The benefits of hula hooping

Want to add a bit of fun to your home workouts? Then why not try hula hooping? Not only does it bring back nostalgic memories of playing on the playground as a child, but it also has a lot of health benefits! Here is why you should give hula hooping a try:

It boosts your cardiovascular fitness

Aerobic exercise is important for overall health and helps improve the flow of oxygen through the body. As you get into a swing with your hula hoop you will find your heart rate steadily increasing and your lungs working harder. Aerobic exercise has shown to lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes and can help improve cholesterol levels as well as lower stress [1].

You’ll burn calories

If you’re looking to lose weight, then hula hooping can be a fun way to burn some extra calories throughout the day. Finding an activity that you actually enjoy, rather than forcing yourself to exercise in the pursuit of weight loss, will make it easier and more enjoyable to stay active.

You’ll have a strong core in no time

The basic movement used for hula hooping is a circular hip movement to keep the hula hoop in motion, which activates your core muscles. Not only will you have rock hard abs, but your hip mobility will improve as well.

You’ll improve your balance

Hula hooping is all about controlled movements while maintaining good posture and stability, which has been shown to improve balance.

It’s family-friendly and inexpensive

Finding the time to work out when you are looking after a family can be challenging. Hula hooping is great as you can easily integrate it into your daily routine even if you just have 10 spare minutes. Plus your kids will love it so you could even hula hoop with your kids. You can buy hula hoops for cheap at your local sports equipment store or online. Normal ones will be between £5-£15 while weighted hula hoops can be a little more expensive (but still much cheaper than a gym membership!)

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References

[1] Warburton, D. E. R., Nicol, C. W., and Bredin, S. S. D., 2006. Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence [online]. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1402378/ [Accessed 22 Mar 2021].