Hula hooping

A few years ago I took up hula hooping as a form of exercise. I graduated from a light beginners hoop to a heavy exercise hoop. After a while I fell by the wayside. I found it tedious to hula hoop for ten minutes at a time. Ten minutes can seem a long time with nothing to occupy the mind.

Also it took up quite a bit of space and once I had put it away in the cupboard I couldn’t be bothered to get it out again. Then when I hadn’t done it for ages and got it out to try again it bruised me around my hips. This was because I went straight back to the heavy hoop and the bruises then put me off once more as it was too uncomfortable.

Recently we haven’t had much time to go for walks like we used to and on the odd weekends when we have had time it has been raining and I was beginning to feel the need for a different kind of exercise.

I thought of the hula hoop again. It needed a different approach. This time I decided to stick with the light hoop (for now anyway). I tried to think of a place that I could store it where it would be easy to pick up at anytime. I hit on the idea of hanging it under the patio umbrella. I used a meat hook, of which we have many, for hanging kitchen utensils in our cabin.

I decided that any time I went into the garden and had a few minutes to spare I would hula hoop. I would just do a few minutes at a time so that it wouldn’t be tedious. As it was easily to hand I could do a few minutes several times a day. Anything must be better than nothing at all. Suddenly it became fun again.

I could grab the hoop each time I went into the garden and just do a few minutes. It’s making me feel better as I am getting exercise without it taking up much time but it’s much more regular. Any exercise must be better than none at all and it is making me feel better about myself.

My hula hoop now hangs here

I hula hoop four or five times a day

To my right

To my left

And right again

Now I am enjoying it again and it seems the easiest and quickest exercise possible. Also it moves the middle, which lets face it, is the bit we all want to target the most.

I am really pleased with the simple idea of hanging my hoop from the patio umbrella which has suddenly made it so accessible and therefore so easy to do. A very small, light bulb moment, has made me feel good and that in itself is a good thing.