Monday, December 27, 2010

Day 88: Oh dear, its been too long since I posted

     I had a lovely Christmas gift from Santa Claus. I walked out the gate around my house on xmas day and noticed a hula hoop leaning against the fence. A letter on it read:

"Dear Hula Girl, My friend told me you don't exist but I know you do. I have seen you hula hooping several times and it makes me happy to see you. See? Santa does exist. Sincerely, Santa Claus"

The hoop was a lovely pink and yellow hoop. I am flattered and very curious as to who my hoopmirer could be. I am so happy to have one that I think it should be the goal of people to choose a hoopmirer for yourself and to make and give them a hoop!

Leave it for someone you want to get into hooping! They will enjoy it, if not for themselves, I'm sure they would not hesitate regifting it.

     I've been sporadic... it could be the holidays, but I've been noticing that in the past few weeks I've missed at least half of the days. And I'm sure staying away from posting has something to do with it. When I hoop inside or the weather is bad, I haven't been going as long as I should or as hard as I'd like. Also, instead of trying to do it EVERYDAY, I think it would be better to set a 30-min a day. That way I should complete 3.5 hours a week, 50 hours in 100 days. This seems much more realistic, but I want to be sure that it is at least 50 hours, not up to 50 hours. It would be interesting to see how many hours I can complete in 100 days.

    I am very happy that I have come this far. Even though I have been off and on for a few weeks, I have become closer to perfecting my hooping regimen by documenting it and providing feedback. I notice that if I hoop over an hour one day, the next day I have a light walk and hoop no more than 15 minutes, and often it becomes drudgery rather than excitement. I don't ever want to feel "forced" into hooping. It isn't good for my hoopmentality.

Goals: Finish my Hoop for 100 promise as best I can. I am nearing the end of the first cycle and I am eager to try out my next phase of hooping according to time.  And did I mention I need to finish those damn videos? At least I am taking them ;)

Accomplishments: I am happy to have discovered that I don't have to stick to ONE type of hooping promise to myself. I could even interchange between the hoop all week or hoop by time methods. I am teaching my daughter dancing (she's 11 months but her little wiggles when she stands are adorable). Perhaps the hoop I was gifted will be her first hoop since it is tiny and cute and perfectly Zoraish.

Happy Hooooopin; and I hope you all had a wonderful Xmas.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Day 62

     Breakthrough! I finally learned a key gesture to improve the quality of my flow. For the sake of being informative and not a prude who wants what I've learned to be mine alone, I'll try to break down what I'm talking about.

     When I usually do moves I focus more on the plane that I'm working on rather than how I'm holding the hoop. While that has been a great thing for me to pay attention to, I've began paying more attention to how fast or slow the hoop moves. I've become much more able to control the hoop and its speed by always keeping two hands on the hoop when I am changing between hands. For instance, when I do a lasso from my waist up to above my hand. I do not "toss" the hoop, now I keep each hand on the hoop for as long as possible. The hand that is going to receive the hoop becomes outstretched so that I grab it earlier than I would normally. This allows my "tossing hand" to add more dance/style to my performance. I let my mom use my camera for the funeral or else I'd make a video RIGHT NOW to show you what I mean.

     Anyhow, its given me loads more confidence in my moves. I love how my style is changing so rapidly after I've made it past the halfway hump. As for weightloss, however, I've plateaud. I'm sure Thanksgiving and its delicious extras didn't help! I sure do love leftovers and pumpkin pie though. Today I finally started saying no to my gut's demands and stopped myself from purchasing this scrumptious looking piece of cake at work.
    
     Just another thing, even though its pretty gross. I love how I have to make a BM after I hoop. It moves around my insides and gets my burner going.

Accomplishments: I've learned a new crossover hand trick while passing the hoop that makes my dance have mad flow. Thank-you inspiration!

