Hula hooping may seem rather childish, but there are actually a surprising number of benefits to an exercise involving hula hooping. If you’re interested about the fitness benefits of hula hooping, read on.

Benefit #1: Helps to Burn Fat

Hula hooping requires effort from some of the biggest muscles in the body. These muscles require a significant amount of energy, so it forces the body to burn fat stores.

Benefit #2: Tones Your Body

Hula hooping works out several of your body’s core muscles. It strengthens and tones these muscles. Muscles that can be toned by hula hooping include: glutes, thighs, hips, legs, knees and abdomen. In addition, you can twirl a hula hoop with your arms to tone your shoulders and forearms. Hula hooping with heavier hoops can provide additional resistance to tone these muscles faster.

Benefit #3: Increases Your Fitness Level

Hula hooping is such a low impact exercise that just about anyone can use it to increase their endurance and general fitness level. Even just 10 minutes of hula hooping can provide enough benefit to your body to increase aerobic activity. Hula hooping is so effective as an aerobic workout that an hour of hula hooping can help you burn just as many calories as the same length of time of an intense workout, such as the treadmill. For those unable to perform serious aerobic exercises due to health reasons, hula hooping can be their gateway to better health.

Benefit #4: Improves Your Mood

Hula hooping is fun, and it makes exercising less of a chore. To be able to do something fun and see the improvements to your body can liven your spirit and raise your confidence.

Benefit #5: Improves Your Coordination

Hula hooping requires a certain timing and rhythm. By practicing, your coordination will improve as your body starts to learn this timing. As your skills get better, hula hooping with more than one hoop at once can be challenging and help to improve your coordination even further.

Benefit #6: Improves Flexibility of Your Spine

The motions of hula hooping require a significant range of motion for your spine. Increased practice in hula hooping can train your spine to a greater range of motions than you’re used to, thereby increasing your flexibility. This can help you in the prevention of back injuries.

These are just a few of the benefits that hula hooping can provide. While hula hoops may seem like child’s toys, they can be an effective weight loss tool for adults as well. While the plastic models available for children will not offer much for an adult, you can purchase weighted hula hoops to effectively workout. Hula hooping may be one of the easiest and most fun methods of weight loss that you can find.

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Lifeskills

Lifeskills (Taking Control of your Health)

I added the sentences in the parentheses to apply to your health and weight loss goals.

INTEGRITY: To act according to what's right and wrong. (Should you eat a carrot or a donut? You know which one is right)

INITIATIVE: To do something because it needs to be done. (You need to workout every DAY)

FLEXIBILITY: The ability to alter plans when necessary. (If you didn't get your workout in, run your stairs at home, get your (at home) weights out. If you have to pick up something to eat quick at fast food- choose a salad)

PERSEVERANCE: To continue in spite of difficulties. (If you ate really bad over the weekend, start fresh the next day. Push yourself through new and difficult workouts.)

ORGANIZATION: To plan, arrange and implement in an orderly way. (Plan your week out- what your going to eat, and what your going to do physically)

SENSE OF HUMOR: To laugh and be playful without hurting others. (Join a workout group, and have fun)

EFFORT: To try your hardest. (Eat as well as you know, workout as hard as you can)

COMMON SENSE: To think it through before doing. (Have a plan, write it down)

PROBLEM SOLVING: To seek solutions in difficult situation. (Figuring out what to do when you hit a plateau, instead of quitting)

RESPONSIBILITY: To be accountable for your actions. (Own up to your excess calories)

PATIENCE: To wait calmly for someone or something. (Be patient, becoming your healthiest self does not happen over night)

FRIENDSHIP: To make and keep a friend through mutual trust and caring. (Make friends with those in the same exercise class with you or at the gym, you'll be surprised to find you will be going through some of the same obstacles)

CURIOSITY: a desire to learn or know about a full range of things. (Find out what those around you are eating, or doing for exercise, read books about health and nutrition)

COOPERATION: To work together, toward a common goal or purpose. (Find someone with the same weight loss goal, or nutrition goal, and work on that goal together)

CARING: To feel concern for others and yourself. (To really want to help others with their fitness and weightloss goals)

Bring on 2010

Did you eat too much yesterday? So did I..... it was Christmas Day. It's the day after Christmas, and maybe some of you are thinking, "I'll start after the New Year." I have to admit, that thought came in to my mind also, but it's not ok to think that way, so keep telling yourself that you will start today!! Today is your day, drink your water, and start becoming accountable for your calories that you put into your mouth (write them down if you need to) We're going to get right back on track:

Give yourself a break, don't expect yourself to run back to the gym and sweat it out for a couple of hours (but more power to you if you do:)) This is a day to remind yourself that your HEALTH is a priority! Don't beat yourself up if you don't have a perfect workout, but because you are making it a priority, you will see results, and you will begin to start taking Control of your health!

Here are some ways you can stay active when at home:
* Get up and start moving, take a walk, or play with your kids.
* Do some pushups, situps, and jump rope in between
* run up and down your stairs in between cleaning to get your heart rate up.
* write down your food that you eat today just to start getting yourself to refocus.

Let's get motivated together to bring in 2010!

Alot-a-Pain! NO gain!

If you have ever attempted to lose weight, then you’ve most likely had the following conversation with someone: “I’ve been running my legs off and doing cardio workouts till I puke and starving myself to lose weight but… I haven’t lost any weight” or” I’m gaining weight instead”. To which your friend gives you the comforting reply: “You’re probably staying the same or gaining weight because your gaining muscle and muscle weighs more than fat and that’s why”. Really??

Think about it. If you take a pound of fat and a pound of muscle and weigh them side by side, wouldn’t they both weigh a pound? And if you’re doing a lot of cardio training and no resistance training, then how are you building muscle? The truth is that muscle is more dense and has less mass (takes up less space) than fat. Recent studies show that the average weight trainer (someone who lifts weights 5 times a week) gains 3-5 lbs of muscle every 3 months. So unless your waistline is shrinking, your weight gain has nothing to do with muscle gain.

So why aren’t you shedding the pounds? You’re killing yourself and suffering the pain for no gain! How is this possible?

Over the past 15 years I have been in and around the exercise industry and have found that the greatest results have come by simply learning and sticking to the fundamental basics of exercise and weight-loss. In an age where thousands of weight-loss programs, fad diets, pills, potions and lotions promise guaranteed results; it’s not surprising that millions of people jump from one exercise program to the next “magic” pill to the next fad diet, to the next piece of “must have” exercise equipment sold on T.V. only to find themselves feeling deflated, depressed and defeated as they look in the mirror and see little to no results for their efforts.

Over the next few days I will share with you the Why’s, the How’s and the basics of proper weight-loss. Most people spend maximum effort on things that have minimum impact on weight loss. Follow this post daily if you want to find out how making little changes can bring huge results.

-James Keilman