Timereports that there is renewed interest in hoola hoops as a fun exercise option. The exercise can burn as many calories as running on a treadmill.
The initial appeal of hooping is that it's fun, but its lasting value is that it works. An hour of intense hooping can burn as many calories as an hour-long run on a treadmill. Exercisers can get a full-body workout with moves like HoopGirl's "pulse," which stimulates the entire core; the "limbo," which targets the back and thighs; and the "Wild West," which helps tone biceps and triceps. "Anything that gets people off the couch and burning calories is a good thing," says Pete McCall, an exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. "Hooping can be a good way to mix up your routine and keep it from being boring."
Time also bisited the Brooklyn-based exercise instructor has brought hula hoops into her pilates practice. TIME joins her weekly 'hoopilates' class
Videos like this one may also spark an interesting in hula hoops. Christabel, a hooper from San Francisco, is featured with other performers in the upcoming documentary, The Hooping Life.
