I make adult-sized hoops out of black tubing you buy at the hardware store,
@hithere . Then I add different colors of electrical tape to liven them up a bit, and call that decorating them. I had no idea electrical tape came in so many colors until I started doing this. lol I also call it "wrap a hoop" since I'm literally wrapping it with tape. Here's the video that I was first inspired by and learned from several years ago:
I made my first one at a hoop making party when I still weighed around 330+lbs. and could never get it to stay up. After I drastically changed my diet via an ER visit 5-6ish years ago and lost my first 50 lbs., I decided to dust off my hoop and try again and practiced with it for 2 weeks, 20 minutes a day, and was
finally able to keep it going. I was so excited!
Then I tried to hoop to a whole song and, damn, didn't realize just how long a song was until that day. ? I kept learning and kept losing weight (110 lbs, overall) and signed up for a hula hoop dance class at a parks and rec scene, and later took an online class to learn how to teach kids how to hoop and how to create games and such with hoops. Fun stuff. I still only do mostly the basics, but it's still just as much fun as when I started.
Typical store bought hoops are sized more for kids and much smaller peeps who already know what they're doing. The smaller the hoop, the faster you have to go to keep the momentum going. Which is why I like making the bigger ones. It enables folks, like me, who never thought they could do it to be able to more comfortably experience success with it, even if only for a short time. The super heavy duty fitness ones they sell are a touch too much, as they leave bruises and such, especially for beginners.
I also learned how to make mine collapsible since they're so large. Makes it much easier to travel with them. Like this:
I also order and use the smaller hoops in rainbow colors and tape/decorate them to be more fun-looking, too. Those are for hand hooping and doing tricks and such. Also good for hoop scotch, ring tossing, mock steering wheels, etc.
The possibilities are endless and the uncontrollable belly laughs while trying to keep the hoops on the hips is incredibly therapeutic within itself. The benefits of improved balance and core strengthening once you can do it is a very welcomed bonus and, to me, doesn't feel like exercise, just a lot of fun.
Thanks for asking. It's one of my favorite things to do and talk about, as if you can't tell. ?
