Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Traci "CircularPraise" Bonney on October 6, 2010 at 11:12am

I've hit a plateau lately with my hooping too; need some new tricks to work on in addition to the ones I'm trying to improve. Like you, I can't find one all-purpose hoop that works for everything, so I switch between a chest-high one for on-body moves and a slightly smaller one for off-body work.

Also, it appears that my thyroid might be underactive, which would explain why my energy level seems so low lately. I'll know more about that after Friday's bloodwork appointment.

I just spent an hour or so yesterday evening moving photos off my laptop to my portable hard drive to make more room for hooping videos - amazing how this obsession of ours takes over everything! My computer is so full of hooping videos and music I'm actually having to delete and move things to free up space. Before hooping, I never came anywhere near filling up a hard drive!

And the computer is only the tip of the hooping iceberg. My iPod doesn't come close to holding all the hooping music I've acquired, and my wardrobe is suddenly full of tank tops, skorts and yoga capris. I swear, hooping is the kudzu of sports/hobbies! ;)

Permalink Reply by Shelley "HoopyChick" Gilbertson on October 6, 2010 at 11:52am

And when I got into it, I thought hooping would be a relatively cheap hobby and form of physical fitness. All you need is a hoop, right? And yeah, hoops can cost a fair amount of money, but not a huge deal like buying a boat or something. HAH! The joke is on me. Like you say - one needs more hoops, cameras, computers, more hoops, Pods, a decent portable CD player or iPod doc (for hooping away from home), new clothes (I can't hoop in just anything, you know), and the list goes on and on and on! LOL!

Yeah, my computer is telling me my hard drive is full too, so every time I upload a vid, I have to do it one short video at a time and then immediately move it onto a flash drive. It sucks!! Why do videos take up so much space???

I hope your medical issue turns out all right. I have Grave's Disease several years ago. I had a very over-active thyroid. A radiation treatment and ever since I've been totally fine except for having to take daily thyroid hormone replacement. Good luck!!

Thanks for expanding my vocabulary too! That's so cool!

Permalink Reply by Traci "CircularPraise" Bonney on October 6, 2010 at 12:08pm

Thanks for the good thoughts about the thyroid. At least if I have to go on pills for it, they're only $4 at Walmart, unlike the scripts I take for BP and allergies. Who knows, maybe if the thyroid problem is resolved the BP and other stuff will improve too.

Meanwhile, I'm gonna keep on hooping, even if I can't do a marathon session without frequent water/breath-catching breaks. :)

And you're welcome for the vocab lesson. ;) We southerners know about kudzu, but folks in other areas may never have seen it - although that Wikipedia article said the stuff's been spotted as far north as Canada. "Vine that ate the South"? More like "vine that ate North America"!

Permalink Reply by Cara Lee-Shuff on October 14, 2010 at 10:28pm

I'm 63, new to the group, just started hooping back in early June by way of an awesome beginner's class here in San Francisco. I've basically been doing something physical since my mid-20s, starting with just regular exercise classes, later adult ballet solidly for 4 years, some yoga, and then weight training pretty consistently since my early 30s with a hiatus when I didn't have gym access, but still had a rudimentary set-up at home - I was determined! First time I even saw hooping at all was at a dusty gypsy fair in a hippie town outside of Santa Fe(I lived in NM for 12 years), and a couple of years later after I'd been back in San Francisco for awhile I got to try it at a street fair and knew I could pick this up if I tried. It took me a couple of years though to catch up with a class and I'm so glad I did. Anyhow, I found I took really well to hooping(I did have a hula hoop as a kid as a lot of us older ones did) - people in my class even asked me if I was SURE that I was just starting out LOL! Been addicted ever since and get in a good amount of practice each week and loving it! Next weekend, I'm taking an advanced beginners'/intermediate intensive over 3 days with the same instructor I had back in June, plus a guest instructor that does different stuff than she does. Can't wait!

