Hip Huggers

Posted January 16, 2008 by Ashley Howard

Swing the arms, swivel the hips, now do a 360! The hula hoop is back—and all grown up.

Moving from the playground to the fitness studio, it has become a trendy, low-impact workout tool and stress reliever. In Longport, Hoop There She Is offers hooping classes focused on toning the torso and building endurance. Founder Lauren Shaw, an Atlantic County resident, compares hooping to yoga because it requires balance, coordination, and a relaxed state of mind.

“Hula-hooping helps you find your inner rhythm,” she says. “It’s like a flow.” The company’s website sells customized hula hoops made from irrigation tubing and wrapped in vinyl or fabric tape in an array of colors and glittery designs.

Like everything else that gets a designer makeover, the nouveau hoops are more expensive ($30-$45) than the originals, but the sturdier, larger tubing makes it easier to shimmy and provides a better workout.

Shaw claims that she lost more than 10 pounds in two months by hooping at least twenty minutes a day. She got all wrapped up in hooping and left her corporate real-estate job last September to focus on the business (hooptheresheis.com). She offers private sessions, fitness classes at local community centers, and kid-party packages that start at $650 and include invitations, cake, decorations, custom hoops, T-shirts for all, and an hour of entertainment.

“I hope to see hula-hooping take off,” Shaw says. “It’s a great way to learn coordination and timing.”

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