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Gaiam brings fun to fitness with a hula hooping dance workout kit. Dance Hoop pioneer Betty Hoops helped create a kit that includes an adjustable weighted hula hoop designed for adults along with a 60-minute total-body workout DVD set to an energizing soundtrack.
Incorporating hula hooping, rhythmic dance, and yoga moves to trim and tone the waistline, arms, glutes, and thighs, the workout boosts the heart rate and increases strength and flexibility. Step-by-step instruction and low impact moves make it an ideal fitness option for a wide range of people.
The American Council on Exercise Fitness 2004 Director of the Year Debi Pillarella predicted that hoop workouts will become very popular. "It adds an element of play and fun to core stability work," said Pillarella.
Ancient Romans used a ring made of grapevines like a hula hoop, and ancient Greeks used something like a hula hoop as a fitness tool. The lightly weighted hoop used in Gaiam's kit is substantial, making it simple to keep the hoop moving and more challenging to your muscles.
Betty Hoops drew upon her diverse background as a Usui Reiki practitioner, Iyengar yoga instructor, and massage therapist to create her dance hoop workout method, which she began teaching in 1998.
"It's a whole body experience, very similar to yoga. It puts people back into their bodies on a conscious level and makes them feel alive again."
"We're always looking for new ways to help people to get healthy and enjoy themselves," said Susan Haney of Gaiam. "We developed the workout kit with Betty Hoops to give people another creative way to get in shape and maintain the mind-body connection Gaiam is known for promoting."
The Dance Hoop Workout kit retails for $29.98.
Gaiam is a lifestyle media company dedicated to providing solutions for eco-conscious living.