Hula: It Isn’t Just for Kids!

Hula: It Isn’t Just for Kids!

hula funRemember when you were a child and your school had hula hoops? Maybe you figured out how to use them around your waist or maybe you simply enjoyed rolling them around. Either way, the amount of fun you could have with just a simple little hoop was unreal. Then, perhaps you grew up. Those hoops were forgotten until that magical day when your child wants a hoop. What you may not realize is that being grown doesn’t mean that we have to forget the hoop. It can be just as fun for adults as it is for kids. It also provides you with an outstanding exercise option that is guaranteed to make you WANT to do it.

The History of Hula Hooping

hoop danceMost people feel that the hula hoop was invented in the 1950s. This is not 100% accurate, though the hoops we see now are a result of their change in the 50s.

The origins of a hula hoop type “toy” date back to around the 14th century according to author Charles Panati. In his research, he discovered that people had developed a fascination with wooden or metal hoops, even then. At that time, it was even used by doctors to treat pain, back dislocations, and heart issues. He also notes that the word “hula” likely comes from the traditional Hawaiian dance in which the same hip movements are used.

Native American’s used hoops in their “Hoop Dance”. This was a way for them to tell stories and the hoops were included as props.

Today’s hula hoop is made of plastic and may sometimes be filled with water or sand. This is a big difference from when it was made of dried grapevines, rattan, willow, and stiff grass. And, even though it isn’t prescribed by modern doctors, you may still reap a lot of health benefits by picking up a hula hoop.

Benefits of Hula Hooping

hula hoopingWhen you pick up a hoop, your body will thank you for it. There are many benefits to twisting your hips to keep the hoop up. These benefits include:

  • Burns Calories: You can burn an average of  165-200 calories by spending 30 minutes with your hula hoop.
  • Improved Balance: Renewing your love of hula can strengthen core muscles and improve your overall balance.
  • Burn Body Fat: Research has been done that proves women can lose up to 3.4cm around the waist and 1.4 cm in the hip area over six weeks.
  • Gets Your Heart Pumping: By using a hoop consistently, you can get your heart pumping. This will ensure that you have more oxygen in your blood and ultimately can help you ward off heart disease, diabetes, and more.
  • Gives Your Body a Workout: Specifically, hula hooping can work out the muscles in your lower body and waist area.

If these reasons aren’t enough to make you consider buying a hoop, we can tell you that you will also enjoy the way your kids and you can play together with a hoop. You can teach them how to use it and enjoy the laughter. You can even take it on vacation with you since it is very inexpensive and portable.

Get Your Hoop On!

Did you know that there are hula festivals and events where people compete to see who is best? It is true. These events are for adults and kids alike. However, if you prefer to keep your hooping ability to yourself, that is okay too. Either way, we are sure you will be happy you gave it another look!

 

Custom Epoxy Resin Hula Hoops

Custom Epoxy Resin Hula Hoops

hulaFor some, the only form of exercise we need is hula hooping. It is enjoyable to do and a fantastic low impact workout. It can trim you down and get your heart pumping. However, not all hoops are created equal. They are available in different sizes, but maybe not the “right” size for your body. This is perhaps one of the biggest reasons people choose to create their own hula hoops. We are curious about how you may go about custom epoxy resin hula hoops.

How Hula Hoops are Made

The process of making a hula hoop is not hard. However, you will need some basic things. The easiest way is to get irrigation tubing that is rated at 100psi. Ideally, it will be about 3/4 thick. You will also need a connector that can hold it together. From there, you can use tape to decorate and beads or rice can go inside of it.

The tools are a little more detailed. You will want to have pipe cutters, a hairdryer, scissors, measuring tape, makers, and a box cutter or other knife. Most hula hoops are between 38″-55″ in diameter. If you are smaller in size, you may want to choose the smaller hoop. Larger, you should consider the larger one. To ensure you get the right size, measure the tubing out to be the size you want and if needed, figure out the inches and multiplying it by 3.14. (33 x 3.14=103.62 inches of tubing). Connect the ends after you fill it with rice or beads, seal the connector, and enjoy.

Customizing Your Hoop With Epoxy

hula hoopMost hula hoops are made with plastic tubing. Does this mean that you cannot have a little fun with it? Perhaps you could use a customized mold to create a hula hoop out of epoxy resin? You could possibly do it by creating a large circular mold and a resin calculator to calculate the amount of resin you need. This will allow for a truly customized size and shape. From there, you will need to find pigment or other stuff that you want to encase in it.

You can then use deep pour epoxy to fill the mold. In most cases, you shouldn’t need a gallon per hoop, but this does depend on the size of hoop that you want to create. You could also decrease the amount by adding more items to your hula hoop. However, you should be mindful of this since you could also increase the weight of your hoop.

