Remember the hula hooping you used to do as a fair youth? Well, now it’s a work-out – and a tricky one at that.
Sinead and I have done a lot of hard or strange activities in our ABTGG quest, but the ladies at Powerhooping were – by far – the most impressive group of exercisers we’ve seen thus far.
The women, who would range in age from 20s to 60s, are able to spin a weighted hula hoop around their bodies while running, punching and jumping, without letting it drop once. It is like magic to watch, frankly. And not something I was able to achieve for the entire class…
Amy McAuley, who brought Powerhooping with her from Scotland, leads the class and is a powerhooping powerhouse. She warns us that there might be ‘light bruising’ after the first class, which delights me because I feel like a good bruise earned through athleticism is proof I don’t spend all my time either sitting behind a desk or sleeping.
She tells us that if our torso starts to feel hot or itchy, just to take a week break.
Luckily, I am unable to keep the hoop spinning around my core for longer than seven seconds at a time, so my bruising is only slightly on my hips and mostly on my shins, where the hoop hits me for most of the class.
A powerhooping class is like an aerobics class – when the hoop isn’t spinning around you, you use it as a weight/resistance for lunges, arm exercises, etc.
You can add your own weights to it as you get better – and most of the ladies in our class have done so – but it’s the hero move of spinning the hoop around your body that’s the killer. You have to keep your core rock hard in order to keep the hoop up and it’s a seriously good workout; the athleticism of the women we saw doing it was a real testament to that. But it’s also seriously good fun, because it feels like you’re back at school having a play!
Verdict: Core strength is hugely important to women and this class is relatively low impact on joints, but gets your heart rate up and your whole torso working hard. The spirit at the classes was also really fun and really supportive. If you’re after an exercise that will strengthen your body, with a focus on your core and back, and a community of super supportive women to do it with, Powerhooping is your best bet.
Where we did it: There are classes available all round Auckland, as well as Taranaki, Waikato, Hamilton & Nelson. Visit powerhoopnz.co.nz for more information.
Sinead and Emma are the Anything But The Gym girls. Bored with standard workouts, they have begun the hunt for new and fun ways to get fit. Follow their weekly adventures here, and in New Zealand Good Health Choices. If you have a suggestion for something interesting for them to try, email [email protected] with Anything But The Gym in the subject line.
Emma and Sinead
