Hula Hoops
The skinny: Historians say that Egyptian kids got their spin on with rings of stiff grass or grapevines as early as 1000 B.C., and Brits were hooping with wooden rings nearly a decade before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Modern American kids hopped on the hoopwagon in the '50s, when toymaker Wham-O started selling plastic rings under the catchy Hawaiian-inspired brand name. Revitalized for grownups by the raver crowd and String Cheese Incident fans in the mid-'90s, hooping is working its way onto the mainstream fitness/wellness scene.
The getup: Hoopers go barefoot and do a lot of wiggling, so whatever you'd wear to the gym is perfectly fine. The studio provided hoops for use during class, but if you want your own, Mercedes sells her glittery homemade ones for $20 and up. You can also build one yourself with PVC piping and electrical tape.
The payoff: Hooping works the whole body without ever feeling like work. Do it regularly and it'll help tone your arms, legs and abs, and you may even shed a few pounds. That said, 90 minutes of beginner hooping is still a very light workout; hooping once a week probably won't produce dramatic results in anything but your mood.
Wear and tear: The physical risks of hooping don't go much beyond embarrassing mishaps. If you bruise easily, you might be a little black-and-blue in places, but most bodies build a tolerance for the hoop after a little practice.
The commitment: After just one class you will a solid vocabulary of basic tricks, enough to have fun and probably impress friends if I were ever handed a hula hoop at a party (hey, it might happen).
Difficulty level: Everyone in the class, regardless of size, shape or athletic ability, got their hoop going for a respectable run and kept up with the different tricks. The toughest part might just be lowering your inhibitions enough to play in a roomful of grownups with hula hoops.
Hula Hoop Workout SCHEDULE
Classes start: Saturday, April 19, 2008 (every Saturday for 6 weeks)
Time: 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Instructor: Mercedes Gomez
Location: Andersonville, 5248 N. Clark, Chicago 60648.
