Worthwhile Wellness- The weighted hula hoop trend
If you’re an avid TikTok user, you have probably found your for-you page being bombarded by individuals using weighted hula hoops to lose weight. Many users have posted about how they have been measuring the size of their waist and have found themselves losing inches in just a few days. I decided to take it upon myself to see how effective this exercise is, more specifically, on someone who doesn’t already have a slim waist and exercise on a regular basis.
I purchased my weighted hula hoop from Amazon. I did a lot of research and comparisons to find what size hula hoop I should purchase, whether I should purchase one with ridges or not, and what weight I need. I suggest that you look into the product before purchasing and read the directions carefully to avoid any damage and bruising.
Day 1:
At first, it took a few tries to get back into hula hooping. It does feel quite different when using a weighted hula hoop, and I found myself feeling pain and pressure after only a couple of minutes. To avoid bruising, I decided to build up my tolerance by starting slow and increasing the time each day. For this first day, I did it for 10 minutes, even though I felt like I could do more. Luckily, I did not get any bruises, but I was sore.
Day 3:
On this day, I built up to 15 minutes. I made sure to wear high-waisted leggings and a top that covered my stomach area to avoid bruising and pain. I was definitely sore, but kept pushing through. I listened to music during the exercise and realized I could use this time to catch up on audiobooks or multitask with a scalp oil massage. Sadly though, I didn’t notice any results in the first three days, which made me question TikTok’s reliability.
Day 5:
My patience began to dwindle on the fifth day. I was no longer feeling sore, had no bruising and needed to push myself further. I set my timer to 30 minutes and started the workout. While I tried to hula hoop in the opposite direction as well, I found it impossible. However, I did become more comfortable with walking around while hooping, which felt like a big accomplishment. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel sore at all after the workout and assumed my body had adjusted. But the best part— I definitely saw improvement.
Day 7:
On this final day, I let myself go for as long as I wanted. I made sure to take water breaks every time the hula hoop fell, but by this day, I almost never dropped the hoop. I felt determined to keep the hoop on my waist and learned how to get it back up when it was inching downwards. Before I knew it, I had been going for an hour and 15 minutes. I felt a bit of pressure, but keeping fabric on my waist definitely helped. I also found myself admiring my figure in the mirror as my stomach seemed more toned and my waist was somewhat smaller.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this exercise to someone who wants an enjoyable, easy workout that allows them to multitask and feel accomplished while still working on physical health. While I didn’t measure my waist size (I don’t like the idea of defining myself by numbers), I definitely saw improvement in my body shape. As someone with an hourglass body shape, I always wanted to hold less fat above my hips, but my hatred for working out made that impossible. Now, I find myself running to my hula hoop instead of taking a nap and always look forward to seeing how long I can go. I did weigh myself before and after the exercises just to measure the effectiveness of the hula hoop, and did find that I lost some weight, but I also couldn’t determine if that was due to eating healthier as well.
The best part, however, was the mental clarity this exercise brought me. I don’t feel forced to exercise anymore and I don’t dread the idea of sweating. My mind feels light and relieved after this workout because it has become relatively effortless, leaving me time to reflect on myself and my life, kind of like those long shower thoughts. I loved my week-long journey with a weighted hula hoop, and I haven’t stopped since.
Header Photo: Adeline Yu / Parachute
Written by Talia Bina
