A hula hoop is usually associated with slimming exercises. However, the beneficial effects of hula hoop exercises don’t stop there.
Hula hoop exercises are…
- A workout for your cardiovascular system;
- a necessary massage to your intestines and other digestive organs;
- an increase in blood flow to the brain;
- an increase in energy;
- better coordination;
- strengthening of your trunk muscles;
- development of back flexibility;
- increase overall body tonus.
What do I need to know about hula hoop exercises?
- Be careful. The first 2-3 hula hoop workouts should be a test and last no longer than 1-2 minutes.
- Warm up before the hula-hoop exercise. Do 20 side bends, 10 in each direction. Then make 10 circular movements with your hips to one side and to the other, imagining as if you were rotating a hoop. During the warm-up, keep your gluteal and abdominal muscles in tension: this will provide maximum support to your back and give additional strain to the problem areas.
- Over time, make the exercise more difficult: learn to rotate the hoop in different directions and at a different pace.
- Ideally, you should alternate the pace and direction of rotation, as well as the place of rotation, during one workout. It is possible to roll the hoop not only on the waist but also on the hips, calves, arms and even the neck, but this is for experienced spinners!
What to do if you get bruises?
- If you get bruises after hula-hooping, it might be because the hula-hoop is made of a hard and heavy material that hits the skin too hard. Replace it with a lighter hula hoop.
- Bruising can also occur due to a tendency to bleed and poor blood clotting. This can be caused by vitamin K and calcium deficiencies. Figs, almonds and soybeans can make up for this deficiency.
- There may also be a deficiency of vitamin C, which is needed for the formation of collagen – the fibers of connective tissue in the skin. If insufficient collagen is produced, blood vessels become brittle and are prone to injury. Eat collagen-rich foods like turkey meat, seaweed, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, parsley, dill and vitamin C (red bell peppers, blueberries, melon, oranges, persimmons, apricots).
