Many of you reading this blog own a hula hoop of some kind. I blog about the difference is hoop sizes and weights.You also probably have taken a hoop class or watched a dvd of some kind.

Below is some info on how to find the right hoop and workout for your health and fitness goals.

If you are an adult and weigh over 100 pounds, the best hoop is one that is between 1-2 pounds and about 4 feet diameter. The Betty Hoop is a bit less than 2 pounds and 2 sizes in 1 to fit up to 240 pounds!

The information below is based on 10 years of study in exercise physiology, fitting sports equipment to athletes and hundreds of people commenting on successes and injury from using other hoop products and workout.

Hoops over 2 Lbs: If its too heavy, it will bruise organs and pinch nerves.

Hoops under 1 1/2 Lbs: If it is too light, like most of the hoops used for tricks ,it will not hold it’s momentum or weigh enough to really tone the core.

Other Hoops & Workouts: I get calls every week from discouraged people who buy hoop dvds and go to classes to find that the teacher mostly teaches tricks. They promote their product as being great for Chi, Weightloss and Yoga. Yet they mention nothing about using the body with proper alignment, core power or any contraindications. I even had a gal in my training 2 years ago who was ACE certified and had NO body awareness let alone how to correct any one else. So even though people can be great hoopers and certified in Yoga or Fitness, I rarely find their instruction to be effective or correct when using the hoop. Many Curves in the U.S. even illegally use heavy hoops in their studios. (it is against the workout structure to bring hoops in. What is wrong though, is untrained Curves teachers using hoops from 2-8 pounds.)

The Quick Fire Method: I designed this method by using moves from yoga alignment, chiropratic and extreme sports.                              The Belly Pump is the simple most effective way to quickly lose weight, decrease back compression and tone the core. It is also the force that generates the hoops speed and angles, making hoop performance totally fluid and easy! ( I say this because a lot of hoopers out there think that my interested and experience are only in fitness. I actually perform and teach dozens of cool tricks as well.)

Here is how to practice the Belly Pump:

This is very similar to the Breath of fire in Kundalini Yoga. As the hoop pushes into your gut, tighten it up and push back into the hoop.  The Belly Pump teaches how to isolate the upper from the lower body and JUST USE the core. Picture arrows shooting straight from the core out into the hoop and back through your belly, toward your spine. There should be NO hyperextension or compression in the lower back.

Common Mistakes & Correction for Practicing the Belly Pump:

1.) Pushing the whole body forward into the hoop – Don’t move the upper or lower body. Suck the belly in & push it out into the hoop without moving the torso or legs. JUST try to use the core muscles.                                                                                                                                             **Many adults have limited range of motion and agility. They use their whole body as 1 unit. This is what prevents isolation of the core muscles.

Contact me with any questions on this. I have seen people drop 5 pounds and 1 pants size in the first 2 weeks of doing this correctly!!

bettyhooping@gmail.com

Betty Hoops does it AGAIN! Betty Hoops again ran the BolderBoulder 10K Road Race in 1:14:48.71 while hula hooping. She beat her previous world record. The BolderBoulder was the largest ever, with 54,040 entrants.  See the video here.

Catherine, Michael’s girlfriend, offered the team to stay in her house in downtown Boulder. It had 4 bedrooms and a furnished basement to sleep 3 extras. The night before the race Andy and Seth made the best pasta dinner. We celebrated Tammy and Ed’s birthday. Around 9pm my neck started to spasm. My right side froze up and sharp pain shot down through my arm. It came out of nowhere and I was nervous that I would not be able to race. Siri massaged me for and hour but it did not subside. I took a bunch of Ibuprofen and tried to sleep. I got about 4 hours of bad sleep. I was in so much pain that I had to lift my head with my hands each time I moved. I kept meditating on letting go of the tension. I would not allow myself to entertain any thoughts of canceling the race.

4:30am came too soon. We all got up and made breakfast. I could barely stand up straight and my neck was still in spasm. I wasn’t raised taking pain killers. If I was to overdose on anything it was going to be now. I took 6 Ibuprofen and prayed that the spasm would go away. I decided to try mind over matter. I couldn’t move my shoulders, neck or head. I focused on only using my core and legs and surrendering to the pain.

