No, not basketball or rolling barrel hoops with sticks. Hoops as in hula hoops. I recently took my first Hoop Fit and Flow class -- I survived and I'm here to tell you about it.
First, let me put this in context. My first experience with any kind of movement class was a disaster. I was five years old, and my mother signed me up for ballet class. It was soon clear that I was lagging far behind the other five-year-olds and wasn't having any fun. So, after six weeks, the teacher spoke to my mother and counseled me out. Gym class throughout my school years was also a miserable experience. I was a bit smarter about it by the time I got to college, where I completed my PE requirement by taking duck pin bowling and archery, both of which involve eye-hand coordination but not much in the way of gross motor skills or grace.
Fast forward to 2010. Why in the world would I want to take a hoop dance class, you ask? Not knowing if this would turn out to be a good idea or something resembling an I Love Lucy episode, I went to a free demo. I found I was able to do the basic moves without embarrassing myself too much, and I actually liked it. So, I signed up. The classes are taught by Laura Marie and Ariana from Hooping Harmony and are held at The Fix in Northampton, where I take Pilates lessons.
The class was everything they said it would be -- you burn calories, get your heart rate up, gain coordination, build skills and have fun. Of course, I dropped the hoop about a zillion times and, when doing arm and hand stuff, sent it flying across the room. But I was better at it by the end of the class and I didn't hurt myself or break anything. Classes are every other Sunday, from 2 to 3:15. I'm hoping some of my mates will come along and hoop with me. If I can do it, anybody can.
Good for you for trying something new that also involves exercise! We forget that it's ok to be a beginner and not know how to do something well right away! Keep up the adventurous spirit!
ReplyDeleteBravo -- I don't know that I would've had enough hula hoop hutzpah to return after flinging it across the room. But then again, I toughed out many a tennis faux pas, and became a Northampton Recreation Department "Champagne Doubles" champion, in my day. So, I expect you may be doing hoop fitness infomercials.
ReplyDeleteProbably can't poke an eye out doing this. Do you, or more importantly the people around you, wear catcher's faceguards amd helmets? Are instructors first aid certified for welts and skin burns. Pleeeeeeese, use that hutzpah, that adventurous spirit, make a video and post on You Tube. Motivate the masses, nevermind the mocking few. Share this with world.
ReplyDeleteWell, you can step up to the plate as exspatula suggests, but don't try anything standing on a stool in your kitchen.
ReplyDeleteSo where's the photo of your new hoop? Please post soonest!
ReplyDelete