Trying Something New

     Saturday I attended a Day of Dance event sponsored by Piedmont Medical Center.  They offered free screenings for high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar in addition to hours of dance demonstrations.
     I was pretty pleased with most of my "numbers" — cholesterol was down and my blood sugar was excellent which told me these last few months with FP4H is making a difference on more than just a number on the scale. I was a bit bummed that my blood pressure was still elevated, but I admit I still have more tonnage to lose and this too will change.  
     The dance demonstrations were great.  Line dancing, jazzercise, shag, tango, salsa and even belly dancing!
     At one point in the conference two ladies demonstrated the hula hoop. Now THAT was something I could do!
     After carefully surveying the backyard to make sure my neighbor couldn't see me, I stepped into an old hoop that has been out in the shed for 18+ years (we don't throw much away at our house) and let it fly. It went straight to the ground.  Time after time I tried to twirl that darn hoop and time after time it fell around my ankles within nano-seconds.
     Finally, after several desperate attempts and with sweat running down my face, I gave up. Thank goodness the only witness to my failure was my dog Sadie and she seemed bored with the whole process.
     It was ridiculous!  When I was a kid I could do it! It's like riding a bicycle, you just COULDN'T forget how to hula hoop, could you?
     I Googled hula hoops.  Who knew there would be so many websites and YouTube demonstrations on the hoop? Who knew they are called weighted cardio core hoops? Who knew that even Michelle Obama was into hooping? First Lady
   Turns out, the little plastic hoop hanging in the shed is too small and too light for an adult. My circumference was to big for it's circumference. *sigh*
     I couldn't stand it — I wanted a hula hoop and I wanted one NOW! (I'll blog again some other time about the lesson on being impulsive…)
     The hoops come in sections so you can travel with them, although I can't imagine where I would vacation with my new hoop.
    They are padded. (For that I am thankful — but more about that later.)
    They are colorful and weighted.
    After easy assembly victory was quickly mine, the hoop stayed on my hips for about a minute before it came crashing down.  Progress!
    It didn't take long to work up another sweat as I tried to keep beat to music and keep the hoop above my knees. It also didn't take long for my ribs to start protesting.  Clearly my love handles weren't appreciating the 3-pound metal massage.
     I'll take it slow for the next few days to let the bruising heal, but I'm really excited about being able to work on my 'core' muscles and maybe, just maybe I'll look as good as the core hoop model.

     Yea, right…