Hula Hooping Hill-Style

photo courtesy of hooperNATURAL

Michelle does it. Kids do it. And, if you want to giggle, shake your groove thing and rediscover your abs, all at the same time, you too will find a hula hoop and give hooping a whirl. If you want to get some professional training and the camaraderie of what seems to be a very enthusiastic, growing band of followers, try the upcoming HooperNatural series of classes starting February 6th at Joy of Motion on H Street, Northeast.

Kathleen Clayton is cautious when practicing with her hoop in her row house near Frager’s Hardware, a little wary of breaking the tv, but she’s  more than ready to join her five year old son on the Tyler Elementary playground to try out her moves that require a bit more room — once temperatures begin to rise. She learned to hoop at a class with Granetta Coleman of HooperNatural last fall, and looks forward to adding to her trick repertoire next month.

“I took two classes – and she’s such a great teacher, she had us all doing it in five minutes. It was such a blast,” Clayton said. The workout was the perfect blend of core-oriented activity and fun, key to keeping motivated, Clayton insists. “You don’t notice how hard you’re working and it’s easy to get carried away.” She said she had a ball at her first class and even learned to do some of the “off-body” tricks. The next day her stomach reminded her how many muscles are involved in the exercise craze.

Hoop instructor Coleman has done some professional shimmying herself, and the arch of her career gives her a broad base of experience and appreciation for the need of infusing fun stress relief into exercise. As the economy contracted, she left her position as a lawyer to enroll in massage school.  And when the former Results dance teacher was looking for a way to integrate a workout into a newborn’s schedule, she bought a hooping DVD. Before Coleman knew it, her enthusiasm for shaking her hips lead her to getting training certification, registering a trademark and starting a business.

“I caught the bug, which seems to happen pretty easily when people try hooping,” she remembers. “I had done the elliptical machine for 20 years, and wanted something totally new that was great cardio, I could do with the baby nearby and fun — hooping fit my criteria perfectly.”

She says while it’s mostly women taking her classes, more and more men are taking the plunge. The ages of participants ranges anywhere from 20s to 50s – with people of any age able to get the basic moves and a total waist workout, or take on the more advanced moves. The class is $60 for four sessions. A basic one hour class includes warm-up and stretching, basic waist hooping, and then learning to move the hoop from your hips on to other parts of your body to work out your arms and legs. People get the hang of it quickly, Coleman said, and since hooping is a skill rather than a repetitive activity (like those dreaded crunches) a sense of mastery and improvement is a great self motivator.

And when you find yourself at the point where you can show off your stuff, there’s no going back. Clayton found herself bringing her hoop on a trip to Florida, and while getting the folded hoop through airport security was a little embarrassing to her husband, hooping in the Florida sunshine with her mother-in-law looking on in awe was well worth it.

If you’re not quite ready to take the plunge, but want to get a taste of the hooping magic kool aide, stop by the free Hoopjam on February 19th at Joy of Motion.