Hula hooping: you probably tried it once when you were a kid, wiggling your hips till the hoop hit the floor after about four rotations. And then you forgot about it.
But in recent years hooping has been gaining in popularity and creating quite a whirl with adults. A whole entertainment industry has built up around the humble hoop, with some expert hoopers swivelling a hundred hoops around their entire body, while others see fit to set fire to the things before doing all manner of acrobatics, seemingly one swivel short of a fireball.
They've also been cleverly incorporated into fitness routines. One of the many great things about hooping, apart from it being a whole lot of fun, is that it also helps to improve your balance, poise, and coordination, while strengthening and toning your body.
The grown-up's hoops aren't the flimsy little warped things you used as a child. These ones are bigger and heavier and much more satisfying to spin.
Introducing the
London Hula Hoopers, a group that performs in parks, at parties and at festivals, and with a mission to "spread the hoop love".
Their website lists a number of places across London that hold hooping classes for hoopers of all abilities. By all accounts, it only takes one visit to a class to send you into a spin – literally
and metaphorically.
Some of the classes are taken by expert hooper Anna Drury. Check out
her comprehensive website to get the lowdown on all aspects of hooping.
If you'd like to feast your eyes on a bit of extreme hooping, and maybe get some inspiration, then check out
this video of one of hooping's greatest acts – Hoop La La.
According to reports, many a hooper finds the activity pretty addictive. At the time of writing, there's no official HA (Hoopers Anonymous) group in existence, but
hoopfully that'll never be necessary. So don't waste another minute – go take your hoop for a spin!