Permalink Reply by Shelley "HoopyChick" Gilbertson on October 15, 2010 at 6:56am

Cara - Welcome! Wow! How awesome that you just started hooping at age 63! What an inspiration you are! I myself an a later-starter as well, as I just started hooping in late April on my 43rd birthday. I've been into physical fitness since my early 20s too, and I think it helps. Having that solid foundation and being in good shape makes picking up some new physical activity easier. On the other hand, hooping is great for those looking to get into exercise as well. It's such an awesome thing!! Have fun at your class next weekend. Drop by and give us a report if you can!

Permalink Reply by Cara Lee-Shuff on October 24, 2010 at 8:47pm

Hi all! Our workshop so far this weekend has been just AWESOME - so thrilled and glad that I signed up for this! It was a bit of a chunk of change for me but I did find some cash that I forgot I had, so the Universe must have meant for me to do this LOL! We've just gotten through 2 of the 3 2-hour sessions, and already I'm aiming for that faster, smaller lighter-weight hoop of the type we've been using in class. We've been doing a lot of off-body work and isolation/iso-pop stuff that goes better with this type of hoop. Am buying one of these tomorrow at the studio for sure! The guy who taught today was very much influenced by Rich of Iso-Pop(there's a bunch of YouTube videos)having taken classes with him so this was pretty cool to say the least! He's also into combining shamanic blessing and prayer with the hoop which is a powerful and healing combo. Loving this! Tomorrow we finish up with our original instructor who is equally tremendous in her own right.
About having a solid physical foundation is absolutely correct - it would be a real challenge for the average 60+ year old who had absolutely zero previous fitness activity, etc. to get into this, plus it seems that an awful lot won't because they might think it's "only for younger people". Well I'm out to prove them wrong, and so is my 68-year-old husband who is in great shape from gym training and a healthy diet and took up poi spinning not long after I got into hooping.

Permalink Reply by Shelley "HoopyChick" Gilbertson on October 25, 2010 at 7:40am

Cara - Thanks for the report on your workshop. It sounds fabulous! I really want to take a live class some day. I love learning on my own, but I think I could benefit from hands-on instruction, and I'd love to feel the energy of a group of hoopers! I think it would be especially helpful for me with isolations. I get them, and I think I can do basic ones, but it never "feels" like I'm doing them right. Rich is such an awesome hooper! Did you see that he and Sprial have a video coming out? It's up for pre-order now.

You and your husband should be so proud of the excellent example you are setting for becoming more fit as one ages! I hope to do the same!

Permalink Reply by Suzanne "Celestia Blue" Steed on October 24, 2010 at 8:22pm

Hello again, Shelley, and to everyone else as well! I am also 43 and started hooping Sept 20th. I have the whole seeding series and have been slowly practicing stuff from seeding one. Over the weekend I was watching all the knee hooping videos on seeding two, I believe, and I attempted it a little last night...lol. I was SHOCKED today when I actually got it for a short time and was able to keep it up for 10-15 seconds!! I can tell it will take a lot of practice before I feel completely comfortable with it which is what I expected. I have not achieved my flow as far as dancing with my hoop. I am just getting to the point of turning around and need TONS of practice with my hands..LOL! I did combine two things for the first time which excited me. I was practicing the revolving door and would do that and go right into spinning the hoop above my head and back into the revolving door. I have never been a dancer but felt like I was actually doing it for a bit!

I LOVE HOOPING and I purchased 100 ft of 100psi and the same of 160psi and have been making hoops for myself and my almost 5 yr old. It is so nice to be able to go make a hoop of any size if I need to! My daughter has been trying to hoop around the waist for a week or so now and just got it in the past couple of days and is sooo excited! I made a hoop for her friend today and we are going to give it to her tomorrow. I have given a couple away in our neighborhood as well and now every kid on the block wants one! I am very lucky because I do not work and stay home with my daughter (this is the last year b4 she starts school!) so I have time to spend on practicing...though I need to do it a little more. I have been pretty sore though from what I do do, so I know I am doing SOMETHING right! I love this website and it is fast becoming my new facebook!

Cara....WELCOME! You ARE an inspiration! My mom is 67 and is having some medical probs and says she would never be able to hoop. Maybe my enthusiasm, progress and overall changes in my body will convince her to possibly give it a chance someday! Thank you Shelley, for your enthusiasm! It is soooo contagious! I have not even started to video myself but am going to this week for sure. Not sure when I will get anything on here but at least I'm getting the ball rolling...: )

CHEERS!

