My 3 yr old had such fun alternating between laughing and being worried about his toys in the path!

Hahaha! I LOL.

I wish mine would get here.

I just got the wrist weights, and have only used them a couple of times. I figured that since I keep my arms up while I hoop I might as well add some weight to them. I am pretty uncoordinated, so don't really do anything with my arms. I think that just having the weights on helps.

I'd like to encourage everyone who is hooping to take your measurements when you when you start and then again in a month. I'd like to hear everyone's progress!

Well, I'm kinda bummed out tonight. I started my hooping routine as I've been doing for the past few days, and everything went ok in the beginning -- but I did drop the hoop a few times, something I'd not done but once yesterday when I hooped for 20 minutes. And then I just started noticing that my ability to keep it going 'round became more and more diminished, until I just flat-out could not do it at all. It's like my body had just suddenly forgotten everything I've been doing! What the hell?!? I became very frustrated, gave up, and just went and did my elliptical workout instead. After I'd cooled down from that, I came back to the hoop and I found that I could do it fairly easily once again, but I just felt exhausted. I went for maybe 2 minutes, and dropped the hoop.

Maybe I've just started in doing too much too soon. I had envisioned that I'd keep going, great guns, but apparently my body has decided it doesn't want to fully cooperate with my intentions. Terriks, do you hoop every day? Do you sometimes have "off" days, where you just feel completely uncoordinated, like you've lost what you've learned or trained your body to do?

::sigh:: I don't do setbacks very well. ;-)

I don't hoop everyday. Sometimes I'll hoop several days in a row, then take a day off, usually just because I get busy. I did start out a bit slower than I think you are though. The first week I really limited my hooping to about 5 minutes or so at a time, even though I wanted to go longer. While I was working up to being able to hoop for a solid half hour I would hoop for a minute, then rest for 30 seconds, until I had hooped for a total of 10 minutes. After about 5 days of that routine I just decided to see how long I could keep going, and found out that I could hoop for a looooong time if I wanted to. Don't worry about his little set back. It could be that you are a little sore and your body wants a bit of rest!

What is the purpose of the wavy part in the middle? That seems to me what is causing the bruising? The other sites I've looked at all have smooth hoops.

Also the sport hoop is thicker? Just wondering what the differences are between a homemade one and the sports hoop like Terriks ordered.

I think that the wavy part is supposed to help you keep it up around your waist. I don't really notice it. I think that the bruising is just from the weight of the hoop hitting as it goes around.

I think that the key to successful hooping is a hoop that is just heavy enough with a large enough diameter to make it easy to hoop.

On another note - do any of you other hoopers feel a little more sensual as a result of the hooping. I think that the rhythmic hip action is responsible.

Thanks for the encouragement, Terriks. I was actually more than a little frustrated by my lack of ability last night. (DH can surely attest; he had to "talk me down" and tell me, "No, you're not pathetic ..." several times. ;-)) I think perhaps I got a bit cocky when I did 20 minutes the other night, but that was probably just a fluke. I mean, certainly the muscles in my mid-section, not being used to this kind of a workout, aren't automatically going to be strong enough to keep it up like that so soon, night after night. At least not yet. I'll take it much easier tonight, and not try to get all verklempt if I'm unable to do it as well as I think I should be able to. Cutting myself slack is not something I always excel at.

As for your question about feeling sensual ... Well, yes! I definitely noted how sensual the hip rotations are the very first time I hooped! (And I think DH noticed too. He kept coming back to stand at the doorway and watch. Voyeurman. ;-))

jen, a question: were you wearing more the time you had trouble? I find if I try to hoop while I'm wearing a coat or a loose sweater it's much more difficult. Like today, I had my coat on (I was outside) and the hoop kept losing traction. I took my coat off and voila I was an expert again :)

And maybe ask Mr. Voyeurman to try it himself, hm? Then we'll see who's pathetic or sensual :)

No, I was wearing the same thing I'd been wearing before, a bra-top cami and yoga pants. With my "lovely" neoprene belt. ;-) The more I dropped the hoop, the more I kept visualizing dropping the hoop when I'd get it going again ... I think it just got to the point where I was so worried about failure, I kept failing repeatedly at it.

