body were trying to figure it all out. Many times during the class, I couldn’t keep my hoop up for anything – that first class I got a lot of extra calorie burn from chasing, picking up my hoop, and laughing, as working patterns was frustrating. Laughter took away the frustration and most of us in the class were in the same hoop – so to speak, so there was a lot of chasing and laughing going on. However with Nichole’s patience and great instruction and my repeated effort, I was able to get my hoop on and off without chasing it across the parking lot.
Nichole did a great job designing the class as she interspersed strength segments and easy to master moves with more challenging hooping segments. The program gave our bodies and minds a chance to adapt to all the new activities and patterns and by the end of the class, it all came together. Not perfectly by any means, like with any new activity, it takes repeated effort.
Yes, I brought my hoop home and have been practicing in my living room and am ready to get my hoop on at her next class!
To see some of the basic moves in the Hoop It Up routines, check out this video from our YouTube channel:
