Hoolahooping has evolved from a toy tweens get excited about into a form of exercise that appeals to adult sensibilities.

okotoks resident Trina White spins three hoola hoops in the Yogadown studio. She and her sister Celeste offer classes for adults and youth using the hoops they make with essential oils and Peridot stones. photo by Tamara Neely

Celeste and Trina White are introducing Okotokians to a new way of hoola hooping. With a dance beat setting the pace, the women teach participants how to use every part of the body — from the legs up to the neck — to keep the hoops spinning in a graceful yet funked-out fashion.

The technique is not just a good party trick — the gyrations can also mesmerize suitors and stimulate good health.

“It’s so good for your body. In a very low-impact way it strengthens your whole body and lubricates your joints,” said Trina, 27. “It gives you adrenaline, which automatically makes you happy and gives you lots of energy.”

Trina got addicted to hoola hooping after her doctor told her to do one hour of low-impact exercise per day. She had a hoola hoop already because she and her sisters would take them to summer music festivals and dance with them. But dedicating herself to hoola hooping every day for an hour was a turning point. The hobby became an integral part of her day giving her more energy and she began to limber up and build strength.

Then she started to add more hoops and she now regularly spins three or four at a time.

“I encourage people to get two or three hoops because they’re quite small, it’s better exercise and people actually move much better with two or three,” said Trina. “With that many they automatically start doing the movement I want them to do. It’s like a cat stretch.”

The cat-stretch type of movement is a wave from the hips, through the spine to the shoulders and back down, which is why hoola hooping strengthens the back, Trina said.

“My chiropractor is ecstatic about this. I did two hoola hoops in his office and he said (to his staff), ‘Okay, everybody, this is the new exercise we’ll be doing around here,’” said Trina.

Trina has also noticed hoola hooping can significantly improve abdominal muscle tone.

“Both of my sisters have had babies and my one sister’s stomach was quite damaged from giving birth to her boy — he was a pretty big boy — and her stomach lifted and defined from doing two nights of hoola hooping,” said Trina. She added her sisters hoola hooped their way through the whole pregnancies, too, and their midwife said it likely helped ease the birthing.

The sisters, who formed the company Hoodie Loops, are offering classes on Tuesdays for children between eight and 13 and on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays for youth and adults.

The adult classes are held in a heated studio to further emphasis the benefits of hoola hooping.

“The main reason is so all your muscles are nice and warm and ready to exercise,” said Trina. “It’s also good for your skin and it helps you eliminate toxins.”

Adult classes run eight weeks for $148 and include a hoola hoop. Youth classes run six weeks for $120 and also include a hoola hoop.

All classes are held at Yogadown, located in downtown Okotoks.

To register, call Celeste White at 587-888-4469.

Celeste and Trina White, Okotokians who started the company Hoodie Loops, make hoola hoops with good health and a good vibe in mind.

The hoops are made with a narrow-diameter tube so they are easier to manage three at once — which is a great way to get exercise Trina said.

They are also filled with a liquid that glows in the dark, has sparkles that can be seen in the light and is made up of essential oils and Peridot stones.

“I wanted to keep everything nice on the inside, so I used a lemongrass oil and jasmine. Plus, it makes you happier when you’re making them with all the nice smells,” said Trina.

The women chose Peridot stones to travel inside the see-through hoops because of their healing properties.

“Peridot is good for the metabolism and regenerating tissues,” said Trina. “And it’s good for lethargy. Personally, I have a problem with lethargy.”

tneely@okotoks.greatwest.ca

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