Hula hooping has been a favorite among youngsters. But can hula hoop slim waist and help get rid of love handles?
A slimmer waist and toned body is a dream for many. However, when it comes to weight loss, spot reduction is difficult.
Weight loss is a gradual process based on calorie balance. We need to burn more calories than we intake to lose fat.
However, a big question is which exercises to prefer if you specifically want to focus on a particular area.
Recent trends highlight hula hooping as an effective way of slimming down the waist and toning the core muscles.
Key Insights:
- Hula hooping helps get rid of excess fat by boosting the metabolic rate and engaging your core muscles.
- It’s best for beginners to start slow and gradually increase the duration of hula hooping.
- Using the right postures can have a significant effect on the amount of fat your body burns while hula hooping.
Let’s find out the finer details about hula hooping and what can you expect when trying to lose love handles.
Does Hula Hooping Get Rid of Love Handles?
Hula-hooping involves the rhythmic movements of the hips and waist to stabilize the movements of the hoop around the body.
Since the movements activate the abdominal muscles, they can help get rid of the love handles!
Moreover, the following studies show that hula hoops are more effective in burning stubborn waist fat as compared to walking.
Study I – Results of a Weighted Hula Hoop vs Walking on Abdominal Fat
The study published in Obesity Facts had 55 non-diabetic but overweight participants. These participants were in two random groups. One group did weighted hula hooping for six weeks, and the other group walked for six weeks with the same energy expenditure.
According to the results, the abdominal fat percentage of hula hoopers decreased significantly after six weeks, and there was an increase in muscle mass.
A similar study was conducted to analyze the effects of weighted hula hooping for six weeks on skinfold, hip girth, and weight.
Its results give crucial insights into the hula hoop waist before after changes.
Study II – Regular Hula Hooping Reduces Waist and Hip Circumference
A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research with 18 healthy women shows us that six weeks of regular weighted hula hooping can:
- Decrease your waist and hip circumference.
- Reduce the waist-to-hip ratio.
- Increase the skinfold measurements.
Since the study observed these women post a trial of 6 weeks of weighted hula hooping through 5 skinfolds and other measurements, the results show positive effects.
Summing up the results of the above two studies, hula hooping does get rid of love handles.
But the question arises: how does the hula hoop specifically reduce the waist circumference?
Well, let me surprise you with some facts: hula hooping is not a spot-reduction technique. It is an exercise that targets the core, and all the surrounding areas.
Hence, it works as a compound movement to tone your body. Let us dig deeper into the effects of the hula hoop on your abdominal area to understand the above results better.
How Does Hula Hooping Work for Love Handles?
Hula hoop combines cardiovascular effects, calorie burn, and core engagement. Thus, it does not cause waist reduction directly.
It mainly works on toning your overall body composition, resulting in fat loss from regions like the waist and abdomen.
Hence, here is how hula hoops will work towards love handles:
#1. Increase in Calorie Expenditure
Performing hula hooping for longer durations or with a high intensity requires energy to sustain the rhythmic movements.
This causes an increase in energy demand in your body. The body starts acting towards meeting the energy requirements and hence converts accumulated fat into energy.
Thus, there is an increase in calorie expenditure along with your heart rate.
#2. Core Muscle Engagement
To keep the hula hoops moving around your waist, you stabilize your core muscles and move them constantly.
Thus, your abdominal muscles are activated for a longer time, allowing the controlled movement of hoops around your waist.
Eventually, it results in toning and defining the core muscles, reducing the appearance of love handles.
#3. Oblique Muscle Engagement
Oblique muscles are located in the sides of the abdomen, or the region of the love handles. While performing hula hooping, the oblique muscles are constantly engaged for the sideways movement of the hoops.
Your twisting and rotating movements to stabilize the hoops target these muscles specifically, toning and strengthening them.
Since these muscles get more defined with daily hula hoops practice, the love handles start to disappear.
#4. Reduces Overall Fat Percentage
Hula hooping works on your overall fat percentage to improve your general body composition and tone it.
Since spot reduction is difficult to achieve alone with exercises, hula hooping does a decent job of promoting rapid fat burning.
This allows quick results on love handles and stubborn belly fat.
#5. Increase in Metabolism
Hula hooping can increase metabolic rate both while performing the activity and after the activity.
The exercise requires a good amount of energy, which is fulfilled by increasing the metabolic rate to fuel the energy sources.
Eventually, the post-exercise excessive oxygen consumption increases, which keeps the metabolism high even when you are done hooping.
Overall, the above target zones and effects of hula hooping show that the exercise can work like magic for you.
But are you performing your hula hoops correctly?
A common problem with hula hooping appears to be the technique. Most people aren’t aware of the right way to do a hula hoop and, hence, think that the exercise is difficult.
So, let us make it easier and more impactful for you with the following guide on perfecting a hula hoop.
Perfecting Hula Hoops: A Guide to Get Rid of Love Handles
Using hula hoops to get rid of stubborn fat requires the right technique, form, and practice.
If you are new to fitness and it is your first day with hula hoops, here are a few tips to help you out:
#1. Select the right hoop
There are many types of hoops available on the market. However, according to studies, the most effective hoops are the weighted ones.
Generally, beginners should opt for larger and heavier hoops because they are easy to practice with. But once you master the large hoops, opt for smaller-sized hoops to get maximum results.