This may be a weird question, but do you think about hooping when you're doing it? I find that I do much better if I can kinda zone out and not concentrate fully on the hoop. But once I start worrying that the hoop's gonna fall, then that's pretty much all I can think of. Ah, I just love it when an exercise kicks my arse by becoming a mental game as well. ;-)

DH did give the hoop a brief try when it first arrived. He's got a pretty big belly (and a tiny little waist underneath that belly somewhere! LOL!), and he couldn't get a decent motion going no matter how hard he tried.

I don't really think about it when I get going. Sometimes I will concentrate on trying to move differently, but most of the time I just watch TV and hoop.

And something funny about guys and hooping: A couple of guys at my office got hoops and one of them told me today that he is now able to "keep it up for a long time". I really had to stifle a giggle as I thought about how happy that must make his wife. Guys need to say "keep it going" instead of "keep it up".

Vinudev--I do sort of a forward and back motion, with my knees slightly bent.

My DH tried and couldn't do it at all.

I find this harder than pretend 'hooping' on the wii fit. I can hoop forever on that, without 'dropping' the hoop. But I definitely drop it with this one.

Well, if they can "keep it up" and "keep it going", that's definitely the happiest combo of all.
;-D

The DVD I got talks about pressure points. For instance if you are waist hooping and your feet are next to each other, the pressure points are on either side of your waist. If you want to drop the hoop to your hips, then you tilt your pelvis forward until the hoop drops, and the pressure points shift from side to front and back. If the hoop keeps dropping, you need to make sure that you tuck your pelvis back in.

If you want to walk while waist hooping, you shift the pressure point forward on the side of your waist that your same foot is forward- i.e. if R foot is forward, the front pressure point is on the R side of the waist.

At first it sounded weird, and I just hooped. But as I am trying new moves, it really helps to think about the change in pressure points until it becomes automatic.

Today, I was able to shift the hoop from waist to hip by thinking about this stuff. Not able to get it back up to waist though without going through big gyrations. I'm also still working on turning- I really want to be able to do that!

thanks, robin_dc, I find that works better for me too! I managed to keep it up for about 20secs or so at a time..ha ha, atleast its better exercise than all the bending and picking up the hoop from the floor!! hope to get better soon-am worried about possible bruising without a belt (that's on the weekend shopping list!).
auntjen, there is def a mind-body connection-i too find that if I worry about dropping it then I definitely drop it!
barb, that's a lot to think about, right? Its amazing how our body just finds a rhythm without a conscious thought on our behalf.

My bruising has worsened slightly. The problem that I'm having now is that the bruise that appeared is on my left hipbone, and my padded belt doesn't cover that area, nor can it be pulled down to cover the hip -- even if it could, it would quickly ride up when the gyrations start. Oh well, I'll just keep telling myself that I'll toughen up soon and the bruising will go away. (At least I hope that's what happens!)

jen, I hoop in jeans and a shirt and I don't have bruises, fwiw.

Don't worry, you will toughen up. I happen to bruise very easily, I joke that I can just look at a sharp corner and get a bruise, but I only had the one bruise early on in my hooping, and don't feel that kind of soreness at all now.

OK, I'm joining the club. Still haven't located my ATM. Maybe it's hiding somewhere in my car. No evidence it's being used so I will look there when it isn't raining.

I went to Ebay and bought a 3 lb hoop using my PayPal account. Seller ships within 3 days but it's in California so shouldn't take that long. Yahoo!

I confess that I am a bit intimidated about making it stay up but I have to start somewhere and I like the idea that it comes apart to store.

Oh! That is not the right attitude! If it is in use, it won't need to come apart. (beating head with my hand...)

Thanks, Terriks! I'm glad to know I won't be black and blue forever! ;-)

I too like that the hoop can be disassembled. I may take it on vacation with me -- just depending on whether or not I can find the room in my luggage (or want to pay to check another bag). I did have a slight concern about where to store the thing when I'm not using it. When it sits on the floor, I worry that the cats will decide it's a giant chew toy, and start gnawing on it. I finally put up a 3M "Command" hook behind the door in my workout room, and since the hoop's diameter is really too large to fit onto the largest hook that I could find, I hang it from a lanyard that can easily be clipped onto the hook (kinda hard to describe, but it works -- most importantly, keeps it away from curious critters!).

