My Hooping: How it All Began and Where it is Now

Me with my very first hula hoop: a $5 Walmart hoop covered in duct tape

As a child, I never liked hula hoops. I tried to do it and I never could. I actually refused play with them or to learn how to do it and gave up. Then, I found myself face to face with hula hoops again at age 25 on New Year’s Eve, 2011. My friend and I decided to goof around with some children’s hula hoops and I was not good at it. I tried it again with a group of friends about a month later and failed pretty badly once again. I had lost interest at that point. I had no motivation or reason to keep trying. Then, one day I went to Walmart and ended up purchasing a $5 hula hoop. I got it for my dogs to jump through for exercise and stimulation. When I got home, I put together an elaborate obstacle course for them. I tried picking them up and passing them through it. I tried throwing tennis balls through it, in hopes they would follow. They didn’t want anything to do with it. They were actually scared of it.

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A few weeks later on April 1st, I noticed that hula hoop wasn't being used for anything. It was just sitting there. I decided to pick it up and try it out again. I had a determination about me that I never had before. As I was still struggling, I looked up “how to hula hoop” on YouTube. That is where I realized that the world of hooping was more than just rotating around the waist. I quickly found tutorials on many different moves and techniques. I saw Shakti Sunfire's Boulder Colorado Dance video and fell in love with how hoop dance looked. It was magical. 

After finally keeping it up on my waist, I moved on to my first trick, called the “lift-up”. I worked on that one for weeks. I had read that a heavy hula hoop was easier, so I went on to cover it in two layers of duct tape. The hoop was starting to dent, bend, and kink throughout learning. Shortly after, I discovered that I was using the wrong hoop. I found out that my hoop needed to be at least 40 inches in diameter, with thicker tubing and a heavier weight. I was going to purchase one, but my creative side took over and I decided to make my own instead. My husband and I went to the local hardware store and bought 50 feet of irrigation tubing, connectors, vinyl tape, and colored duct tape. We made one for each of us and found it much easier to learn.

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At this point, I was discovering just how huge the hooping community was, spanning across the entire world. I knew I had found what I loved to do. For the first time in my life, I knew the group of people I fit in with. I began taking pictures and videos of myself hooping to share my experiences. I got a good response right away. I began finding other “hoopers” on facebook and building friendships. The first set of hooper friends I met around 2-3 months in were great at first, but ended up treating me badly. I went through a really hard time from this but I did not give up. Those people motivated me to be better than I ever imagined I could be.

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I have struggled with severe depression and anxiety since I was about 15 years old. I had tried everything to get it under control. It ruined many of my days I could have spent functioning and happy. I mostly lived my life in a negative, sad, tired and pathetic way. I didn’t care to connect with other people or make friends. I was angry at and jealous of all people that were able to function normally on a day to day basis. That was before I discovered hooping.

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I quickly began to realize that this hula hoop discovery was MUCH more than just something to keep me busy. It became the one and only thing that has made my depression and anxiety tolerable. Exercise is great for depression and anxiety, but this was much more than that. It was my exercise, hobby, escape, positivity, confidence, happiness, belonging, relaxation, challenge, health, motivation, inspiration, and my ambition. I am now turning this amazing part of my life into a career.

2 years and 4 months later:

Although throughout the years I was bullied, discouraged, broken, and hurt, I became a success story. I refused to be a victim to anyone who wanted me to fail. I used the hurt and turned it into proof that they were wrong. I wanted them to see me succeed, despite their great efforts to break me down.

Now,

I am sponsored by Citiva Creationz LED Hoops and Indika Creationz Clothing. 

I am a top paid writer for www.hooptricks.org. 

I have over a year of experience in performing and teaching hooping. 

I have taught classes at 3 locations so far. 

I have performed at over 20 different events. 

I have been partnered with YouTube with over 30,000 views and 435 subscribers. This means I am paid for certain videos and amounts of views on my channel.

Thank you to anyone who has been part of my success. Whether you have supported me or tried to make me fail. Either way, you helped me.

Extroverted, Hooping, and Social Anxiety

I wanted to write this to examine some strange and somewhat contradicting facts about myself. I am trying to find solace and therapy in my writing lately. I began keeping a journal of my most private thoughts as well.

A photo of me hooping at one of my favorite places

I am an extrovert. If you look it up, you will find that means I need to be around people to feel good and focused. The more people I am around and the more often, the better. Some people are the opposite, called introverts. This means they cannot be around many people for too long or they are drained of energy and unhappy.

Lately, I haven't had people to spend time with and it is taking a huge toll on my mental state and happiness. I feel empty because people fuel my energy. I don't have a large number of people to choose from where I live. I especially don't have many available people that share my interests that live in my city. I spend most of my time in my small house with my introverted husband. We've been together for over 10 years and married since 2011. He does not like being around people or having people over at our house, he has severe allergies and asthma and does not leave the house unless it is very necessary. I love him but he does not provide the energy fuel I need from people. He usually can't handle my high energy and intense presence. I have to leave my house to get what I need as an extrovert. Having severe depression and anxiety makes all of this even harder to deal with. People really do help me when they take the time to make plans and be there for me. It just doesn't happen as often as I need.

