Staying young with play

I think we need to play more.

Kids play, they're encouraged to be creative and they laugh a lot. When we grow up, we think we're supposed to be serious. We feel embarrassed if we're not perfect at something or make mistakes. We go to work. We do housework. Even our recreational time is called a "workout".

Why? No wonder people try to get out of it. Well let's take it back! There is no reason why we can't play. It's not childish. There is something built in to humans to play, to explore, to learn new things.

So that's what I'm doing. I work with a dragon boating team, on their landing training. Based on the strength requirements for the sport, I have them doing a mix of upper and lower body exercises, all with emphasis on the abs. Above all, I've tried to keep it fun. I bring in big balls, little balls, even tiny balls into the dance studio I rent. Last week they were standing on balance domes and playing hot potato. We do bodyweight suspension training, use agility ladders and play with hula hoops.

I also teach a hoopdance class afterward. Everything is based on the science of exercise and the results of a fitness evaluation for each person, but after that, it's about play. Movement is meant to be enjoyable, not drudgery. Our bodies are designed to move and even if there is arthritis or pain, movement is better than no movement. Studies have shown that exercise helps people manage arthritis.

I don't believe we have to run marathons to be fit, nor do I think we have to be beat up to be fit. Increased heart rate is good, sweating is good, and to create change within the body... some muscle fatigue. It's all good though -- Don't you remember coming in from playing for hours and feeling a little wiped out? That's it!

Go play.

Keep Fit over the Fourth!

Moxie's hoop classes are on break for the holiday. In the meantime, we bring you an exercise from Hoopnotica's Fit program. Lead Master Trainer Jacqui Becker demonstrates the lunge, within your hoop.

A Growing Trend in Exercise -- Hooping

Every day people do it. The First Lady does it. Overweight people do it and shrink themselves, changing their lives for the better. Adults do it. People who couldn't do it as kids.... they do it.

What is it? It's hooping. As exercise. As fun. As play. As something to do while watching TV, sending email, thinking, or getting lost in the moment. And it's spreading. You're going to be surprised. Everyone can learn to hoop, when given a size that fits and instruction that works. Try it and be the first to tell your friends.

Proof of its rise and accessibility is everywhere. See a recent New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/fashion/hula-hooping-is-a-trend-thats-getting-around.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

It's fun, it's aerobic

Veteran hula-hoopers have long stood by its aerobic virtues. “A lot of people are interested in hooping for its health benefits, which might get them hooked, but it’s also such a fun way to do cardio,” said Bex Burton, a hula hoop instructor who founded Sense of Motion, a Brooklyn-based company that teaches hula-hooping, Pilates and yoga.

 It's not about being perfect

“One of my constant quotes in class is if you’re giggling, you’re doing it correctly,” Mr. Pildes said. “It’s not about how graceful you are, or what trick you can do. It’s about finding the joy in your workout.”

What do you have to lose? Don't wait. Classes are here. I teach in the Farmington area at Dancing Feats. New single-day workshops in December on Wednesday nights, 7:30pm. Details coming soon. In the meantime, you can create a class of your own at the above link. I can also come to your home, or workplace. Message me for specifics on your class.  

Easy lifestyle change -- join a hoop group

Good news for people who wanted an evening class time! I am offering a 7:30pm hoop group on Wednesday nights, beginning in September. Tuesday nights at 7pm are an option - contact me. Space will be limited, so register early.

It will be a series that runs 6 weeks at a time, and continues through the end of January, so if a make-up session is needed, I will allow that. Cost per series is $51. The first series will begin September 19 and run through mid October. Small class size will ensure you get all the help and motivation you need.

Come in to the studio, where you can learn and practice hooping without concerns over moving furniture, weather, obligations, etc. It's just your time to play!

I have been to Allegan and Algonac, two Michigan cities where there is a strong hooping community. Come build with me a community in the Farmington area! Many people have found that hooping not only changes their bodies, but their lives as well. Some have been trained to teach hooping, others have found confidence in themselves and everyone has made friends and expanded their social circles. There are meetups around the state and country where fellow hoopers gather to play in a park, dance in a parade, or camp and hoop for the weekend... families included. The fun and fitness reach beyond the studio. I teach hooping because it fits the message I promote, which is to make activity a part of your life. The lifestyle must change in order to encourage permanent health and weight change. With hooping, the transition to that is very enjoyable. You make time for it because it's so much fun... you want it to be part of your life.

Any questions before you register? Contact me here.

day and time

Wednesdays 7:30pm 9/19-10/24

Stay young with fitness

So many of the people I encounter wistfully recall their youthful days. They also say they could hoop with four hoops, put it around their neck, on the legs, etc. And then they say "Oh but I couldn't do that today."