Permalink Reply by Shelley "HoopyChick" Gilbertson on October 25, 2010 at 7:47am

Suzanne - I love that you're making hoops for everyone and sharing the hoop love! I would love to learn how to make my own hoops, but I tend to go overboard with stuff, and I'm quite certain that between different types of tubing and all the gorgeous tapes out there, I'd invest a ton of money and probably have 8 zillion hoops just for my personal use! LOL!

I just finished going through all the Seeding 2 lessons, and I too am working on knee hooping. I've pretty much got it to the left (my natural direction), and I can do okay to the right. I need to practice on a lift up from the knees (so far I can shimmy it up but not use my hands to pull it to my waist or over my head and off my body) and the "kick up" move.

I am hoping to get my new hoop and minis from Kendra this week, and I also ordered another hoop from Jen of Hipster Hoops, which should also come this week. (Both of those ladies are so helpful and wonderful!) I'm really excited because my main hoop right now is one I cut down myself, and it's been great, but it's getting really beat up. Plus it's ultra thin, 100 psi tubing, and it just doesn't hold it's shape well. Once my new hoops come, I'm going to start minis and then move on to SaFire's "Budding" series sometime next month.

Permalink Reply by Cara Lee-Shuff on November 24, 2010 at 12:27pm

Yes, I did buy that new lighter-weight smaller hoop at the hoop intensives 3-day workshop I described in other posts on this thread - I'm LOVING it! Since the smaller and lighter-weight hoops are faster, one works out even more using these. This is why people just starting up really do have to go with the larger heavier hoops until they get some basic stuff down, and then move up. With this new hoop, it just INVITES much more fluid, speedier rhythmic movements. My dancing has gotten a lot more fluid as this has opened up new avenues of expression. Even DH notices this, along with a few very good people in my hoop jam group. As far as learning, one can learn a great deal from video tutorials, etc. but there's another dimension to the class experience for sure - I absolutely got a lot out of both my beginner series that I took back in June, and my recent 3-day advanced beginners/intermediate workshop. Since one of the instructors specialized in a lot of nice isolation/iso-pop work due to having been a student of Richs' Iso-Pop, that got me over the hump of learning isolations that I was having some trouble with. Plus the group energy!
Indeed, at first one thinks well I'm the oldest person here, but in the hooping community here it doesn't matter at all. There's room for all sizes, shapes and ages!
Next hoop dreams - a pair of poi hoops, and much later(after saving up)an LED hoop...I saw one of these close up a week and a half ago toward sunset at our weekly hoop jam. WOW - I so-o want one of these - it's cosmic! Videos of people LED-hooping doesn't do these beautiful flow toys justice!

Permalink Reply by Shelley "HoopyChick" Gilbertson on November 24, 2010 at 4:24pm

I'm glad you're enjoying your new hoop, Cara! What size is it? I recently got a smaller (36", 125 psi) hoop from Jen at Hipster Hoops (I highly recommend her), and I'm waiting for a 38" PPE hoop from Kendra at Sunshine Designs and also two mini hoops (22"). I also ordered a pair of 24" minis from Hoop Mamas. I can't wait to get them all and start Sandra's Minis Class. I'm jealous of your taking the Iso class with Rich. I'm struggling with isolations, and I could stand to sit at the feet of the master (Rich) and absorb some knowledge! I'm hoping working with the minis will help me with the isos.

Permalink Reply by Richie 'Monkey Mooncalf' Isaacs on March 5, 2011 at 3:13am

I am bumping the thread.

Bump!

Hi!

I'm over 40* and I hoop.

Yay me!

Yay everybody!

OK, am working on shoulder hooping without spinning in circles, not giving myself cauliflower ear with the duckout and, as always, getting those isolations looking like isolations.

Non hoop-wise I am in the middle of a guitar renaissance so should have new music to share soon, am trying to be more socialble but run out of hours to be on site *sighs* and there are crickets chirping outside my window (they sound lovely)

 

 

*43**

 

** someone said something like 'With age comes wisdom' ....nobody said anything about maturity being part of the deal ;)

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