Goals: Get my videos editted. Get my videos up NOW NOW NOW, before I finish 3/4 of this project with little results to show anyone. I want this to be an inspiration and I want it to reach as many people as I can get to hear about it. Hope all that are following this blog can give themselves a hoop challenge of their own length choosing. Be well!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Day 57

     The holiday season is going by quickly while I maintain my hooping challenge. I was happy to have my overeating symptoms go away as soon as I picked up the hoop yesterday after Thanksgiving dinner. Hooping gets a lot of my emotional energy out after sad episodes happen in my life. Yesterday my grandmother died after a long battle with cancer. She had won a few times, but her third and final cancer finally got her in the end. I hooped briefly yesterday but only a small amount before bed. I know when I finally get that long hooping session going I will cry for her.
     I had a startling vision heading home today after work. My dogs have been climbing over a 7 ft. tall chain link fence corner to run around in the graveyard near our house. Sadly, my beautiful year and a half old black pit bull/bull mastiff mix Wrinkles, was hanging on the other side of the fence. He jumped over but was choked to death by his chain, which we put on him before we returned to work to keep him from getting out of the front of our fence. We figured he got out by jumping between the two walls in the corner. We didn't know he'd try to get over a wall by itself. It was horrific to see him hanging as we approached the house with his brother circling his lifeless body. His brother got out of his collar before he jumped over the fence and Wrinkles was likely trying to follow him.
     I know this must not be what you're expecting to hear in this blog. But death is real and our way of life often distracts us from it. It becomes even more real when a loved one is facing death or when you have slipped out of its grasp. Hooping helps with coping for me. I hooped when my ex broke up with me, I hooped when my grandfathers died. I have and will continue to use hooping as a means to bring comfort to my soul when I am experiencing sadness. Furthermore, I don't believe that hooping masks the sadness, by diverting my attention to athletic pursuits. Rather, I think it clears my mind and allows me to embrace the sadness. I feel it is a beautiful tribute to the lost one or to the lost self when a sad event changes who we are.
    RIP Grandma Phyllis Fahey (11/25/2010); RIP "Wrinkles" (11/26/2010)

And as for my experience, death occurs in threes. So please, everyone be extra careful :)

Accomplishments: I hooped even on a holiday! I was sure I'd be too busy but I made hooping a priority and I got it done. I also have been hooping in the cold despite not being able to grip. I realized that if my hands have moisture they don't suffer the grip loss that cold weather causes. So if you are hooping in the cold: bring some hand lotion to keep your grip on that tape (I tried just spitting on my hands every few minute - gross I know - but the wetness isn't very good for the tape.) Maybe lotion isn't either, but it sure is less gross;)

Goals:I am trying to get up earlier so I don't have to hoop in the dark at night or hoop in my house, where space is limited.  I am shifting my work duties to earlier times so that I have everything done by 2 or 3 and have a nice chunk of daylight left to hoop. I have been reinventing hoop moves that I haven't done since I began hooping. They look a lot better executed by someone who has been practicing everyday for the past 57 days!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Day 47

     Man, last night I was on fire.Not literally, and sadly, not my hoop either. I was executing each of my moves so smoothly though. I'm surprised I'm improving steadily even though I haven't been focusing on perfecting my technique. My muscle memory must be kicking in. I think it helps that I've been avoiding using my 1/2 inch hoop also. That thing is so flimsy because it is only 110 psi. It flops around and is rather difficult to stabilize.
     I've decided to hold off NaNoWriMo because I have enough on my plate this month. Its not a challenge that'll make me feel proud to complete if I have to forfeit other priorities that are time sensitive. Though I can see how any other time in my life it would have been a big accomplishment. This month I'm too busy starting up businesses, keeping up my hooping challenge, and rearing a 10 month old to think about obligating myself to 1600 words a day of fiction. It was fun to write those first 3500 while it lasted though (My hard drive died and I've yet to see if the information was recoverable).
     I'm getting a bit more erratic with my movements. I'm excited to see if it looks sloppy or chic in a video. I have a feeling it'll look like both - no worries from me. It'll be nice to mix it up a bit. I need to do more arm hooping though. The last video I saw of myself my arms were flopping around like a flying squirrel. Its time to tone those up a bit with some lasso hooping for a few minutes on each arm.
     I'm almost half-way and I feel wonderful! I'm glad I took on this challenge. I may just keep going for another 100 days after I'm done. Or mix in some jogging to make it even more effective.
Goals:
     Find a new hooper on YouTube that inspires me. Post a video here.
Accomplishments:
     I am hooping rain or shine! I loved hooping in my big waterproof boots outside in the mist. I felt like a willow swaying in a cool swamp - with a hoop. I've began transforming my old favorite t-shirts into hoop workout shirts. I cut out the collar so that one of my shoulders is exposed - the old 80s look. This allows for one of my shoulders to be exposed and when I'm hooping on my upper body it feels like I am wearing a halter! (If you've ever hooped on your shoulders with a halter top you'd know that the grip on your skin with the hoop makes it incredibly easy to stabilize the hoop.)