They're putting an end to it without even giving themselves a chance.  We don't grow old because we grow up, we grow old because we stop playing.

Hoopdance classes are a fraction of the cost of a 1 oz jar of La Mer. The cream might help facial wrinkles, but hoopdance improves your body and makes you feel good inside. No cream can make you feel that way!

So I have a proposal for would-be hoopers. Take a look at this video of a Hoopnotica Master Trainer in London and see if you don't feel a little bouncier and willing to give it a try yourself. You can be the one to tell your friends how great it is!

For my hoopers who have learned the level 1 Hoopnotica moves, I give you this video from Hoopnotica, involving a new move building on the moves you already know. Play with it!

Personal Hoop Classes now available - It's all about you

I am pleased to draw upon my experience as a personal trainer and offer the hoop instruction in a personalized format. In so many aspects of our lives, we are asked to conform to a schedule or format that's already set for us and it's not always the best fit. Sometimes, it doesn't fit at all.

I want to say, it doesn't have to be that way.

For some people, trying something new may be embarrassing. Feeling silly among friends is one thing, but strangers? Not everyone makes fast friends. I walked out of a step class early in my workout days, because I couldn't follow the directional changes on and off the step. No one came to my aid and the instructor was oblivious in the large class. Among all of those strangers, I couldn't have felt more alone.

It doesn't have to be that way.

I'm offering small hoop groups that you create, with your own friends and family... or coworkers you're close to. Fun and silliness among familiar faces. I don't let students suffer in silence. If there is a struggle, I'm right there to help and offer a solution. No one is going to leave class without achieving some success among the skills. If you don't have a circle of friends or need more privacy, private and semi-private hoop lessons are available. In either case, we work together to choose a day of the week, the time, and even location. Travel charges may apply, but I will visit outside my general area, too. Choose the length of your series, and class format, and you've built yourself a custom class.

The benefit to being a group leader is discounted class tuition, or your very own private lesson where the whole hour is all about you. How often can we claim an hour for ourselves???

By doing so, you've taken a step for yourself toward fun, fitness and health. How's that for charting your own destiny?

Visit my hoop class page here.

It's Hoopy Hour in Farmington

Mark your calendars and stop by to see us on Saturday, July 21 from 2:30-3:30pm. I will be at Dancing Feats in downtown Farmington to raise my hoop and celebrate all that is fun and good about hula hooping today.

Maybe you've seen Youtube videos of people hooping, or caught a morning talk show and heard of the incredible weight loss stories of hooping devotees. Or maybe you tried hooping as a kid and couldn't do it, and pushed it out of your mind forever.

I was one of those kids. But one day a few years ago, I gave it a try because I had the chance to do it with a really big hoop. Incredibly, it stayed up for a few spins and I was intrigued. So I signed up for classes. Before I knew it, I was a "hooper". And then I became a certified teacher.

 As an instructor, the number one comment I hear before people try it, is they can't hoop. That isn't true, and people who admire it and dismiss it because they think it isn't possible are missing out on all the wonderful benefits of this activity.

Treadmills don't make you laugh, unless something on the TV monitor (there to distract you from the boredom of walking or running in the same spot for an hour) is funny. But you giggle while learning to hoop, and you hoot with excitement when you accomplish a hooping skill because that was so much fun, and you laugh aloud at the joy of it all when you lose yourself in a hoopdance, skills learned.

So on Saturday July 21 at 2:30, I welcome you to stop in and give it a whirl. You will see the difference. It's in the size of the hoop. The larger they are, the slower they go, the easier it is to power the hoop with the instructions we give you. These are not child hoops from the drug store. They are adult hoops, and I have them in a few sizes, and I will demonstrate what modern hooping is all about. There will be instruction and information on classes and a prize drawing from all entries returned... the winner's choice of a custom hoop OR private lesson.

Hoopy Hour is during Farmington's Founders Festival but not a part of it, though I can think of no better way to play and celebrate! No charge to participate, no purchase required to enter the drawing. Take a break from your Saturday and see what it's all about!

Summertime, and the people go hooping

If you've been thinking about it, now is the time! Hoop classes starting up June 19 in downtown Farmington. Registration info here and online payment and class descriptions are found on the classes page here.

Welcome back to those who have discovered the joy of hooping already, and a warm welcome to people experiencing for the first time how great it is to play like a kid again, and get fit in the process!

Don't be left out of the fun! Many people who didn't think they could hoop are now finding out they can and others are rediscovering the joy. Come out and play. Southeast Michigan has it! Subscribe to get updated information on hoop fitness classes.