I am also a hooper. I like to take my hoops most places I go. When I hoop by myself, I am hooping alone. Extroverts are not happy alone and that is just how it is. Therefore, I usually only want to practice hooping and other things when I am with other people. I need feedback, communication, and a face to look at. I like to laugh and smile and be part of something outside of the walls of this house. Even hooping in front of a camera is better than hooping alone. I can upload it to be seen by people online. It just isn't the same, though. I would always rather be with other hoopers to share my experience.

A contradicting aspect of my extroversion is that I have social anxiety. It is actually somewhat common for extroverts to have social anxiety. Hooping definitely helps with this because I can be around people but don't have to be too close. I don't have to deal with many awkward silences or moments of "what now"?  I can just pick up my hoop, turn the music on, and be happy. Many people think I am just a selfish person for always having to bring things to do rather than being with them and being okay with just sitting and talking. I can sit and talk to people, but I need to get up and move too. I have a difficult tendency to have to control my environment. If I am invited to something I know I won't feel comfortable at, I sometimes just don't go. If I am invited to an event with activities (such as badminton or hooping), I usually want to go. I normally prefer places that will have alcohol because it soothes my social anxiety and really helps me. I found this thread to be interesting, someone speaking about how they are extroverted with social anxiety:   http://www.democraticunderground.com/11513798

If you are a hooper, an introvert, or an extrovert, or if you have social anxiety, depression, or general anxiety, I am interested to know more about you and how your life is going. We may all learn from each other. Feel free to comment or contact me.

10 Reasons Hula Hooping is NOT Only for Kids

This list includes reasons why you should not only expect children to be using those plastic circles. Hula hoops are for teens and adults, too.

1. Hula Hoops are Amazing Exercise.

Not only does the activity burn 400-600 calories per hour, but it can be low-impact for anyone with fragile joints. Kids have a very large variety of things they are happy doing for exercise. Adults, however, are harder to please and harder to motivate. Hooping is known for its fun, addictive qualities. It will keep us healthy and interested. It is known for a great way to lose weight, keep your heart healthy, and tone the muscles.

2. Not all Kids can actually do it.

Some people (clears throat) can't figure out how to hula hoop until they are in their adult years. Some children simply don’t have the patience or passion to do it. When it comes to learning the extensive tricks and combinations of moves, most kids can't quite keep up. It takes some good hand-eye coordination to do most of the tricks.

3. Happy Adults Make a Happy World!

If you really think about it, miserable adults can create a miserable environment. This can be at work, at home, or out in public. I think most people would rather spend time around happy and positive people. Hooping is amazing for creating good moods and more stable individuals. It is known to improve depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Adults need to play and laugh just like kids do. We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.

4. Adult Hoops

Walmart and general department store hula hoops are not the only hoops out there. Those are made for kids and are not made to last long. If you search amazon.com or etsy.com and type in “beginner hoop” or “exercise hoop”, you will find much larger, thicker, heavier hoops. These hoops are specifically made for teens and adults. They usually range between $15 and $40 but will last for a very long time if used correctly. The types and variations of hula hoops may surprise you if you look hard enough. (Hint: search for Smart Hoops)

5. Hooping can be Sexy!

Although most hoopers don’t participate in hooping for this reason, it still can be sexy. Hoops stick to the skin better than it sticks to clothing. Many hoopers wear little clothing in order to get the hoop to stay up. That along with the gyrating of the hips/body while it is on the body makes it sexy for adults. If you don’t intend to make your hooping look sexy, it likely won’t. However, it can be easily tweaked to get that effect.

6. Hooping Helps you meet New People

Once we leave high school and/or college, it becomes harder to meet new people. Hooping gives us a place to meet people with the same goals and interests. Not everyone wants to go to the bar or the club in order to socialize. Hooping gives adults a very healthy and enjoyable activity to do with other interested adults.

7. Hooping can cause Bruising

If you know a hooper, you will notice they have some pretty nasty colored bruises in really strange places. This is especially true if they just started and are using a HUGE beginner hoop. The tricks that teen and adult hoopers learn are known to produce bruises and some pain. Don't be alarmed, it is TOTALLY worth it!

8. Hooping gets you High

That’s right, you can get high from hula hooping. This feeling is similar to the “runner’s high” and is experienced most intensely when a hooper finds “flow” in this activity. As one becomes skilled and very familiar with their hooping, they can experience the flow variation of the hooper’s high. The other type of “hooper high” is when you finally achieve a new trick or movement after working on it for a long period of time. This type is the most common. Both types of hooper highs can last for hours.

9. Relate to Children

If you have kids or know other people’s kids but can’t quite relate to them, hooping is the perfect solution. Some people simply can’t find a way to get kids’ attention. In addition, you will have MUCH more energy to keep up with kids if you start hooping. You will likely be in the best shape of your life after 6 months to a year. Kids may actually sit down and watch you for a while, rather than the other way around.

10. FIRE hoops!

That’s right, hula hoops don’t just come in plain cheap plastic. They can be built to be set on fire using fire wicks that look like marshmallows on a short stick. The wicks are made from a material called “Kevlar” and they are dipped in specific types of fuel in order to be lit on fire. Fire hooping takes practice, focus, a spotter, and other precautions. You won’t see kids fire hooping (we hope).

If you are not familiar with hooping or hoop dance, do some research. You will be surprised!

I hope you like my first blog post! Find me on google plus, facebook, youtube, hooptricks.org, and other places on the internet.