     My computermust be set on uk- speak. Though I'm certain favorite is not spelled "favourite" and stabilize is not spelled "stabilise," my spellcheck seems to disagree. Tut tut...

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Day 34

I've become wonder woman by my intent to both hula hoop everyday and participate in NaNoWriMo, a novel writing community exercise in creativity. Hooping definitely gets the creative juices flowing though. However it also hones in on my word choice and now I feel lik a fool. Hoop Trilogy or Trilogy Hooping really doesn't define what I mean when I say hooping with three forms of hoopdance. I guess I should call it Trinity hooping, but its not one-in-three. I suppose its one-in-four, since it includes two minis, a standard hoop, and a weighted hoop.

Quadhooping? Sounds too strange. Regardless of my diction, I've been "at it" full force. I am almost ten pounds lighter than I was when I started this challenge, and I still have 64 more days to go! I can't wait to see the final results. I can already feel the difference in my strength and flexibility. I do regret not writing more about my journey here but I have begun a business and it takes up a great deal of my free time. Despite my work obligations I have made sure to include hooping as important, if not more so, than all of the others. I have only hooped the minimum, 15 minutes, two times in the past week. This is much more than I intended before, though. But I won't let the guilt build up in me and hold me back from completing this journey.

I realize that when I do "cheat" by only doing the minimum, I end up working twice as hard the next day to make up for it. My body yearns to let loose more and delve into that creative flow that is inhibited by only doing the minimum.

Last night I made my 30-something-day video but the battery died halfway through so I will have to try it out again soon. I like that the scenery is changing along with my videos. I can't wait to see the compiled videos when it shows the passage of time and the changing of my dance.

Last night I decided to dance with a hoop instead of the other way around. I used to dance with a hoop but it seems that the hoop has affected my dancing by making me focus more on executing moves rather than moving my body to music. I danced without the hoop, despite doing so by a lightly busy road, to enhance my hoopdance. It worked wonders.

Goals: Be thankful that hooping has come into my life by sharing it with others. I will try to start up a class with the local Parks and Rec t get other people inside the hoop.

Accomplishments: I made it this far! I want to hoop with my babygirl on my shoulders soon, it'll be a delightful image for others. I have lost a good amount of weight for my first month - more than expected. I expect that the loss will taper off as the time goes by. I am proud of my bodytemple more now than I was when I started. I love what the hoop has done for me!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Day 22

I've been "limiting" myself as I said I wouldn't. This is due to several job obligations. I've started a new business of selling auctioned items from storage units. Its very exciting but a lot of hard work. I still have time to pick up my hoop at night time and hoop for at least 15 minutes. I'll always make time for that!

Day 22 has arrived quickly! I like that my hoop scene where I shoot my videos is getting seasonified. I wanted the area to have the appearance of time elapsing. It looks cold today which would be a nice scene except for the fact that its also getting dark very early. I can feel the "Fall back" approaching. I don't like that going to work at 4 in the morning means I will be in the dark unloading boxes and searching through junk (I will be starting to sell junk at flea markets after this week for some extra dough).

After reviewing my video and watching a video by Brecken77 on Youtube here, I realized I need to be more flexible and bendy... which is why I've started to stretch more before and after my workout. Not only then, but I have been stretching more throughout my day. I would like to one day accomplish the splits or at least a very very high kick which would accompany my kick-outs when I hoop on one leg.

Goals: Become more flexible in my hooping. I noticed that my inner thighs are touching a lot when I reviewed my hooping video. I want to be more open in my stance, to take up more presence. To achieve this I will widen my stance, as if I am on a horse. I think this will help me to use more of my core for hooping instead of my legs. Also, I will do more pelvic tilts while hooping to decrease the rigidity I feel I present when I hoopdance.

Accomplishments: Hooping in silence was like walking in silence. There wasn't much special to it. However if I was practicing sustained spinning while hooping, my body was focusing on keeping proper posture and not falling. This along with my eyes being led by the spiral, creating an endless circle of shapes around my body, was extremely meditative. It turned off my higher ape and mammal mind and allowed me to feel a quiet peace. I recommend sustained spinning for all hoopers.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Day 15

There's nothing better in the world than to have this back pain diminish. Its been constant since Zora was born. It would ache so annoyingly as soon as I would lay down, like my spine was having to realign itself. I'm happy to report that I have not felt this dull boring pain in the past few days!

