Sandhya Raghavan
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Written By: Sandhya Raghavan | Published : November 20, 2017 9:26 AM IST
In 2012, when I picked up my first hula hoop from a toy store, I never thought it would change my life. It was a multi coloured, plastic hoop that can be dismantled for portability. At first, I was confused, a little intimidated and, not to mention, conscious of being judged as a grown woman trying her hand at a child's toy. I have seen little girls hoop together multiple rings and go at it for a long time. But I didn't have their lithe physique or the time and patience to practice it. But it just took me seven days to prove myself wrong and to change my life.
When I started, I dropped the hoop a million times, bending down each time to pick it. I couldn't complete a single rotation without the hoop slipping off my hips. "I might lose weight from having to pick it up so many times," I'd groan to myself. By the end of the day, I developed muscle soreness from bending down so many times to retrieve it. Just when I was about to give up, it just happened and I managed to make the hoop stay in place for a full three seconds. At that exact moment, it seemed like I cracked a difficult code. There was no looking back after that. With enough practice, I could last for as long as five minutes and eventually, I started seeing the benefits of hooping.
Weight loss was never my intention. I bought the hula hoop as a way of challenging myself, to do something that I thought was beyond my physical capabilities. How did it help me?
It gave me great core strength: After practicing on the plastic hoop, I eventually graduated to a heavier hoop. I developed good core strength after I started hooping, so much that I never had to struggle while performing a one-minute plank. I took to it naturally. I never experience backaches and it helped me with my posture.
It helped me cut back some inches: I didn't experience any great weight loss benefits from hula hooping to be honest. But it did make my midriff a lot firmer than before. Clothes fit me better and I am sure if I cleaned up my diet, I could have lost some weight too. But did you know hula hoop can cause weight loss?
It helped me feel better about myself: It was like scaling a mini personal Everest. In retrospect, it is something that I feel proud of. Because when I started, I wasn't very good at it. I thought I was setting myself up for failure when I bought it. But getting to prove yourself wrong is a great feeling and nobody can take that away from you.
It is good therapy: Feeling blue? Play your favourite foot-tapping number, close your eyes and hoop away. It helps you get into a trance-like state, helping you forget your woes, albeit for the time being. It's a stress buster and a good one at that!
How do you start?
You can get started with these simple steps:
Image source: Shutterstock
