Day 7: If only I could do isolations with my WAIST

I looked up the word "tummy tuck before and after" on google. WHY THE HELL DID I DO THAT? SO GROSS! Google just BEGS for strange inquiries though, doesn't it? But nevertheless... a part of me was astonished. Half of them don't look different at all, the other half...  WOW. If the belly button didn't look like it was transplanted from a cadaver and on the verge of rotting off, I'd say that surgery would do wonders for my sag post-pregnacy pouch.

But for the record, I will never get this surgery done. And prior to finding out a few weeks ago that I was going to expect another child, I was steadily losing weight and on the horizon of looking at something that resembled me at 21. Now I am hoping the increased hormones will give me that elasticity required to suck things back into shape. Why couldn't I have my mother's genes? She lost all her baby weight by "magic" after 3 weeks. It literally melted off and she couldn't eat enough. I suppose we all have our unique challenges. At least over 50% of America and can relate with me.


Now.... to my title. I think I CAN do isolations on my waist, but the slow motion hula kind of hurts my ankles. I have been doing a lot of arm isolations so that I can one day pull off the "IsoPOP" as so famously executed by Sir Richard. And doing this is really toning my arms in ways I didn't expect. But as I said before... I could use for some waist toning too!

I was practicing hooping on my thigh, doing a jack rabbit move, then hooping on my other thigh. It was sloppy and I could barely hoop on my thigh without falling over. So that's the next thing to work on... Hooping on my thigh perpendicular to my body with my toes pointed towards the floor.

Day 6: Taking it easy,

I suppose it should come as no surprise that I am already going to slow down my proposed hooping quota. I have tried this week to hoop at least 10 minutes a day and it has left me with hooping 45 min. one day (Day 2), 10 min (Day 3), 30 min (Day 5), and 20 min today (Day 6). I cannot fathom hooping another hour and 45 minutes all tomorrow! I know I could easily take that on about 3 years ago. Heck, that's how long my hooping sessions would normally be. However I am not ONLY hooping this time, and that makes a big difference.

Another big difference is that because I am already working out (stair climber 500 calories a workout/ 4 days week and Zumba 2-3 days a week), my current hooping is not really for maintaining fitness but for excelling my SKILL/TALENT. I am going to focus my hooping sessions on slower moves that don't take the wind out of me. Due to this, I am going to alter the hooping time/frequency.

I need to maximize my muscle memory. To do this, I must hoop EVERYDAY for 10 minutes. This is not a daunting number that sends chills down my spine. I can go upstairs and do this while hubby watches the babe (She tends to walk right into my hooping session and I will need uninterrupted focus to really practice.

Today when I was slowing down after sweating bullets for 15 minutes straight, I worked on my isolations. They were so sloppy and all over the place! I couldn't believe it. I'm sure my muscle fatigue had a small part in it... but I couldn't get it PERFECT like I was able to at the end of my other 100 hoop challenge.


In order to maximize my at-home perfection sessions, I am going to need to setup a large mirror somewhere. That is the next task at hand...

Day 1: Hooping Challenge while PREGNANT

I found out a few weeks ago that I will not be bringing another precious being in the world in February. I am ecstatic! However I am only 7 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight from before.. so that is a bit of a surprise. However I have a good feeling about this time. First off, I have one Hoop Challenge under my belt and I have a lot of energy to start this pregnancy off with another Challenge!

I am also very excited about putting together a video production for my Prenatal Hooping video this fall. I am starting my search for mommy-to-be's like me who know how to hoop or who want to learn. My video will be very easy for beginners and I want it to incorporate both hooping and yoga. AND NO FAKE BELLIES! I want women who are REALLY pregnant. And this is a paid position... This is my first time mentioning it on the web and as soon as I get my prenatalhooping.com website up I will put up official applications.

Onward: I am going to do a 3.5 hours/week hoop challenge this time. I know this is a better choice for me since I already have a 19 month old and a 28 year old to take care (husband.) And I am starting a lot of new projects, not to mention I need to convince my landlord to sell me this house (its so inexpensive and I want to write off my house for taxes since I use it!)... so there's a lot on my table, but hooping is already happening for me almost everyday.

