Hula Hooping and Self-Love

by

(That’s not me hooping in the pic above. This is a guest post. Sorry for confusion.)


I picked up my first hula hoop in March of 2008. It was a kid’s hoop, pink and filled with water. I picked it up, and it fell to the floor, again and again and again.

I wasn’t really used to being bad at things.

That day I practiced until my sides felt bruised, perplexed by how difficult it was – after four hours, I could keep it up. I woke up the next day, and I practiced some more.

My hula hoop partner, since performance partner and business partner and forever friend, was amazing. Her slender body moved within the hoop, underneath the hoop, all the while maintaining a graceful elegance that I never quite seemed able to pull off. For a while, I struggled with feeling like the fatter, co-pilot on our hula hooping adventures. We hooped everywhere, something that we referred to as Guerilla Hooping, where we would just show up somewhere unannounced, whip out our hula hoops and start doing tricks.

For a girl who has done her very best to shy away from the spot light and make herself as small as possible for the majority of her life, this required some extreme effort.  I will admit that, at first, I was terrified.

See, I have always maintained that if you can do something in the quiet safety of your own house, you’ve won the battle, but if you can go out and do something publicly, in front of an audience – you’ve won the war. And if you suffer from low self esteem or impaired body image, doing this can send an important message to your body and the universe that you are worth it. As I got better at hula hooping, and as I forced myself out of my comfort zone and into public, I was worth it. I could draw a crowd. I could barely recognize myself inside all that bravery.

The other thing about hula hooping is that it’s an amazing workout. It burns about a hundred calories in ten minutes of continuous hooping – which may sound easy, but it’s not. You think that you’re just using your stomach muscles, but you’ll wake up the next day with sore muscles that you never knew you had. Be sweet and patient with yourself. You will improve. Your relationship with your body will improve. I have never felt stronger, more capable, or sexier than when I was hooping everyday. My strengthened core supported my chest, improved my posture, and made me feel like my body was moving as one unit instead of a collection of disjointed parts.

Though trendy, hooping is more than a workout. It changed the way I felt about my hips. It absolved the loathing I had for my thighs. It allowed me to be free of my own scrutiny for the first time in my life.

Also? Smile.

This last bit is crucial.

(MizFit note: please to watch the video above. we can wait. your smile, however, cannot)

Questions? Comments? I’d love to hear them. I can be found rabble rousing on twitter, facebook, and in your very own inbox. Swing by Medicinal Marzipan to read all about my adventures with body image, healthy living, and learning to love myself just a little bit more each day.

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Comments

  1. Wow, you’re good! I recently bought my first hula hoop, but haven’t really connected with it yet. Yours look much heavier than mine, which is just hollow plastic. Should it be heavier?

    • Hey Hanlie, what kind of hoop did you buy? Is it big or small? I make my own hoops, but I prefer larger ones made with heavier tubing for additional weight. However, the tubing is still hollow. Also, the weight can be excellent if you want to learn tricks, because you can really feel the impact on your body.

  3. I LOVE THIS!!!!!! I have ALWAYS wanted to learn how to hula hoop, but alas, it still alludes me. I’m gonna take it as a personal MizFit challenge to learn! Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂

  4. Makes me want to hoop. I wonder if pregnant hooping is possible :). Sounds like this has been a fabulous experience for you

    • Haha! Pregnant hooping is totally possible, but usually requires more arm tricks etc. I know that if you check it out on youtube, there was this woman who was aaaaamazing. It was really quite something to watch.

  9. Ahhh! I am going to read this when I’m not running to class, but I had to comment Mara about the first pic–I think I know what beach that is 😉

  13. I am so dumb – it took me reading this twice to realize it was a guest post! (and that was with watching the video – I kept waiting for YOUR appearance, Carla) I think I got up too early this morning!

    Oh – the hooping looks fun…I wonder if I could do it like I used to as a kid? Only one way to find out! 🙂

  14. that might be my fault too shelley 😉

    I love my hoop and have a collapsible travel one!

    There is a hoop vid here…and oldie 😉
    I’ll link when home/at computer

  15. GREAT GREAT GREAT!!!!! So happy to read about other people discovering hooping and loving it as much as I do!

  20. Hello! To all those interested in hooping and getting started (it couldn’t be easier!), your first stop should be http://hooping.org (which links this article today). In our forums, you can find your local hoopers and hoop-makers. There’s also an active forum for beginners, man hoopers and even “Curvy Hoopers.”

    Welcome to hooping, MizFit!

  25. My favorite line, which I’m totally using in my next blog post about my belly dancing adventures: “See, I have always maintained that if you can do something in the quiet safety of your own house, you’ve won the battle, but if you can go out and do something publicly, in front of an audience – you’ve won the war.”

  26. I started hooping in 2007, and when I saw that you said you were a hooper as well, I was super excited. LOVE it. It’s so much fun, and awesome to have a fun physical activity that you can learn tricks with, and show off for other people…yay! So proud of you for posting this. Also fun, fire hooping!! That is something that I learned to do shortly after starting, and it is quite an adrenaline rush 🙂 Keep on rocking it out girl!

  29. Very cool! I’ve heard Marisa Tomei say that hula-hooping is how she got in such great shape for her role in The Wrestler, we talked about it on one of the episodes of The Because Show podcast a few weeks ago- So excited to try it out with different weighted hoops!

  32. DUDE!!! YOU HAVE MAD SKILLZ!!!!! Seriously you rock that hula hoop and it would be a shame for you to hide those skills from the world!!! Hooray for your bravery!! Amazing post!!

  33. I find your post inspiring. I too figured that if I did things at home that would be good enough, but I have a hard time doing anything out of my comfort zone any place any where. Currently I’m taking a belly dance class and I get so nervous when I’m practicing in with my friends in front of other people. Maybe one day I will be able to be less self conscious.

  38. How much do I love this: “As I got better at hula hooping, and as I forced myself out of my comfort zone and into public, I was worth it. I could draw a crowd. I could barely recognize myself inside all that bravery.” ?? Beautiful. And I MUST must get on board this hooping train.

  44. Uh, Mara, I knew you were awesome, but HELLO!!! That is friggin fantastic! You make it look totally effortless, but that takes some serious skill and stamina. My daughter got a hula hoop at Kmart the other day, and we took turns just stepping through it. Literally walking through it. That was as sophisticated and advanced as we got. (She’s three, but I have no excuse.) After seeing this I’m inspired to pick it up and really try to do something fun! Love your brave words and courage, as always. And thanks for sharing this here, MizFit!

Trackbacks

  2. […] Carla Birnberg is an award winning writer, community builder, personal trainer, and bodybuilding competitor over at MizFit Online. She writes, “My hula hoop partner’s slender body moved within the hoop, underneath the hoop, all the while maintaining a graceful elegance that I never quite seemed able to pull off. For awhile, I struggled with feeling like the fatter, co-pilot on our hula hooping adventures. We hooped everywhere, something that we referred to as Guerilla Hooping, where we would just show up somewhere unannounced, whip out our hula hoops and start doing tricks. For a girl who has done her very best to shy away from the spot light and make herself as small as possible for the majority of her life, this required some extreme effort. I will admit that, at first, I was terrified. See, I have always maintained that if you can do something in the quiet safety of your own house, you’ve won the battle, but if you can go out and do something publicly, in front of an audience – you’ve won the war. And if you suffer from low self esteem or impaired body image, doing this can send an important message to your body and the universe that you are worth it. As I got better at hula hooping, and as I forced myself out of my comfort zone and into public, I was worth it. I could draw a crowd. I could barely recognize myself inside all that bravery.” Full post: MizFit Online […]

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