I just got mine today!!!

The UPS man was probably wondering what was in the box because of my giggling. :D

I picked it up immediately and did maybe 10 minutes to the right. To the left, I am a total clutz.

I don't bruise easily, but I still grabbed my back brace to cushion the strange impact of a weighted hoop whriling around my middle. I wear a brace from time to time because of a freak accident as a child, but I am really hoping that this will help strenghten my back muscles so I won't ever have to wear it again! For me, THAT would be a win.

Oh, and I took "before" measurements too. I played with it for a couple minutes before I realized that this thing was working muscles that my regular crunches and midsection workouts don't. So I ran off to get my measuring tape to compare.

Thanks for the heads up, Terri!

Buy a belt. I woke up this morning with bruises on each side above my hip and one in the center of my abs.

Just a heads up.

I don't think that the belt will prevent the bruises that you may get. (I only got one bruise that went away quickly) But it does make it more comfortable.

This is starting to sound like torture. Ohhh, my hoop is designated for delivery Monday. Forget the belt, I'm thinking pillows. A Lucille Ball act is in my near future, I see that now. The real truth is, I don't even know if I have *any* stomach muscles and I haven't been able to hula hoop since I was a kid.

What are you people getting me into? To think, not so long ago, I didn't even know about this bunch. I was innocently hanging out on the bathroom forum, accidently found my way over here, and now look. I'm going to be torturing myself.

Wonder what will be next.

No, it's not torture. It's just the first week or so that you can feel the hoop hitting against your sides, after that no problems at all. I didn't even get any muscle soreness, but I do have a waistline again!

Actually, I found the hooping so much fun, that in the beginning I probably overdid it. It is really kind of addictive.

I used to belong to Curves and then they closed down the one nearest me. BUT, they had these hoops there and we'd do the hoops between machines. I loved them.

Thanks for posting a link to where to buy them. I ordered one too!

Ok, thanks for talking me down. It sounded really fun in the beginning but the bruising posts were making me a little shaky.

It is fun, golddust, believe me. Although watching one's 11 y.o. DD accomplish things that one cannot accomplish no matter how hard one tries -- well, that's when hooping becomes both a fountain of youth and a memento mori simultaneously. Lovely. :)

(She ran half the yard, then walked back and up the deck steps (no side rails) all while keeping the hoop going. this was *after* her preparing-for-takeoff-speed thing she does...ah, youth...)

I'm certainly going to be learning behind closed doors. If I can't make it work, I may find myself in your yard, flyleft, paying your DD for lessons. :+) I'm not known for being very graceful. Heck, I can go to kiss my DH and accidently poke him in the eye or step on his foot or something. (This is true!)

I put my hoop together, put on my belt over my pajamas and stepped into the yard and as I was attempting to make it work, I was busted by my BIL, who pulled into my driveway to work on our bathroom. So much for learning in private. I can't keep it up but just found the directions so I'm going to try again.

It's worth trying both directions. I assumed left to right/clockwise motion would be easier for me since I'm right handed. Actually find right to left/counter-clockwise easier to sustain.

OK, am starting to get seriously motivated by this thread. Flyleft, wish I could emulate you, but it seems our local HD and Lowe's are out of the necessary tubing...

so: what hoop did you buy, and do you like it, and is it holding up to use, and does it break down for travel?

Walkin' you've gotta get on board with this! It's an absolute blast! I've been at it for 1-1/2 weeks now, and am thoroughly enjoying my daily hooping session! I've gotten to where I don't wear the neoprene belt now -- just don't really need it. I'm hooping for about 15 minutes nightly in front of the tv, and find that the time just flies by.

And ya know what? Last night DH put his arms around me and said, "I swear, your waist is smaller!" I didn't measure myself as Terriks suggested, although I should have. I tend to base my progress more on how my clothes fit anyway. Today I'm wearing a belt that I buckle in "hole #2" ... and I just realized that it really could move over to hole #3. So yeah, I'm shrinking a bit. Hooray! :-)

Oh, and not sure exactly who you were asking about which hoop they bought, but just FYI, I bought the 3 pound Acu-hoop. It does indeed break down easily for travel, and it's holding up beautifully.