I just got through with a 4 day no-workout stretch (although I was doing chores and standing 10 hours each day at work). However not going to the gym has a way of giving a person more energy. I still want to lose that last 7 pounds AND be pregnant. My BMI is "Above Average" and I know my nutrition is plentiful enough to accommodate a nursing toddler and a growing fetus for the next few months. I'd like to weigh the same as I do now while 9 months pregnant and then lose the baby weight and be 135-140. That sounds GREAT to me!

I will attempt to hoop at least 15 minutes everday, but I know there will be somedays where it gets put off and I end up hooping for an hour one day without counting! That's just how it works for me. And I will also mind what TIME I hoop. During the last challenge I put off hooping til too late and then it didn't happen. 

Video of the day?:

Starting up a Hoop Challenge: Rules

Its time to start another hoop challenge! How long do I do it this time?

I like 100 days but it is not to be entered into lightly. Hooping everyday is something you enter into after weeks of gradually hooping more and more often. For instance, the past week, I  hooped 4 days. That's pretty decent. How long? About 5  hours. Also decent... Now; do I want to hoop 3.5  hours a week or 30  min. a day?

I'll shoot for 30 minutes a day. If that starts transforming into 3.5 hours a week, what's meant to be will be... and I am not going to fight it. This challenge is meant to be fun! I will write the days into my calendar as I did last time. I will also write "A: for arm weight lifting, L: for leg weight lifting, Z: for Zumba aerobic class, KB: for Step Kick-boxing class, or S: for spinning" These will really help my hooping. Despite a regimen of the above workouts over the past month, I have easily fit hooping into the mix. All thanks to my lovely man who watches our daughter while I run to the gym to honor my bodytemple. Thanks HAROLD! Kisskiss.

My super supreme overall goal after this challenge is to somehow integrate hooping with a break dancing move. After breaking my ankle almost 2 years ago I still have wobbly legs. I  need the strength training to help my muscles rebuild so that I have confidence to execute these moves without wariness. I am even scared to do a left handed cartwheel! My leftedness needs assistance. I will also be trying to do more left-spinning hoop moves to equal myself out. 

I will be posting a trick I am trying to master from YouTube. I am always trying to get one down, and I don't mind sharing which ones intrigue me most. Today's is the triple jump! I love how hoppy this kid is. I never seem to jump off the ground enough.

I really like this boy's enthusiasm and his accent!

I will start my challenge very soon, I just want the timing to be right.

way past Day 100...

Hello!

I successfully attempted my 100 day  challenge. I would say I missed about 2 weeks total: but that IS NOT bad at all for a first try. I noticed that as soon as I started to miss a few days I was able to rationalize missing more. It kind of felt like a DIET because I was obligating myself to do it instead of prioritizing out of want. Now I know when I attempt it again, as I mentioned before, I will do it 3.5 hours/week in stead of 30 min a day minimum. actually... even three hours seems a lot (I have a one-year-old and several part time jobs!) I will just stick with 3 hours I think.

I haven't been able to hoop the past few days because of my NEW HOUSE! YAY I am moving next door since my neighbors got evicted (never paid rent, boo on them. yay for me though). And I plan on keeping one room completely empty just for hoop videos. That's right! I'm going to make hoop videos now. At least ONE A MONTH! I'll go over moves I'm making up, signature moves of others that I've deconstructed (with reference citing to who started it of course), and much more! I'd also like to get my prenatalhooping.com website running with a forum and some super large hoops as well as links to other women who have uploaded videos of themselves hooping. I'll accept any suggestions as to what people would like to see on such a website also.

My big dream is to make a prenatal hooping video! YAY! I can't wait. This summer is going to be fun. I also look forward to going to RAINBOW GATHERING and hooping with the lovely Rainbow Tribespeople in Washington State. Won't you join me?

Love to you all - I will post more next time I am in a 100-day challenge. I  believe I will start another one when I get back from Florida. Time to lose the "vacation" weight. I'll shoot a demo video on the beach there if I have some free time!

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.

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!