A year ago I had no idea hooping was such a big deal. I had never heard of “hoop dance” and the idea of someone being a professional hula hooper was absurd.
But then I picked up a hoop.
Everything in my life changed after that.
Before hooping, my new business was struggling. I was working around the clock, taking care of my girls during the day, and doing business early mornings and late nights.
I was overwhelmed, trying to be everything to everyone.
After I started hooping, suddenly, I had an escape – a way to deal with the overwhelming amount of responsibility I had placed on myself by quitting my job, starting a business, and becoming a stay-at-home mom all at once.
Even better?
My kids can hoop with me. So when I need to escape, we all hoop. And we all feel better.
But hooping is more than that. I now have a flourishing business. I’m more relaxed. And I’m in much better shape.
My experience isn’t unique. Hoopers all over the world report these same results.
So Why Aren’t More People Hooping?
It saddens me to think about how many women I’ve spoken with, who want to try hoop dance, but are terrified they’ll look silly, or they won’t be able to make it work so they never give it a try.
I’ll never be able to do it. I don’t want people to laugh at me.
I need to lose weight. How many calories can you burn hooping?
Hooping will never get my body where it needs to be. I’m too big to hoop.
I can’t. I have a bad back.
I’m too skinny to do cool tricks.
Women are quick to blame and shame their bodies for their inability to hoop dance before they even try. It’s heart wrenching because every hooper starts out nervous and worried that someone will laugh or that their body will fail them.
Actually we all feel like that from time to time…even when we’re not beginners any more. Even as an instructor, I have fears. Sometimes, I worry that one day my capacity for learning new tricks will fail. I’ll be sapped up. Dry. My students will leave because I’m boring and I have nothing new to offer.
This is irrational, of course, because tricks are infinite and, as I continue to learn, my capacity for knowledge increases, rather than decreases.
Still, sometimes it feels real.
So, I understand when you’re worried about giving hoop dance a try. But, I promise, you are not alone. We all worry…usually about the same things.
Eight Things You Should Know Before You Try Hoop Dance
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Size doesn’t matter.
- There are tiny hoopers. There are large hoopers. There are hoopers with small tops and big bottoms…and hoopers with big tops and small bottoms. There is no right size for hooping.
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Athletic ability doesn’t matter.
- You don’t need any prior exercise experience to hoop dance.
- Sometimes athletic people drop their hoop repeatedly. Other times, someone who admits they never exercise, picks up a hoop and flawlessly spins it around their waist. Anyone can hoop.
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75% of people who come to hoop class can’t waist hoop when they get there.
- Many people worry they’ll be the only person in class who can’t hoop. But only about 1 in 4 students who join my hoop classes, can waist hoop when they first start.
- Most people end up laughing at their mistakes, and working with other students to get better. Sometimes messing up is more fun than nailing a trick.
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100% of people who come to hoop class can waist hoop when they leave.
- Hooping follows a simple formula. When people learn the “rules” of the formula, they are able to waist hoop, usually by the end of their first class.
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There is nothing wrong with you.
- Your legs aren’t too skinny. Your boobs aren’t too big. Your butt isn’t too bangin’.
- There are a million ways to hoop dance. Find the way that works for you.
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Change your mind. Change your results.
- If you constantly repeat, “I can’t do this. I can’t do this,” don’t be surprised when you can’t do it.
- Challenge yourself to exercise your mind muscle. Your mind is the strongest muscle in your body. Change your default from “I can’t” to “I will”.
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Hooping isn’t about weight loss.
- Sometimes hooping helps people lose weight. More often, it helps people be stronger, more flexible, fit, and coordinated.
- Hoopers who stick with it, are hooping for more than weight loss and fitness. They hoop because it clears their mind. They hoop because it’s fun. They hoop because it feels good.
- Don’t take up hooping to lose weight. Take up hooping to feel better.
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You’re doing better than you think.
- Just because it doesn’t feel natural to you (yet), doesn’t mean you aren’t improving. If someone tells you that you are doing better, believe them!
- You are doing fantastic. Hooping is easier when you let yourself believe it too.
Ready to experience all the benefits of hoop dance for yourself? Click this link to check out an in-person hoop class in Mid-Michigan, or learn to hoop from the comfort of your living room at Learn to Hoop at Home.