Hooping has started to become a habit. I love when it feels like that. My body reminds me to hoop, its not my mind anymore. Having a slightly more dense body is giving me an overall energy boost too. My stronger body is also welcoming stronger willpower. I've been avoiding certain temptations which used to be a necessity: blueberry scones. I don't even like scones, I don't know how I got suckered into them in the first place. Nevertheless, they are dead to me now. Now its fresh squeezed carrot juice! (Which takes about 10 carrots to produce).

I don't want to botch the true results too much by making it a diet-based weight loss. I want the hooping to really be the star. But honestly, the hooping really beckons this type of healthy-living behavior. When I decide to just hoop without music I am there with my thoughts. These thoughts lead to a character change, and through my actions, they become reality.

At sunset the birds chirp in the trees around my house. I grab my hoop and start hooping around my waist. When I hear a new bird call I do either a trick or I change direction. It feels good to tune into the rhythms of the world. I'll make that the goal this time around.

Goals:Hoop in silence. I want to pay attention to where my mind's conversation leads. Does it discuss hooping? Stress of my day? Affirmations? I will write a post about what the act of hooping did to affect my thought progression.

Accomplishments: I made the hoop videos! I downloaded a new program to get my hoop videos up! Now I need to learn it - but finding a decent program with linux has really  been half the battle. Oh, and did I mention I lost 3 pounds so far? *pulls fist down through the air saying "Yess!"*

I took some photos of my hoop loveliness and my hoop lovelies- the new and improved hula hoop with streamers! They're quite foofoo and I love them. I'll get them out to others as soon as I have more time to make them. I expect this winter I'll be more prone to dispersing them.



Sunday, October 10, 2010

Day 10

     I barely squeezed in 15 minutes of hooptime last night before I went to sleep. I noticed that this tends to keep me awake for longer into the night. I suppose it does make sense. When you workout your metabolism gets higher. It doesn't seem like a good idea to workout a little before you go to sleep because that only energizes your body. Adversely, it does help to fall asleep if you work yourself out until your dog tired. So next time if I'm stuck hooping before bed, I'll make sure I keep hooping til I'm starting to feel worn out and have a nice sweat going.
     After working on my accuracy with the Trilogy Hooping technique I am now focusing on my speed. I attempted to hoop as fast as I could while not dropping the hoop. It was a bit hazardous, but tons of fun. I noticed that my 1/2" light hoop doesn't hold up under the pressure of my chest breaks. So I am going to upgrade to a 3/4" tube with higher resistance to bending. Eventually I'll have to make an order for HDPE tubing. Not only because I want to make myself a pair of LED mini's, but also because that type of tubing is very resilient and has a decent bend radius.
     I am going to get some mirrors together so that I can have an area to hoop where I can see myself. I don't have a studio nearby so I'll have to make one at home. A mirror is important because it helps you identify your accuracy. I've been hooping at sunset and watching my reflection for guidelines on my planes and accuracy, but it won't be as effective as a mirror. I just wish my two large pitbulls weren't so crazed. I'm afraid they'll stomp my "studio." I will start looking for a place to rent. I will need it soon anyways for when I get my class scheduled.

Goals: Make another hoop video today of myself practicing Trilogy Hooping. "Work" the camera and make the video be like a performance, as if there were an audience there. (If I upload it, there WILL be an audience!)

Accomplishments: I smiled a lot, but I didn't smile non-stop. My face started to hurt. I sped up my routine and it helped to dazzle my performance. I smoothed out my arm movements and I tried marching (like I used to do in marching bad a billion years ago). It helped to keep my steps and body as still as possible while maintaining hoop circulation. I danced light on my feet as well. I would hop around on my tip toes, taking minimal hard steps, while I hooped. I was inspired by a native american video about dancing light on the earth as a way to thank her for taking on our burdens.