#2. Opt for spacious areas
You can do hula-hoop practice anywhere! However, the space should be spacious enough to avoid any obstacles while moving the hoops.
Beginners should choose a space with smooth flooring to avoid injuries. Advanced trainees get used to the movements and can do it on any type of flooring.
Yet, for the advanced stage, we suggest opting for smooth floors for safe and effective results.
#3. Correct your posture and technique
The correct posture to start hula hooping is to keep your feet hip-width apart and the hoop parallel to the floor.
Support the hoops against your back and get ready to start your first spin.
Push the hula hoop in a circular motion with the help of your hands, and then support its movements by moving your body or weight.
Make sure that the hoops stay parallel to the floor throughout your movement while maintaining the rhythm.
Let us give you detailed step-by-step instructions to perfect the hula hoops technique.
How Do You Perform Hula Hoops?
To enjoy the benefits of hula hooping daily, start practicing with the following steps:
#1. Waist Movements
The first step in hula hooping is perfecting the waist movements to lay a strong foundation. Start with the correct posture, with the hoop parallel to the floor.
Move your hips in a circular motion to spin the hoop around your waist. If the hoop starts falling on the ground, push it with your hands or move your hips to bring it towards your waist.
#2. Hip Movements
Once you have mastered balancing the hoop on your waist in steady rhythmic motion, it is now time to target different muscles.
Move the hoops around your hips by shifting your weight from one side to the other.
However, while doing so, control the speed and direction of your movements to keep the hoop spinning.
#3. Add Variations
Now, intensify hula hooping by adding arm exercises like lifting or crossing your arms. You can even lift the hoop over your head while you continue with the waist movements.
Adding arm movements to hula hooping can help you get rid of the love handles or the excess fat accumulation in the bicep area.
#4. Oblique muscle movements
Targeting the oblique muscles helps reduce love handles quicker. Hence, include sideways movements in your spinning actions to engage the oblique muscles.
To engage the oblique muscles, move your hips from one side to the other while spinning the hoop. Keep the speed under control and the rhythm steady
#5. Stay consistent
Practice regularly to develop muscle coordination and muscle memory. Since no exercise can show results in one day, you must have patience.
Consistency is the key to toning your body with the help of hula looping; hence, the next step in elevating the results of hula looping is to plan a schedule.
Let us first decide the frequency of hula hooping for the best results.
How Often Should You Perform Hula Hoops?
The frequency of hula-hooping influences the results and the time it takes to lose those love handles.
However, you don’t have to overdo it to gain results! So, how long should you hula hoop to lose weight?
The frequency and duration of hula hooping sessions vary according to your training levels and your flexibility. Generally, the following frequencies can yield good results:
Beginners should start slowly and then gradually increase the frequency of their sessions to avoid injuries and burnout. Start with hooping for 5-10 minutes a day, and then gradually increase it to 15-30 minutes.
At intermediate or advanced level aim for at least twenty to thirty minutes of hula-hooping a day for three to five days a week. But make sure to add variations in your hula hooping to engage different muscles like arms and hips.
However, you might wonder why stick with the 3-5 days a week pattern, not the daily hula hooping.
Well, to help you understand the effectiveness of the above pattern of hula hooping let us dig into the approximate calorie burn per session.
How Many Calories Does a Hula Hoop Burn?
According to research, the number of calories burned with hooping depends on the intensity and duration of exercise.
The study had 16 healthy, intermediate to advanced-level hula-hooping women. The participants used a weighted hoop for the trial for thirty minutes. They performed seven different routines.
Researchers calculated the calorie burn by measuring the heart rate and oxygen consumption.
The results showed:
- Hula hooping for 30 minutes burns 210 calories.
- Extending it to 60 minutes burns 420 calories.
Hence, performing 15 – 30 minutes of hula hooping for 3-5 days a week can be fruitful in getting rid of stubborn fat accumulations.
Moreover, at this frequency, hula-hooping can yield many more benefits!
Other Benefits of Hula Hooping
Hula Hoop is not just a weight loss partner but also improves athletic performance and overall posture in the following ways:
#1. Improves Flexibility
Hula hooping stretches several muscles and joints to improve flexibility and range of motion.
Better flexibility helps you perform different workouts and reduces the risk of injuries, thus improving your overall performance.
#2. Improves muscle coordination and balance
Hula hooping can improve your neuromuscular coordination as the movement involves maintaining a rhythmic movement of muscles.
It helps the body respond to the changes in the movements and trains your body to manage shifting weights.
#3. Stress Relief
Like any other exercise, hula hooping induces the release of endorphins that regulate mood. The release of happy hormones and suppression of cortisol keep you happy and calm.
Conclusion
The viral one-month hula hoop before and after pictures created a ripple in the fitness industry. But is the hype real?
Yes, the results are impressive, with studies rooting for the benefits of hula hooping. It targets the oblique muscles and core muscles to give you a toned body.
So does hula-hooping get rid of love handles? Yes! Moreover, you can add variations to the movement by training your arms to say goodbye to the bicep fat.
Altogether, the exercise is a type of complete body workout! But just hool hooping is not going to help you manage weight.
The right nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are equally important. After all, weight loss is all about balancing calorie intake and expenditure.