Hula Hoop Benefits – 5 Surprising Reasons To Try!

Looking for a fun way to exercise and lose weight? Hula hoop is the answer.

You must have seen kids hula hooping using a big ring twirling around their waist. But, don’t think it’s just for the kids. Hula hooping can be helpful for adults as well.

What is Hula Hooping?

According to Wikipedia, a Hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or, neck.

The diameter of the Hula hoop varies according to your height. In general, Hula hoops for children measure around 70cm in diameter and for adults around 100cm.

In the present day, most of the hula hoops are made of plastic.

How did Hula Hoop get its name?

It got its name from the hula, a Hawaiian dance that is performed by using a similar hip motion.

How to Choose the Right size of Hula Hoop?

1. Measure your height from floor to Belly Button

This height will help in determining the diameter of the hoop. When you stand straight with the hoop on the ground, the hoop should reach between your waist and mid-chest.

Most adults will begin with a hula hoop between 40 – 44 inches in diameter.

2. Body Type

If you are smaller than average, take off 2-4 inches from the diameter and if you are larger then add 2-4 inches to the diameter considering 40-44 inches as the standard size.

Hula Hoop Sizing Guide for Adults

Points to be Noted

1. For beginners, choose a heavier loop because the added weight gives the loop more momentum making it easier to balance around the waist.
2. If you are short(under 5’4 feet) and slim, use a lighter loop as it will be easier to twirl.
3. Lighter hula hoops are best suited for fitness and dance as you need to have quicker movements to keep the hoop balanced around your waist which helps with burning calories!

Types of Hula Hoop

1. Weighted Hula Hoops
2. Professional Dance Hula Hoops
3. Travel Hula Hoops
4. Magnetic Hula Hoop

1. Weighted Hula Hoops

These hoops are bigger in diameter and they can weigh about 1kg. The larger the diameter, heavier the tubing. This is preferred for adding rigour to your exercise regimen. While you may lose weight using this kind of loop, but it stresses your body.  These heavier hoops can leave bruises and should be used with caution and or a doctor’s recommendation.

2. Professional Dance Hula Hoops

They are generally smaller in diameter than adult loops and weigh about 0.45 kg.  These hoops need skill for the hoop to keep spinning around your waist as the momentum required is higher due to its small size and lightweight.

3. Travel Hula Hoops

They are also called as collapsible loops as they can be disassembled into parts or sections for easier transportation. They are found in various sizes depending on the type. They are usually slightly heavy due to the type of connectors.

4. Magnetic Hula Hoop

This is a type of Travel Hula hoop and is generally collapsible. The hoops generate a magnetic field while you work out boosting your immune system and resulting in a chain reaction of benefits that will spread from head to toe.

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7 Surprising Benefits of Hula Hoop

1. Treadmill workout equals Hula Hooping!

According to the American Council, 30 minutes of hula hooping can burn approximately 210 calories and even more if you add weights or arm movements to it!

In addition to burning fat around your stomach, you also tone your muscles to get the chiselled mid-abs, hips and lower back.

On average, you burn between 200 and 300 calories with traditional gym exercises. With hula hoop you can burn up to 450 calories in an hour!

2. Hula Hooping is Good for your Heart

Hula Hooping can be compared to other aerobic exercises that make your heart beat faster. You can notice your heart rate goes up in minutes. This can help in lowering your risk of heart diseases. Once you settle down at a constant twirling motion, your heartbeat will increase, your lungs will work harder and your blood flow will increase.

Read : Best foods for heart

3. Hula Hooping is good for aligning your Spine

A sedentary lifestyle has become a bad trend in today’s world. Long hours of sitting in front of the computer can be bad for the back leading to chronic backaches. Hula Hooping helps in realigning your spine, flexing those spine muscles, and improving our posture.

Check Out : Kundalini Yoga poses for Beginners

4. Hula Hooping boosts your mood

Spinning a hula hoop is definitely a fun sport. No wonder, we see children giggling with happiness while doing it. This in turn results in calming your mind releasing all your tension. It works the same with adults as well. For beginners, it takes a while to get a hang of it which forces you to divert your attention from everything and focus on this activity alone. The rhythmic movements may help with calming your mind along with burning calories.

5. Hula hooping Improves Coordination

Hula hoop along with being a fun activity needs your eyes and hands to be coordinated to balance the hoop. This challenges the brain making it work extra harder. Spinning the loop in a different direction will improve hand-eye coordination. It’s like a brain-teaser where you make both sides of the brain work.

6. Hula Hoop can Replace Ab Workouts

Crunches and any kind of abs workout are the hardest. At least for me!

Hula Hooping can supposedly help tone your abs, obliques and lower back including losing belly fat! All these amazing benefits can be reaped by just Hula Hooping!

Amazing right?

Check out this site for amazing Abs Exercises using a Hula Hoop : Hoopnotica

7. Hula Hoop helps burn Fat Around Waist and Hips

According to a study conducted in 2015, if your stubborn areas to lose weights are hips and waist, Hula Hooping may be the right exercise for you – especially when using a weighted one.

The study was carried out by 13 women over the course of 6 weeks using weighted hula hoops. The conclusion was that on average, these women lost 3.4 cm around their waist and 1.4cm around their hips!

Achieve that slim waist and sexy hips you have always wanted with Hula Hoop!

Check Out : Top 5 Thyroid Symptoms not to be ignored

Warnings before using Hula Hoop

1. Beginners should be very careful when using any kind of hoop as they may be prone to injury especially while trying out magnetic hula hoops.
2. Do not attempt to hoop while you are pregnant or, when you are carrying electronic implants, suffering from high blood pressure or when your health is weak or already at risk.
3. Make sure you keep a proper distance to objects and other people near you while hooping. Use the hoop only for exercise purposes according to instructions.

So what are you waiting for? Start Hula hooping and see your weight loss happen naturally!

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Shweta Raamanujam from Top5listicle