The 14 of us gathered outside Vics coffee house. This is the meeting place for most of the racers as it is at the start and the coffee is awesome. The excitement help take my mind off my spasm and the drugs were kicking in. We lined up at the end of our wave and did some camera testing.
And they’re off… we had a slow start as usual. Allowing others to pass us until the crowd thins. Toward the end of the first kilometer we picked up the pace considerably. Jason was back blocker and team pacer. He was calling to me to slow down so that we could keep a good pace. I knew I should have listened to him, I did not want to crash early on. I felt strong though. The month of hoop/running had really boosted my cardio and rhythm. Going faster has its price! I had never hooped/ran so fast for a consistent time. Usually the hoops speed is faster than my pace. The forward motion of my gate moves in synch with the centrifugal force of the hoop. This time, my running pace was far faster than the hoops speed. This put my hoop in danger of falling. The hoop becomes wobbly as the force of my body runs forward. Keeping the hoop level take precision in isolating the hips and core. I did not want to slow down so I had to learn to move the hoop faster. This took a lot out of me as I was not training core strength. I was mostly training to synch up running with hooping and increase cardio strength. Running at such a fast pace also made it harder for the team to keep up. Water stations were especially tricky. This is where racers and walkers hang out. Groups gather around the drinking tables. People walk- without looking- straight across the road, from the water to the Gatorade table.

A few members of the team were not used to running this fast. The team works so hard. They are communicating with the outside so that we can pass. They must run backwards at times to make sure that no one is running toward me. They also have to use themselves as a physical barrier when racers move within inches from the hoop. During the third kilometer Mia wanted to grab a cup of water. She did, we lost her for a moment. Jason pulled her back in to our circle and during that instant, she was pulled into the hoop. The hoop popped up on my chest and wobbled as if it was going to fall. I grabbed the hoop while running and quickly restarted it. I knew then, that my chance for breaking both records for speed and distance combined, was gone. That moment was so surreal. I went deep into introspection. I saw my goal flash before me. I saw myself getting angry and upset. I knew this wasn’t what the race was about. I knew that I did not want the rest of my journey to be with resistance and hostility toward a disappointing outcome. I threw out all expectation and moved into a Zen like state. Deeper and more present than I the normal hypnotic state induced by hoop/running.

A second later I yelled out “We’re going for time! Pick up the damn pace!”

I told Mia not to worry, that things happen and now we are setting a new record for time. As exhausted and upset as she was, she hung in there for every step. The team was on there game. We cruised through the next few kilometers. Joe continued to yell out “Team Hoop comin’ through, breaking records and breakin’ hearts.” Michael, with his superhuman power kept within a foot of me to film for the Guinness Book. We weaved in and out of crowds. Jason kept yelling, “Pace yourself” I actually slowed down a bit because I thought that we were farther from the finish than we were. We had never run the course this fast. Before I knew it we running the last stretch.
Right before the last leg, I heard a loud voice which followed us. Almost like a chant, “go team hoop, go team hoop!” I didn’t realize at the time but it was my birthfather. I gave him directions on where to cut through the course so that he could meet us at the finish. He is not a runner and had just flown in from sea level.

Up the hill, through the cattle guards and into the stadium. I motioned to Jason to tell the team to part. Every year my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth and my legs feel like led weights. I have my hand motions prepared with certain members of the group. When I see a straight shot to the finish, I break away from the team and sprint. If the team can keep up to block, that is fine, if not, I don’t mind going for it.

I hoop/ran through the finish and almost collapsed. This was one of the most memorable races yet. Again, I looked around at the team. Here were regular people performing extraordinary feats. None of the members are runners. They do not own fancy workout clothes or extra cushioned running shoes. They are teachers, mothers, fathers and students. And here they are, supporting my personal dream, fundraising and adding so much love to an ordinary race.

1 hour and 14 minutes of extreme focus, strategy and faith. We broke our time by 30 minutes! We were all running 12 minute miles! Thanks again to Cliff Bosley for his hard work and value in thinking and working outside the box.

Blood, Sweat and Prayers

2007 was to be the third & possibly final time that Team Hoop would be able to participate in the Bolder Boulder. It is against race regulations for a racer to have an outfit or team that exceeds 10 feet circumference. My hoop is 10 feet in circumference and my team surrounded me by about 30 feet.

I bugged the race committee all winter to let Team Hoop race. We had broken our record by 18 minutes in 2006 but the camera woman, who swore that she could run and hold a small camera, tripped and never decided to catch up to us. We needed that footage for the Guinness Book. The only footage we had was; 1 minute of me hoop/running, then tree tops, then the camera woman yelling “Oh Crap!” The last thing we saw was the sidewalk with sneakers running past the lens.