Happy World Hoop Day

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Day 7

     I've been having a busy week prepping the house for a new load of boxes from our old house. It would feel like Christmas, you know... opening all those boxes stowed away for months. However the home we moved into is much smaller without any large storage containers (our old home had two). Its not so bad purging myself of the past by tossing or selling my old favorites. Though for every 4 pieces of clothing or shoes I give away, I get enough money back to buy 1 new. Its good to downsize. And speaking of such- onto my results thus far!
     My answer for desserts is that if I want to enjoy anything processed and sugary, I must do it in the morning and I will maintain portion control. As for my "evening dessert/snack" it can only be cold, delicious, ripe fruit. I'll have to stash up on some organic strawberries before they get out of season. And I won't deny myself the occasional smoothie with berries, milk, and banana; yum!
     I don't like publishing stats on my body, but here it is in hopes that my honesty will force me to face reality. I started all this craziness at 174 pounds and 5'5" tall. Ouch... now I kind of feel better for saying it though. This is the type of profile I had in junior highschool (which happens to coincide with the period of my lowest confidence). Right now I am at 171 and I've lost 2.5" on my hips and waist. The thinnest I've ever been in my life is 140 pounds (At the age of 22). And I dream of one day being 125. I'm not doing an overall body mod but I suppose I could start so that I can keep track of the total results. (The scientist in me loves data!)
Goals:
     I want to complete a Trilogy Hooping routine while smiling non-stop. I believe the smiling will affect my mood, making me actually feel happier and more confident in my hooping. My long term goal with this is to always be smiling when I am hooping (unless I'm trying to appear animalistic or some other mood where smiling may seem inappropriate).
Accomplishments:
     I succeeded in hooping each of my sets without dropping the hoop. I found the standard hoop while hoopdancing to be the most difficult because I would often fail to execute a move and would find myself tossing the hoop, which I expected. I had to practice a very simple set of tricks. My aim with this was to practice my performance abilities. Experts don't drop the hoop. Therefore if I want to be an expert, I better not drop the hoop! I'll continue to work on not dropping the hoop.
     I also succeeded in performing Caroleeena's behind the back toss. I executed it in my first try! That feels so great when it works out the way you want it to. I need to tart working on editing my videos now. I wish there was something I could use on this Linux system. If I can get it to work then that'll be another accomplishment by itself.

Caroleena's behind the back toss is presented here:



  

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Day 5

     Its been rather easy so far to keep track of what day I'm on. Day 5! I don't even feel like I'm on a work-out regimen and that's wonderful considering that I am. I've lost an inch around my hips already. Its such a great feeling to be successful in something. I'm not one who reads self-help books, though this book Today is YOUR Day to Win has really been putting me in the mood of achieving goals; not just setting them.
     In my 5th day of hooping I've learned that watching a TV show and hooping around my waist for a half hour is a great way to work up a light sweat. I've done that two of my nights so far because I haven't had the time during the day to get outside to hoop all three types of hoops. The heavy hoop is great for exercise when the weather is bad outside, I just need to remember to stretch and move my joints to increase my range of motion.
     After the 3rd day I had a bit of a pain in the right side of my lower  back. It went away with a good night's rest, but I am very aware of back pain after my 36 hour labor with Zora. I never used to have it, and now it seems to plague me whenever I rely too heavily on my back for supporting my body. One of my other goals for hooping is to strengthen my lower back after my 9 months of hauling.
     I believe my back labor would have been much more painful had I not hula hooped throughout my pregnancy. It really wasn't that bad of pain. Actually, hooping helped me with a lot of the pain management as I had a natural birth. I imagined my body moving in circles along a vertical spiral as the pain swelled up and out my body. Hooping strengthens the lower back a great deal. I know that this pain I felt a few days ago was due to muscle being born, just as my  young girl made me feel pain through her birth. So despite the nuisance, its good news! I hope to feel little aches all over as my body tightens and becomes stronger.    
     I need to make up 100 calorie desserts for myself to enjoy. I don't deprive myself of dessert when I want it. I've tried several diets to lose weight after my baby was born. However, unlike some people who would opt for the low calorie foods or utilize portion control, I have been breastfeeding the past few months and I know it is essential that I NOT diet. Hmm, so how does one accomplish weightloss when they are simultaneously not supposed to deprive their body of nutrients?
     My answer was to follow a No Flour, No Sugar diet. I did follow it, quite strictly, for almost 3 months... but it only isolated me in a home with a vigorous bread lover, my fiancee, Harold. I would still bake him delicious treats, but not being able to enjoy them myself was difficult. I just pretended he wanted to eat all of it, so that I shouldn't sum up the desire to want any. However the No Flour, No Sugar diet was great at keeping my nutritional foods at a maximum. Sugar and Flour really are very nutrient-poor choices. I'm glad I did it for my young one.
    My new goals for hooping are to hoop for an entire song without dropping the hoop, either my twins, heavy, or standard. I'll start with a slow song because I usually throw my hoop off into the distance when I'm moving quickly and the hoop is flying all over the place. A slow, rhythmic song will make it easier to maintain hold. I can achieve this with the heavy hoop but the other two types are not as easy.
    I'll post my goals at the end of my posts a bit more obvious; like this:

Goals:hoop for an entire song without dropping the hoop, either my twins, heavy, or standard

Accomplishments:I discovered two new moves that I made up through flowing with my standard hoop. After doing a "jack rabbit" move, which is where you jump through the hoop as it moves from right to left then repeats, you jump completely out of the hoop, spin it along your vertical plane, then spin it towards you, but across your body and jump into it from the other side of your body....


