Wham! Bang! Thunk! Those are the sounds of my oversized exercise hoop hitting various objects and pieces of furniture in my apartment. When it whacked my elbows, hands and toes (I made the mistake of trying it barefoot), the loudest noise came from me. Ow!
Hoop dancing has become a trendy form of fitness over the past few years (Beyoncé and Shakira are among devotees), owing in part to Los Angeles-based "hooping guru" Anah Reichenbach (aka Hoopalicious) and subsequently, Hoopnotica, a Venice, Calif., company that sells hoops and instructional DVDs.
Sized for adults (typically 43 inches), the hoops weigh between 1.1 and 1.5 pounds. While the basic movement is waist hooping, more advanced exercises include circling the hoop around the chest and haloes done from the hands, to work the arms and shoulders.
I tried Hoopnotica's Travel Hoop ($49.95), which can be disassembled for portable exercise. Let's just say it took me a while to get the swing of it, although the DVD did offer helpful "troubleshooting" tips: focus on moving the lower body back and forth rather than rotating the hips, tuck the pelvis in and don't look down.
Keaton Koechli, who co-founded Hoopnotica in 2006 with Rayna McInturf and Gabriella Redding, says most people require a few sessions to get comfortable with the movement.
But "when people try it, they realize fairly quickly the energy it takes," Ms. Koechli says, adding that an hour of hooping can burn between 400 and 600 calories. "The more moves you learn, the higher the cardio increases."
Good luck trying to keep the hoop up for an hour, though; I clocked in at four minutes which felt as intense - but more fun - than a set of burpees.
Doug Richards, medical director of the MacIntosh Clinic at the University of Toronto, says such large hoops move slower, but require more pushing - hence the workout. "It may not be the easiest form of cardio but it will burn calories," he says adding that improved co-ordination and motor control are added benefits.
He cautions anyone who has shoulder problems and back issues, however. "This is a great exercise for the trunk muscles but it's not a remedial stabilization program," he says, referring to other forms of core strengthening such as Pilates. "If you've suffered or had an injury in the past, you should speak to a professional."
Inches off my waist would be welcome but, I suspect, require regimented hooping. At this point, my biggest challenge is finding enough space - my apartment living room isn't cutting it. I could go to the nearby park, but I fear I'll hear an utterly humiliating sound: laughter.
The founders of Hoopnotica will be appearing today on The Shopping Channel. For more information, visit http://www.hoopnotica.com.
