THE BENEFITS OF THE HULA HOOP: A FUN WAY TO TONE

The circle has many years of history and in ancient Greece it was already used for physical exercise. The benefits of the hula hoop for the body are many and useful for getting in shape while having fun. If you have difficulty training or are bored with the usual physical activities, starting to use the hula hoop can be a great option. What exercises to do ? We tell you about them below, but first here is a video with some Yoga exercises to alternate with the circle.

Benefits of the hulahoop: the story

The hula hoop has many centuries of history behind it, although not under this name, which would come much later, but simply as a "hoop." The first hoops appeared in Egypt and were made of branches, usually used for fun, they were spun on the ground with a stick.

In Ancient Greece, circles began to be used for exercise, spinning them around the waist and thus strengthening the abdomen. The American Indians, on the other hand, made the circle the main accessory of their dances. For them, the rings symbolized the infinite cycle of life because they had no beginning and no end. In their dances they used dozens of small circles to represent different animals. Today this dance still exists and, in fact, a competition is held every year, Native American Hoop Dance, in Phoenix (Arizona).

All the benefits of the hula hoop

In addition to being a fun toy, hula hoop exercises can be excellent for strengthening the abdomen and toning the figure in general.

In fact, many models and celebrities integrate the hula hoop into their workout routine. From Beyoncé to Victoria's Secret angels like Maria Borges have talked about the benefits of the hula hoop.

And this is not surprising because, as you will see, it has many advantages:

Tones the abdominal muscles (if you do circle exercises with your arms or legs, you also tone the muscles in those areas)
Strengthen your back
Strengthens the cardiovascular system
Improve coordination
Increase flexibility

To get all these benefits, the ideal is to practice hula hoop exercises for 15 or 20 minutes a day. Another option is to integrate 5 or 10 minutes of hula hoop exercises into your usual daily workout.

It is also very important to perform the exercises with the hula hoop correctly, ie with the spine in an upright position and making controlled movements around the waist and other parts of the body. The ideal, to avoid damage, is to watch a training program. video directed by professionals or, better yet, attend an introductory hula hoop course.

As you can see, hula hooping, while it may seem like a very simple exercise, can have many benefits. And not just on a physical level, as dance is a perfect activity to reduce stress and improve mood. Do you want to start? Here is a hula hoop exercise chart to get you started dancing and moving your waist right away.

The best exercises to have fun with the hula hoop

Before starting with the hula hoop exercises that we propose to you, the best thing to do is to warm up completely and, once finished, do some stretching. This will greatly reduce the possibility of any muscle injuries. this, all you have to do is take the hula hoop and start dancing:

1. Stand up straight, with legs apart and hips slightly forward. Hold the hula-hoop with your hands and place it at waist height. Turn it for 5 minutes keeping the circle in this area of the body.

2. Then, place the hoop under the chest, at the height of the trunk, raise the arms above the head with the hands outstretched and perform the same movements of the previous exercise for 5 minutes.

3. Put your arms in a cross with your hands outstretched and rotate the circle around your arm for 1 minute holding it above the elbow, then for another minute below the elbow. Repeat the exercise with the other arm.

4. Place the hula hoop on the ankle and rotate it for 2 minutes. Repeat the same exercise with the other ankle.