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Round and round – off go the
pounds Peta Bee on the latest fitness craze to hit America The current fitness toy of choice among the gym set in New York, Washington and Los Angeles is a "turbo" hula hoop. Fans of the Heavy Hoop, which is fatter and heavier than the traditional version to provide a tougher workout, swear that it is by far the most effective way to trim waists and thighs, as well as get a washboard stomach. Unlike conventional hula hoops, which are made from hollow plastic and sometimes filled with small ball-bearings for a smoother rotation, the latest hoop is considerably heftier, weighing in at 3lb. With that extra weight providing added resistance as you twirl, it tones a range of muscles and burns calories more effectively than power-walking, aerobics or Pilates, says its manufacturer. American fitness instructor Wendy Iverson came up with the idea after twirling her own way into shape with a makeshift plastic hoop she had cut open, stuffed with telephone wire and wrapped in foam. She tested the equipment on her clients, who loved it, and then sold the concept to an equipment manufacturer. Now, Iverson is preparing for a worldwide launch of the Cardio Hoop workout, which means it will soon be available in British gyms. According to Lorna Malcolm, fitness director of the Reebok Sports Club in London, the traditional hula-hooping movement - where the hoop is rotated around the hips and waist using circular movements of the trunk - recruits all the major muscles. "Although the main movement is in the trunk and abdominal area, your legs also feed into the circling rhythm and work hard to keep you stabilised, and your arms are up in the air to keep you balanced, too. Because you are using upper and lower body, it is an adequate cardiovascular activity that will leave you out of breath.'' But there is plenty more you can do with a hula hoop. Experienced hoopers in the Cardio Hoop classes use it to tone their entire bodies, spiralling it around their ankles, necks and arms. Typically, a workout includes shoulder presses, where the hoop is repeatedly lifted from shoulder level to overhead, and "tush whirls", an advanced exercise which requires you to bend over at the waist so that your chest is parallel to the floor and rotate the hoop around your bottom. In recent trials carried out by Conrad Earnest, an exercise physiologist at the Cooper Institute for Human Performance and Nutrition Research in Dallas, it was shown that vigorous waist-circling with the Heavy Hoop for eight minutes burns as many calories - about 110 - as running an eight-minute mile. Even less strenuous hooping uses a similar amount of energy (85 calories) as you would expend on a slow 12-minute jog. Although Earnest did not advocate quitting other forms of exercise in
favour of hula hooping, he did stress that it can form a very useful part
of a fitness programme. Malcolm agrees: "A weighted hula hoop could have
many advantages. But variety of exercise is important, otherwise you get
bored and end up doing nothing, so mix it with other things. Hooping is
fun and if it keeps you motivated, then do it as regularly as you
can.'' The Heavy Hoop, £50, is available by mail order from www.heavyhoop.com. An ordinary hula-hoop, priced £3.50, is available from The Physical Company, tel: 01494 769222
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