Have you ever asked yourself the question “Can I lose weight by hula hooping?”, if you find yourself asking that question, then good news. Here are some great tips to get you started including the hula hoop in your fitness training.

Let’s first look at how to select a suitable hula hoop to use in your training. Size does matter, choose the correct size hoop. Forget about the ones you find at Toys R Us, they’re kid-sized hoops, unless of course you’re kid-sized. So get an adult size hoop, if you are a beginner to hooping getting the wrong size hoop will make it more difficult for you to get back to hooping.

As a general guide, with the hoop placed upright on the ground in front of you, the top of the hoop should come to your chest. Of course, you have to take into account the size of your waist. So the bigger you are, the bigger the hoop has to be. The rotation speed is inversely proportional to the size of the hoop. The larger rings will rotate slower and the smaller ones faster. Larger hoops that spin slower will make it easier for you to get started with the hoop. Smaller, faster-spinning hoops are great for tricks and are harder to master, but are great for working out.

Try to strike a balance between the speed of rotation and the level of difficulty of the hoop you choose. Try them out in the store, get a feel for the speed of rotation and how hard they are to use. You don’t want to have something that spins slow and doesn’t provide a good enough workout or something so fast that you end up giving up on the hoop because it’s too hard.

To get started with your first hoop workout, try this:

1. stand with one foot in front of the other

2. Hold the hoop against your back, slightly above your waist.

3. Push the hoop around your waist

4. Shift your weight from side to side on your feet

Try to find the momentum of the hoop’s rotation in relation to your body movements. You may find yourself trying to move your hips in circles to follow the hoop, it’s easier if you shift your weight from one side to the other. As for the way to rotate the ring, try both ways, you will instinctively find out which one is more comfortable for you.

Well, that’s basically what you need to get started. Once you’ve mastered these easy steps, there are many more fun and advanced techniques you can try.