This 10K road race has about 47,000 runners, joggers and walkers. My idea was to be placed in a faster wave so that we would not have to pass as many people thereby not interfering with their time. I did not know this at the time but a 13 year old boy from a neighboring Boulder town was inspired to break my record and fundraise. The race committee said no, so he brought Channel 4 News down to the race office and had a live interview with them. I knew that they would get heat from people who thought it wasn’t fair that I could race with a hoop and with a large team when they could not. I was so appreciative that I drove 3 ½ hours to drop off a huge gift basket of wine, chocolates and flowers.

Getting Sponsors
Fleet Feet Sports sponsored our team jerseys and my sexy red Fila running shoes. They were so helpful and supportive! Cerebral Palsy from my hometown of Westchester NY was the foundation that I chose to raise money for. They paid for text to be added to the back of the jerseys.

The Amazing Team Hoop
Pam: who was a strong back runner last year became my front left. She also called Joe, the steady Cam assistant, to alert him when we were coming up on each mile marker so that Alan could film us.

Peter Steele: of Steele Photgraphy, joined us again for the 3rd time. He took awesome pictures while doubling as a back runner.

Tammy: who was a student in my 15 week program at Colorado Mountain College this winter, kept the team spirit up. She would get the crowd to cheer for every mile marker that we passed. She was a front runner.

Michelle: a student in the same class, was a valued side right. She didn’t think that she would finish the 10K since she is not a runner and vowed that she would quit smoking if she finished. It is now 3 weeks later and she still hasn’t smoked.

Kettie: joined us the morning of the race and saved at least 5 people from running into my hoop. A few times I saw her grabbing the runner, turning them toward the outside of our bubble and placing herself in between the runner and my hoop. She then arched her back while jumping away from the hoop.

Jason: my supportive and fun boyfriend, was a great back runner. He is about 6 feet with a loud voice. Out of the corner of my eye, I would see him frequently grab hold of someone inches away from my hoop. It seemed like he just picked them up gently and placed them on the outside of our bubble. Somewhere in the 3rd mile, Jason turned into Richard Simmons. We all laughed but responded well to hearing his drill sergeant like commands. “Stay focused Team, we’ll drink water when we’re done!”

Michael Conti: from FastFilm TV was a last minute blessing. He filmed me for the Guinness Book in 2005 and I was glad to have a professional and friend taking that job. He also doubled as a back runner while holding the video camera still.

Lisa: the owner of Crystal Dreams Bed and Breakfast in Redstone, signed on as side left. She and Tammy were so dedicated that they ran the whole month prior to the race. She was nervous about not being fast enough but her training and aerobics classes made her a fast, quick to respond blocker.

Melissa: signed on as an extra. She never ran the race and was there also there to support her 12 year old daughter who volunteered to be a front runner (one of the hardest positions on the team.) She immediately fell into side left and blocked well while having fun.

Mia: Melissas’ daughter is a 12 years old Hoop Dance star at her school. She does not run & was concerned she might not finish the race. She ran up to people and asked them to step aside. She knew that she could fall back anytime if she needed to slow down. She ran for the whole 6.2 miles. She even sprinted alongside me to the finish. I met Mia in 2006 when she organized a Hoop Dance assembly for her whole school with her teacher Sue. The school board denied her request for months but she persisted and succeeded. I then helped her choreograph a fabulous hula hoop performance for her schools talent show.

Melissa’s friend jumped in to help out in mile 3. I noticed a glowing woman in a purple T Shirt much farther in front of our team. I thought it was weird that she would slow down when we did. She was kind of like Moses parting the sea of people to make it easier for our front runners. She stayed with us until the finish. I was so impressed at her willingness & interest in helping our team. I hope that she can be a part of it in 2008.

Alan: of www.boulderdigitalarts.com was our steady camera man. His camera was a 35 pound set up with floaters on a backpack strapped to his chest. This type of camera takes really clear, steady video. Alan jogged behind us and ran to 6 different locations throughout the race course. Now that is talent.

Joe: offered to be Alans’ assistant. It was a good thing that he bought running shoes right before the race because that boy had to run. They were to be at every mile marker to film us. They ran behind us for while, jumped fences, cut across the course & hitched a car ride to the next point. Joe even grabbed a margarita while running from one location to the next.

