Insight

Hula Hooping Revival Promotes Health, Fitness

Wednesday, January 11, 2012 By Lexi Zamora, Bellaire High School

Hula hooping is the newest fitness craze making its way across the scene today. In the past, when one saw a hula hooper, they thought of a young child or a rhythmic gymnast. Fast-forward to today…hooping is a way to be healthy and fit, express you and is super fun! Lisa Donahoe, a Houston mother of three, hula hoops with her daughters as something exciting to do. “We decorate our hoops together,” the mother said. “I take my hoop with me everywhere. I will hoop with my girls at my son’s soccer game.” Donahoe said with a laugh. We even decorated a hoop with tiger stripes on it to support his team.” NiaMoves dance studio offers a hooping class. The class begins with a hoop circle introduction. Throughout the class, you witness a little bit of everything – hip hooping, atomic twisting and booty shaking. “I believe hooping is one of the best forms of exercise. I have so much fun in the classes and making my own hoops,” Michelle explained. Many of the class members talked about the many benefits of hooping in their personal lives. “Hooping is just like yoga and Pilates but much more fun and I can dance to almost any kind of music I want to,” one class member said. “It is not all about the weight or exercise. I am happier when I hoop.” Jackie Stevens said she had just gone through a painful breakup of a after nine-month relationship, when she discovered hooping. “Hooping is my passion,” 17-year-old Stevens said. “It is my happy, my sad, my own thing. No one can stop me when I’m in my little hoop. “Working on hoop tricks is just like learning a new skateboarding move or getting a good grade. “The satisfaction you feel overwhelms your whole body,” Stevens added. Jessica Lopez, 15, said hooping gave her back her self confidence. “I used to be 220 pounds but with a proper diet and my own hooping experience, I love over 100 pounds,” Lopez said. “I was upset when my weight loss started to plateau and that’s when I quit hooping because it seemed pointless.” But Lopez said she started again when she realized, “everyone goes through this when losing a significant amount of weight.”