What Style Hoop Would You Choose?

make a hula hoopWhen you create a hoop with plastic tubing, you can use colored tape to decorate it. This is the fastest and easiest way to decorate. If you are using epoxy to create a hoop, you can use colors, glitter, small shells, and other similar items to fill the mold. Your hula hoop can truly become an expression of who you are. It can show the things that you feel are important to you.

 

 

Competition Lodging Options

Competition Lodging Options

marathon runs, things to seeAnytime there is an event that comes to town, everyone has to worry about how to handle all the new people that may come along with it. This is also a very common thought when planning competitions in any particular area. Marathons and hula hooping competitions may have hundreds of people following it into a town or a city. One of the first things for organizers is to find out if there are enough competition lodging options.

Bringing a Competition to Town

marathon lodgingCompetitions have a huge, sometimes massive, following. There are some hula hoopers who may camp out in tents near the event start, but not all. This is because a night of good rest could be important to their performance when it begins. In this situation, they want a nice bed and a hot bath or shower.

In order for a competition to be a success in everyone’s opinion, planners have to decide if there are enough hotels, condos, Airbnbs, and more for them to stay. As an event planner, you can only pick the areas that are most able to meet the needs of your participants. As a city or town, you have to be able to feel confident that you can support a following.

What a City Needs to Have for a Crowd

nice motel lodgingCity councils and such know that if they want to improve their town, it requires money. What better way to get money than to have a group of tourists come in, stay awhile, and go? Mayors and others want there to be a competition in or around their city. First, though, they have to figure out how to bring the people in. Not just the performers, but their family and friends. Their support group.

They may start by adding food places. Places that offer nutritional meals for them, vegetables and such rather than fast food options. They will then need to come up with a place for all these people to spend their nights. They may contact a company such as Durango builders about new lodges for people to enjoy and relax in.

Providing Only the Best

Most of the time, competitions or other “people” events, will need to do all that they can to provide the best possible experiences for those who attend. It is the easiest way to ensure that people want to continue to come back in the months or years ahead. Therefore, offering people the most comfortable hotel rooms, lodges, and condo rental spaces are ideal, but it shouldn’t stop there. Provide them with things to see and do beyond the “event” and cities can encourage a return visit, even when there isn’t a competition taking place.

This is something that tourist cities have already mastered, but all cities are not tourist hotspots. Therefore, choosing wisely where you want to host your event, where your “target audience” wants to be, and what all is available to them, will all dictate your success. Where do you think you will find a city capable of providing only the best?

 

 

Top Prizes At Hula Competitions

Top Prizes At Hula Competitions

trophyHula competitions are very common. They can be hosted for all age groups. It is good exercise and lots of fun. There are also many different variations for doing it. This makes it possible to provide a broad range of prizes to people who do it well.  We have done our searches and found the top prizes at hula competitions. Perhaps you could use some of these ideas for your own event?

Prizes for Kids

hula bobbleThere are numerous options for kid’s prizes. Small toys and trophies are always hit. They are simply excited to have something that they “earned”. For hula contests, you can even use gift bags that are filled with several small treats.

If the prize is for exceptionally well performers, you can think about larger prizes. Cash, scholarships, and more are also good for kids. Most of the time, these larger rewards may be reserved for higher prizes such as state championships or similar.

Adult Prize Options

prize giftsAdult prizes are a little more tricky, but still enjoyable once you find the right one. Most of these gifts require something larger than those for kids. Adults may enjoy more personalized gifts though. This may include trophies, but could also include mugs, canvas bags, and more. You may also choose to consider vintage Montblanc pens for sale. It is all about providing something that is usable for that person.

For much larger prizes, cash and trips are perfect for adult competition winners. Scholarships can work for young adults, depending on the competition type. This may or may not be a great choice for a hula contest unless it is a scholarship to a school that will teach dance or other things that may help that person do more with hula.

Neutral Options

It is rare that kids and adults will pair up to compete against each other. However, if you want to give the same type of prizes to each, new hula gear could work as well as simple customized water bottles. The idea is to provide something that can be used by all who may win a prize.

It may also be important to have prizes for boys/girls and men/women. Basically, you should consider this because not all men would want a flowery water bottle and women wouldn’t necessarily want a new wallet. This may not be important in all situations, but it could be.

Then you may also get into other prizes for runners up. These prizes can be much smaller and may include keychains and other similar items. Even if a kid can’t use a keychain, they will still enjoy knowing that they won it. The nicer it looks, the more it pertains to their achievement, the more it will be enjoyed.

</center.

Theme: Overlay by Kaira