The circle has many years of history and in ancient Greece it was already used for thephysical exercise. I benefits of the hula hoop for the body they are many and useful for get in shape while having fun. If you have difficulty exercising or are bored with your usual physical activities, start using the hula hoop can be a great option. What exercises to do? We tell you about them below, but first here's a video with some Yoga exercises to alternate with the circle.
Benefits of hulahoop: the story
THEhula hoop it has many centuries of history behind it, although not under this name, which would come much later, but simply as a "circle". The first circles 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, have made the circle the main accessory of their dances. For them, the rings they 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).
However, it was the typical Hawaiian dance of the hula hoop to give birth to the concept of hula hoop. It seems that in the XNUMXth century the British were introduced to this traditional dance, which was practiced without a circle, but whose movements were so similar that they thought they were related.
Years later, in 1957, the circle was reinvented and made a strong comeback thanks to American entrepreneurs Richard Kerr and Arthur Melin, who launched it on the market as a toy called hula hoop. The circle was a great success and in one year it reached the figure of millions of units sold.
Made of marlex (a variant of plastic), with a diameter of 71 centimeters and in bright colors, this toy quickly became a symbol. Children and adults in America had this toy and spun it around their waists.
All the benefits of the hula hoop
In addition to being a fun toy, the exercises with the hula hoop they can be excellent for strengthen the abdomen and in general to tone the figure.
In fact, many models and celebrities integrate the'hula hoop in their training routine. From Beyoncé to Victoria's Secret angels like Maria Borges have talked about the benefits of the hula hoop.
And no wonder why, as you will see, it has many advantages:
- Tone your 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 practice hula hoop exercises for 15 to 20 minutes a day. Another option is to integrate 5 or 10 minutes of hula hoop exercises in the usual daily training.
It is also very important to correctly perform the exercises with the hula hoop, that is, with the spine in an upright position and making controlled movements around the waist and other parts of the body. The ideal way to avoid harm is to watch a professional-directed video training program, 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, since dance is a perfect activity for reducing stress and improving 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, the best thing to do is warm up completely and, once finished, do some stretching. This significantly reduces the chance of any muscle injuries. Once this is done, 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. Hence, place the circle under the chest, at the height of the trunk, raise your arms above your head with your hands outstretched and perform the same movements as in the previous exercise for 5 minutes.
3. Put your arms in a cross with your hands outstretched e rotate the circle around the arm for 1 minute holding it above the elbow, then for another minute under 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.