Colin: flew in from Saudi Arabia 12 hours before the race. He is an extreme sports videographer for Warren Miller. We were all so excited that he volunteered to film for our documentary. This guy was everywhere. He would run behind us and then we’d see him in the middle of the road and then he’d be up on a lamppost somewhere getting a birds eye shot. I guess filming someone who hula hoops while jogging isn’t that much of stretch. He is probably used to catapulting himself off a cliff to film pro skiers.

Training
If you haven’t read the race stories from 2005 and 2006 you might not know that I never really had time to train for any of the races. Getting a Teammates, video & picture guys (all out of town) as well as finding a charity to fundraise for & doing PR took up all my time. Not to mention working 5 days a week at my other jobs. In 2005, MaryAnn suggested that I try to run and hoop in the race 2 weeks prior to the race. I didn’t think to by running shoes. My old running shoes gave me blisters, so I trained for the race in my sandals.

2007 was much different. I hired BCOR, a training service out of Denver, to help me. Two weeks into it the guy left the company & soon after, the company shut down. Then, I went on a road trip, for 2 weeks, stopping in New Orleans to teach Hoop Dance at a Charter School. During that week, I sprained my ankle and could not walk for over a week. There I was on the road trip back home, driving myself around the grocery store in an electric cart slurping down a fat coffee drink. I arrived back home in Aspen in late April. It snowed that whole week. Having less than 1 month to train & reacclimatize to the altitude, I designed a really tough cardio work out with my hoop at the gym. After the first week of doing this circuit training with the hoop I lost about 5 pounds and my aerobic strength was much stronger. (I am currently working on a DVD that will be a 30 minute cross training workout. It is so much fun.)

The Race is On
Team Hoop always gets a lot of attention. People say “Wow, if she can run with a hoop, I can surely finish!” It is inspiring to be a part of and add to the whole event. We used the 1st mile to tighten up our team positions and commands, traveling slowly through the crowds. The second half of the race we kept a faster pace. The Gatorade stations still remained tricky. Our team would try to pass through as fast as we could strategically jumping over Dixie cups, people spraying water on to the racers & racers stopped in the middle of the course. This is when we would hear Jason’s commands from behind. He’d yell “Okay team. Now is not the time to drink. We’ll drink when we’re done.” Everyone laughed and then refocused. When he & Alan caught up with us, I would hear from behind, “Yeah Team Hoop kicks ass!” Mile 6 is the most intense and requires the most focus. The road narrows from 2 lanes to 1. There are cattle guards & volunteers directing foot traffic. The pulse of the drums & the cheers from inside the stadium pull everyone closer & create such an adrenaline buzz. We all kick up the pace & sprint toward the finish line. I had stopped talking around mile 5. I was saving energy to sprint for the finish. My legs felt so heavy but due to my indoor hoop training program my body as a whole felt in much better shape than last year. I told Jason in mile 3 that if I was too tired to yell out to everyone I would signal to him. I planned to break away from the team once inside the stadium & sprint to the finish.

The final minute arrived! My team surrounded me exhilarated by the intense focus it took to accomplish this feat. The looks of amazement & hope were all I needed to go into a high speed sprint. I looked back at Jason and gave him the signal. It was quite funny. My right hand swept across my neck as if to say “I’m done with the bubble” Then my hands motioned in front of me, showing that I wanted to split the team in half. He yelled “ Watch out guys, she’s coming through!” I didn’t realize this at the time but my team sprinted along with me to the finish. And then we were done. 1 hour 36 minutes and 1 second later.

When asked by the Boulder Daily camera 3 hours later how I felt, I said “Like I am brain dead and have been punched in the guy for 6.2 miles.” I forgot to add that I felt so blessed to have such heart and soul in my teammates every single year. I forgot to tell the reporter that the willingness of the race director Cliff Bosley, creates greater national awareness to heal through the hoop. And I am sure I forgot to explain that if it were not for all of you, my supportive customers and students, I might not be so inspired.

Catherine, Michael’s girlfriend, offered the team to sty in her house in downtown Boulder. It had 4 bedrooms and a furnished basement to sleep 3 extras. The night before the race Andy and Seth made the best pasta dinner. We celebrated Tammy and Ed’s birthday. Around 9pm my neck started to spasm. My right side froze up and sharp pain shot down through my arm. It came out of nowhere and I was nervous that I would not be able to race. Siri massaged me for and hour but it did not subside. I took a bunch of IBprofin and tried to sleep. I got about 4 hours of bad sleep. I was in so much pain that I had to lift my head with my hands each time I moved. I kept meditating on letting go of the tension. I would not allow myself to entertain any thoughts of cancelling the race.