According to the box, I bought the ACU hoop sports hoop. 3 lb large. It does come apart for travel AND it is made in the ... United States ... Woo! I can tell you, even though I haven't yet gotten the hang of it, I can tell it is working.

I wish my little bulldog didn't think it was a new toy. I have to hide it from her and lock her inside when I use it. One false move on my part and that hoop is going to be history.

And get the belt! I just hooped without putting it on and that was a mistake.

I was surprised too that it's made in the U.S. -- especially after reading the instructions, which appear to be written in "Engrish." ;-)

Golddust, I hang my hoop (suspended by a lanyard that hooks onto one of those 3M Command hooks), keeping it neatly out of the way of the cat brigade -- all of whom would undoubtedly think the hoop was there for their biting and scratching and clawing pleasure otherwise.

thanks, guys! and does the ACU hoop give you bruises? things sounded a little hairy there at first...

The Acu-hoop did indeed cause a couple of bruises on me the first week, particularly on my hipbone. But that's very short-lived suffering for what's turning out to be the highlight of my day (ok, ok - now I'm really making myself sound pathetic!). No more bruising after 11 days of using the hoop for me.

I got one small bruise the first week, which went away quickly and no new bruises since. I'm into my third month of hooping.

I ordered my hoop and it is set to be delivered on the 21st. I can't wait to get it in and start hooping!

Necia

I'm officially a hooper! It has taken me since Monday to figure it out but yesterday, I felt like it was coming to me and my hoop stayed up! Today, I learned to keep it hooping at different speeds. Before I was moving as fast as I could move just to keep it going but today, my hoop and I became one and we could go fast or slow. Woo!

And I can feel stomach muscles... It *is* fun!

Good job, golddust! I can't wait to get mine in. I am a little leary because I was never, ever able to keep a hula hoop up as a child.

Necia

Yay! I'm glad that you got it. I've got a couple of friends that are still struggling. I think that they are trying too hard. It's kind of like riding a bike or water skiing. Once you know how it's supposed to feel it's easy.

Necia,

Even if you are just trying to make it work, it is still working because you are getting exercise. In fact I think I was getting more exercise when I couldn't hoop because I was trying so hard!
-ds

Hi all, I got mine yesterday, love it so far. Only did about 3 min. you know you have been working out when your done. Here's a pic for those who don't know what it looks like. I have the acu hoop 3Lbs

I got mine last week. I was surprised that I could do it right away. But it hurt. It was kinda like "OMG. I can do this! Ow! Ow! ow! But I am doing it! Ow! Ow! ow!" I just kept doing a little every day until I toughened (sp?) up.

I do wonder how your waist gets smaller. I keep thinking that the pounding of the hoop against my waist is breaking up the fat into small pieces and will flush out of my system. (Just a theory.)

I do wonder how your waist gets smaller. I keep thinking that the pounding of the hoop against my waist is breaking up the fat into small pieces and will flush out of my system. (Just a theory.)

I know that it feels like that, but I think the reason your waist gets smaller is that you are constantly working all of your core muscles. Not only has my waist gotten smaller, but I have lost most of the "bra bulge" fat. My entire midsection looks different than it did before I started hooping - much smoother, without the lumps and bumps.

My Dh made me a hoop last week and it's a blast. Ok - I want to know how long should I hoop to see a change in my midsection? Weeks? Months? How many minutes a day?

I lost an inch the after my first month of hooping. I started out hooping 5 - 10 minutes a day. Now I usually hoop for about a half hour at a time, but not every day. Usually about 4 days a week. I find that I'll pick up my hoop, thinking that I'll just go for about 15 minutes, but get into the movement and don't quit for a half hour or more. I usually watch TV while I hoop.
For anyone who is interested in advancing beyond "waist hooping" I bought a video from Hoopnotica.com that is very good at teaching some basic moves. I also bought their travel hoop, which I was able to fit into my carry on bag. If you buy from them use this code to get a discount: TS0926

Wondering...
Are any of you still Hooping? I just found one at TJ Maxx and brought it home. Great fun, did a few sessions of 2 minutes at a time. I think it'll be a nice addition to my new exercise plans.

Beth P.