I realize how confusing that sounds. Its so difficult to dictate a movement! Just try it yourself then don't be upset if I sound completely baffling. I'll have to embed a video of it so you can understand! Which is what I mean to do in the next week anyhow. Happy hoopin'
   
   

Friday, October 1, 2010

Day 1

     I've begun my exciting journey of hooping at least 15 minutes for 100 days. I chose 100 days because: it wasn't a year, a month seemed too short, and it didn't seem too long to get the results I want. I am aiming to become more strong and toned in this workout regimen. I know that watching the scale everyday and counting calories puts me in a serious mood. I don't want to be serious about this, I want to have good, clean, responsible fun!
     I am a new mother and I gained about 30 pounds after having my bundle of joy. I didn't drop it in 6 weeks like some women can do. It stuck around, much to my enjoyment, and now I want to say goodbye before my daughter turns 1 year old. Her birthday is January 11th, which is another reason why 100 days fits so nicely! 
     I love hooping and hoopdancing and I wanted to create something for the world to learn from. What's remarkable about this type of exercise is that it really does feel like you're playing and having fun. I have hooped for 3 years and it is still not a practice that I find redundant. I want to prove that hooping can be just as effective as jogging or cycling when set in the proper regimen. I will do this by utilizing my Trilogy Hooping concept.
    Trilogy Hooping is the use of three types of hoops for one workout. Because it focuses on specific parts of your body, it works out your entire body through focusing on each area, not just your tummy. I go out to a large open space, anywhere I desire, and with an mp3 player pumping inspiring tunes to some speakers or some headphones, I pick up a new hoop for each song that plays. With this, I am able to have variety and it keeps my workout new and exciting. I believe that running or cycling do not present this and that they can become tiring psychologically. A tired attitude lends itself to a tired body very quickly.
     For my upper body, I use a set of mini or twin hoops. This makes my upper body strong and increases my flexibility with each workout. I love looking up new moves on YouTube that influence my style and give me something to work on. I prefer twins because I am still hoping to one day be able to use them on my body at the same time. Mini's are also wonderful; I think they tone  your forearms/wrists more than Twins because they move so quickly. The weight of twins helps me to isolate my shoulders and biceps. I feel like a warrior woman after I use my twins!
    For my core I use my heavy 1-inch-tubing hoop. It tends to move itself because of how heavy it is, but it takes a mighty strong push from my abdominals to get it going. That is why its great for slimming your waistline. I want to build stronger muscles under my baby residual blubber so that I can increase how many calories my body demands. I know it is important to create muscles to burn off surplus weight. As much as I love being cuddly for my baby, I wouldn't mind a more rigid physique, as I'm sure many would agree. That's why I use my heavy hoop after my twins.
     Lastly, I use a standard, lightweight hoop to become the goddess that I am. I love to honor my body with dance; hoopdancing with my standard hoop is how I achieve that. Because it is thin and lightweight, it moves up and down my body with a flow that puts water to shame! (Not that I wish to shame water, that's my element!) Without putting my foot in my mouth anymore, I'll just say that hoopdancing really is best with a thin/light hoop. It has quicker revolutions as well, so it looks like you're hooping mad fast- which also feels pretty good to accomplish on top of looking awesome. I do all my tricks: throws, hops, jumps, groundwork, and anything else... with my thin hoop. Heavy hoops do not feel good when they accidentally hit you in the face or back of the neck after a move is not properly executed. So keep your trixy hoops lightweight!
    So that is what I'll be doing for the next 100 days. I'll be putting my Hoop for 100 days challenge to test by practicing my Trilogy Hooping concept. In the meantime I'll be setting up my webpage and making more YouTube videos so that I can give back to all those people who helped me learn their tricks through online videos. If anyone else is out there, I urge you to try the Hoop for 100 days challenge as well. I bet it'll change your perspective about how effective hooping really is as a total body workout!