The leftovers are gone; the good dishes have been returned to their protective cases; the kids are back in their respective homes. Thanksgiving is a now just a happy, gluttonous memory. What’s not a memory, however, is the extra layer of fat that has settled around my middle. Nope, that’s tangible, damn it. And it has got to go – especially before the next round of holiday parties.
When I was a kid, I loved hula hooping. I could do it forever. I was a pro. No one in my gym class could out-hoop me. I’d win every hula hoop contest I’d enter and, as recently as a few years ago, at a friend’s son’s birthday party, I was cajoled into entering a hooping contest. (After a few minutes, just long enough to strut my stuff, I threw the contest. You would have too. I had beaten all the adults who’d entered so left the win up to the kids.)
Do I sound as if I’m bragging? Hell, it’s the one athletic thing I’m good at.
Now, hooping has gone from the kids’ gym class to the adults’ exercise room. It’s kinda the rage these days. And no wonder. It’s fun, is relatively easy to do (although there is a learning curve and it’s not the best exercise if you have a bad back). It’s cheap, costing no more than the price of a hoop and it works off a bunch of calories.
In fact, The American Council on Exercise announced in a recent study that hooping burns an average of 420 calories an hour, comparing it to the intense workout experienced in a cardio kickboxing class.
So here’s how that Thanksgiving meal stacks up to hooping:
1 Serving of Candied Yams – 190 Calories / 27 minutes of hooping
1 Serving of Egg Nog – 380 Calories / 54 minutes of hooping
1 Serving of Turkey with Stuffing – 725 Calories / 103 minutes of hooping
Now, I admit that, at this stage of my life, I doubt I’d have the stamina for an hour of hooping – but how much fun would I have trying to burn off a few calories?
Give hooping a whirl. Here’s a good place to start:
Hoopnotica offers a “Hoop It Off“ kit, which includes a full size fitness hoop paired with their award winning Level 1 DVD. Priced at $34.99, the Hoopnotica “Hoop It Off” kit makes the perfect gift for friends, family, or yourself.
Let me know how you do. Please leave a comment in the comments section below.
