Hula Hoops

Hula hoops have a long history which begins in ancient Egypt. In fact hoops were used as both exercise and entertainment for thousands of years.

The earliest hoops were made of grapevines, bamboo, or other natural materials and children would send the hoops rolling and run alongside them, using a stick to keep them moving. This game was popular well into Victorian times. Since children like to experiment it wasn't long before someone found that the hoops could also be twirled around the waist by moving the hips just so.

The hoop is recorded in Europe in the 14^th century and had become popular all over the world by the 1800s. During the time of whaling days and clipper ships sailors saw the Hula dancers on the Hawaiian Islands. It seemed so similar to the motion that children used when playing with the toys they began to call the hoop a hula hoop.

In the 1950s a wooden hula hoop was created in Australia. The hoop grew popular and was picked up by Wham-o in the late 1950s. Richard Knerr and Spud Melin took the wooden hoop and recreated it out of plastic in 1958. It was then that the name "hula hoop" was recorded and trademarked.

The hula hoops were not expensive and were sold by the thousands by variety stores like Woolworths and the other five and dimes of the time. Specialty items to make the hoop more interesting were adding. Some of these were:

Sound beads to give the "shoop" sound

Glitter

Ribbon

Colored stripes

Hula hoops were a big hit amongst teens and contests to see who could keep the hoop spinning the longest were held in many locations.

There is plenty of trivia about hula hoops on the Internet. People have been competing to break each other's records since the beginning of history. Here are some important milestones in hula history.

• The longest recorded time to hula hoop was set by Kym Coberly of the United States in 1984. She hula hooped for 72 hours.
• Paul Blair spun the most hoops at one time, numbering 132.
• Ashrita Furman ran one mile in 18:07 minutes while hula hooping. This occurred in 2002 in Munich, Germany.
• The fastest hula hoop spinning was done on November 8, 2008 in Beijing, China. Xia Tao spun the hoop 211 full rotations in one minute.
• Ashrita Furman hula hooped underwater for a record 2:38 minutes.
• Japan banned the hula hoop at one time because of the suggestive movements of the hips.

 Hula Hoops Today

Today hula hooping is more than a fad or a teenage craze.  Many adults use weighted hoops for exercise. There are even dance troupes that create dance movements while hula hooping.  People of all ages and from all walks of life are discovering this fun exercise form.

Hoops come in more styles, colors, and embellishments than ever.

• Clear tubing that has liquid, sparkles, or balls inside
• Weights
• LED lights
• Glow in the dark tape
• Ribbon
• Colored tape
• Sounds

The movement needed to keep the hoop on your hips not only creates a superior cardio workout but also tones every muscle in your abdomen and torso as well as helping with your core strength. It is as simple as buying a hula hoop at your local store and getting those hips moving.

Sports and exercise stores carry weighted hoops which will give better results more quickly. If you are a beginner then choose a two pound hoop to get you started.

Always warm up before starting any exercise. You can jog or walk up and down stairs… really, anything that loosens your muscles and gets your heart beating a little faster is good.

Now, with the hoop around your midsection give it a twirl and move your hips to keep it going. You should work up to 20 minutes but at first five or ten minutes is great. Add a little of your favorite music to really get the beat and begin moving.

That is all there is to it.

The Egyptians would not recognize hoops today, nor would the teenagers who competed with the original plastic hula hoops in the fifties and sixties. However this simple toy is still one of the most popular you can buy and an inexpensive way to get in shape.