4:30am came too soon. We all got up and made breakfast. I could barely stand up straight and my neck was still in spasm. I wasn’t raised taking pain killers. If I was to overdose on anything it was going to be now. I took 6 IBprofin and prayed that the spasm would go away. I decided to try mind over matter. I couldn’t move my shoulders, neck or head. I focused on only using my core and legs and surrendering to the pain.

The 14 of us gathered outside Vics coffee house. This is the meeting place for most of the racers as it is at the start and the coffee is awesome. The excitement help take my mind off my spasm and the drugs were kicking in. We lined up at the end of our wave and did some camera testing.

And there off… we had a slow start as usual. Allowing others to pass us until the crowd thins. Toward the end of the first kilometer we picked up the pace considerably. Jason was back blocker and team pacer. He was calling to me to slow down so that we could keep a good pace. I knew I should have listened to him, I did not want to crash early on. I felt strong though. The month of hoop/running had really boosted my cardio and rhythm. Going faster has its price! I had never hoop/ran so fast for a consistent time. Usually the hoops speed is faster than my pace. The forward motion of my gate moves in synch with the centrifugal force of the hoop. This time, my running pace was far faster than the hoops speed. This put my hoop in danger of falling. The hoop becomes wobbly as the force of my body runs forward. Keeping the hoop level take precision in isolating the hips and core. I did not want to slow down so I had to learn to move the hoop faster. This took a lot out of me as I was not training core strength. I was mostly training to synch up running with hooping and increase cardio strength. Running at such a fast pace also made it harder for the team to keep up. Water stations were especially tricky. This is where racers and walkers hang out. Groups gather around the drinking tables. People walk- without looking- straight across the road, from the water to the Gatorade table.

A few members of the team were not used to running this fast. The team works so hard. They are communicating with the outside so that we can pass. They must run backwards at times to make sure that no one is running toward me. They also have to use themselves as a physical barrier when racers move within inches from the hoop. During the third kilometer Mia wanted to grab a cup of water. She did, we lost her for a moment. Jason pulled her back in to our circle and during that instant, she was pulled into the hoop. The hoop popped up on my chest and wobbled as if it was going to fall. I grabbed the hoop while running and quickly restarted it. I knew then, that I my chance for breaking both records for speed and distance combined, was gone. That moment was so surreal. I went deep into introspection. I saw my goal flash before me. I saw myself getting angry and upset. I knew this wasn’t what the race was about. I knew that I did not want the rest of my journey to be with resistance and hostility toward a disappointing outcome. I threw out all expectation and moved into a Zen like state. Deeper and more present than I the normal hypnotic state induced by hoop/running. A second later I yelled out “We’re going for time! Pick up the damn pace!”

I told Mia not to worry, that things happen and now we are setting a new record for time. As exhausted and upset as she was, she hung in there for every step. The team was on there game. We cruised through the next few kilometers. Joe continued to yell out “Team Hoop comin’ through, breaking records and breakin’ hearts.” Michael, with his superhuman power kept within a foot of me to film for the Guinness Book. We weaved in and out of crowds. Jason kept yelling, “Pace yourself” I actually slowed down a bit because I thought that we were farther from the finish than we were. We had never run the course this fast. Before I knew it we running the last stretch. Right before the last leg, I heard a loud voice which followed us. Almost like a chant, “go team hoop, go team hoop!” I didn’t realize at the time but it was my birthfather. I gave him directions on where to cut through the course so that he could meet us at the finish. He is not a runner and had just flown in from sea level. Up the hill, through the cattle guards and into the stadium. I motioned to Jason to tell the team to part. Every year my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth and my legs feel like led weights. I have my hand motions prepared with certain members of the group. When I see a straight shot to the finish, I break away from the team and sprint. If the team can keep up to block, that is fine, if not, I don’t mind going for it.

I hoop/ran through the finish and almost collapsed. This was one of the most memorable races yet. Again, I looked around at the team. Here were regular people performing extraordinary feats. None of the members are runners. They do not own fancy workout clothes or extra cushioned running shoes. They are teachers, mothers, fathers and students. And here they are, supporting my personal dream, fundraising and adding so much love to an ordinary race.

1 hour and 14 minutes of extreme focus, strategy and faith. We broke our time by 30 minutes! We were all running 7.4 minute kilometers! Thanks again to Cliff Bosley for his hard work and value in thinking and working outside the box.