How to Hula Hoop

One thing you might not know about The Harris Sisters is that we can all hula hoop. You might remember us hula hooping at our Girls' Weekend in Beaufort, NC. 

What's the big deal about knowing how to hula hoop, you might ask. 

Well, not everyone knows what to do to keep a hula hoop going after you've started it (and spinning a hoop around your waist only to watch it immediately fall to the ground is really no fun at all).

Since summer will be here  soon and you might be looking for fun things to do with your kiddos, learning to hula hoop is a sure winner!

Here's a quick hula hoop tutorial to get you started:

Hoop Size

Make sure you're using the right size hoop. Stand holding the hoop in front of you with the bottom on the ground and make sure the top of the hoop hits somewhere in your midsection. The general rule of thumb is that the hoop should come at least to your belly button. 

So, while it's easy to find kid-sized hoops, they're probably not the right size for an adult (especially if you're a beginner). Bigger hoops will rotate around you slower, making it easier to get started. Smaller hoops rotate faster, which is more challenging.

How to Hula Hoop

The motion you'll need to master is this: 

• Plant your feet to the sides, a little wider than your hips with one foot slightly in front of the other.
• Bend your knees just a little and stand up straight.
• Shift your weight back and forth.

Once you've got the motion down, hold the hoop against your back a little above your waist. Then, push the hoop around your waist toward your belly button, keeping your arms up and out of the way. Shift your weight back and forth on your feet to keep the hoop moving.

In terms of which direction to spin your hoop, give both a try! Right handed people generally hoop counterclockwise (pushing off with their right hand), while left handed people generally push off with their left hand and hoop clockwise. However, this is not a hard and fast rule. Here's a picture of left handed Harris Sister Misty hula hooping, and she's clearly pushing off with her right hand.

How NOT to Hula Hoop

Many people try to move their hips in a circular motion with the hula hoop, which actually makes hooping a lot harder. Remember: you are not Elvis! (He was singing about the actual hula dance in Rock-A-Hula Baby, not hula hooping.)

If you master the motion described above, you'll notice that you're not moving your hips in a circle at all, but just rocking back and forth on your feet.

The Benefits of Hula Hooping

You may never have expected this, but hula hooping is an excellent form of exercise for the entire body. By helping you burn calories, hula hooping can help you lose weight around your midsection and tone your core muscles to create a slim and strong waist.

I actually purchased a weighted exercise hula hoop right after Aidyn was born, and hula hooping was my main form of exercise to lose the baby weight (after having both my boys).

The continual rocking back and forth to keep the hoop spinning activates all of the muscles in your core, which helps slim your waist while you're having fun!

AND! Hula hooping helps to calm the mind and relax the body, which can help relieve stress.

Give hula hooping a try for yourself - you'll have more fun than you know! 

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