The Weighted Hoop

I used to exercise with a weighted hula hoop and would highly recommend that for anyone interested in a more fun form of fitness. I paid about $25 for mine, I got it at a sporting goods store in the mall (it was 2008), and I chose the lightest option offered there. It came in several pieces that snapped together and was pretty easy to use right away. There isn’t much to the workout but standing and rocking your core muscles. I never followed along a guided class for this (of course there are free ones on YouTube now) it was more of a free-style activity for me. With the right music, tv progam or a phone conversation it’s very enjoyable! I didn’t even know about podcasts back then. The hoop is large but flat enough it’s easy to “hide” behind a door or keep stored our of the way against a wall, and it can work in a pretty confined space (as long as you stay on the same spot, with enough clearance space around you). I’ve used it in a hotel room, and a small studio apartment, and it really did work without knocking into things. When I was packing and relocating a few years ago, feeling really exhausted, I asked my roommate if she wanted to keep the hoop, and was relieved (in the moment) she said yes. Sometimes, I think about getting another one to replace it, but I have a collection of other props already.

A yoga or pilates ball- the large inflated rubber exercise orb (it’s called too many names). I like that too and think it’s another fun workout apparatus. It’s versatile to use and an appealing shape. It can be used in very gentle exercises, for someone with an injury or greatly pregnant, and also helps a strong healthy person to challenge your muscles to utter fatigue. If the workout plans fail and the ball remains inflated, it can also be used as an unusual extra seating option, too. They’re not very expensive, so that’s my recommendation for any beginner home gym.

Trigger warning for those who don’t want to read about an eating disorder.  

I’ve been addicted to working out, and I don’t say that in an exaggerated way. My family put me in a mental hospital for struggling toward impossible “body goals” a few times and I still can’t seem to get over it. Any gadget with the potential to help along weight loss that I can get a hold of I am willing to give a concerted effort. Bulimia was an important part of my life for a long time, and thankfully I am “much better”, but I still struggle. At the moment I think I’m doing great and feeling strong, but I’m not really reliable to know for sure about that. In November, my primary care doctor said my “numbers are perfect” when I was within the low end of the normal weights for my height. I asked her opinion on my exercise routine and my belief that I don’t need to take “rest days” like I’ve heard about other people wanting to sometimes “rest” from exercising (what a baffling mystery). She said Pilates is very restorative, and fine to do daily! Things like running on concrete or lifting heavy weights are the regimens that injure their most dedicated practitioners. 

What exercise works, what is a sustainable workout routine, what is safe or affordable- there are so many areas to contemplate on this topic, but I’m glad that today we’re only considering the factor of fun.