7-Day Hula Hoop Challenge | For Slimmer Waist - xoxo MrsMartinez

Hula Hoop for First-timer

Whew! I can't believe that I finished a 7-day hula hoop challenge for slimmer waist. Well, I don't know how to hula hoop to begin with so I was not sure if I can even start with the challenge. The only hula hoop we have here is my daughter's. I bought it a long time ago and she was playing with it one time and I thought I'd give it a try. Sadly, I failed to make it turn a few times around my body. And I look awful trying to keep it from falling. You don't want to see it.

Weighted Hula Hoops | 7-Day Challenge

Next thing I knew, I was watching Youtube Hula Hoop tutorial videos. That's where I learned that children's hula hoops are not the ones used for exercising. The lighter the hula, the faster it spins. It is definitely not for a beginner like me. HA! Weighted hula hoop is!

Burn 7 calories per minute while hula hooping; 350 calories in an hour

But I don't want to buy and invest in a weighted hula hoop because it is expensive and I might not be able to do it properly. Remember my jumping rope story?! I immediately bought a jump rope online from Jump Manila but I was not able to push through working out with it. Sure I was able to learn the basics but jump rope isn't my thing so there's no way I am going to buy another expensive "toy" to collect dust. Plus, jumping rope is not good for my ageing knees.

Hula Hoop | Benefits

burns calories
burns body fat and inches
boost cardiovascular fitness
challenges core muscles
improves your balance
works your lower body muscles

Hula Hoop | Side to Side

Luckily, my friend has one lying around the house so I borrowed it. The hula hoop weighs 3lbs. and it has 8 sections. When all 8 sections are connected, the hula hoop goes above my belly button that's how big the circumference is. I move the hula hoop from side to side direction but you may do front to back if it suits you better.

Hula Hoop Challenge | How I did it?

Day 1 was a bit of a challenge. I was not sure how to do it. After many failed attempts, I found out that raising both hands up in the air can give you more power in maintaining a good rhythm. It gets the hula hoop spinning round and round my waist. It's all good!

Here's my hula hoop day to day schedule/progress:

Day 1- 5 minutes non-stop
Day 2- 10 minutes non-stop
Day 3- 20 minutes non-stop
Day4-7- 30 minutes non-stop

I am so happy that I was able to take on the challenge. I can't imagine being able to hula hoop for 30 minutes non-stop because I don't even know how to hula in the first place. At the same time, to be honest, I was actually relieved that I was over and done with the challenge. I got bored... really bored!

It was Day 4 when I realized that hula hooping is not something that I can incorporate in my daily exercise routine. I stopped for a day to shake off that feeling. I continued doing it for the sake of completing the challenge but that's about it. I am so glad I didn't purchase a hula hoop.

Hula Hoop | Slimmer Waist