Hula-hooping Your Way to a Healthy Life.

         My fascination with Paul Blair aka "Dizzy Hips" began earlier this year when I stumbled upon a youtube video.  Admittedly, though I will admit it unabashedly, I will occasional peruse the internet looking for videos of stellar hula-hooping.  However, what I really have wanted to find through these searches never seemed to exist.  Instead, I saw more of the same.  (yes, the election jargon is finding its way into my blog posts).  The elements of modern hooping is more flowing, artistic movement coupled with modern dancing and a dash of hippy.  Nothing too exciting, but it can be beautiful.  Something like this:

This is Lisa Lottie.  She is one of the better hoopers out there.  However, this type of hooping is common, and sometimes it can be dreadfully boring.  I would normally begin my video search by typing in " hula-hooping dance," and videos like the one above would pop up.  Then, eventually, I saw a violinist (Lindsey Sterling) doing hip hop violin on America's Got Talent.  Change of plan for my search engine.  I now included in later searches "hip-hop hula-hooping."  Usually, the search ended as a fruitless endeavor and I was disappointed.  I even thought of posting my own video, because even if I am not the best hooper, I could offer something different (more on that later).  I began to think I was the only one out there who liked to let it loose and go crazy while hula-hooping.  Did no one have any creative, original moves?  I wanted fast - upbeat - something different.

 Enter Dizzy Hips.  I don't know how I missed this guy.  Buried in the youtube search engine is perhaps one of the most intriguing and jaw-dropping hula-hoopers of our time.  I was drawn in by a video of a guy setting the hula-hoops on one of his feet while rock-climbing with his three other limbs:

I had never seen anything like it before.  Then came other videos.  One with a tractor.   One with a sledgehammer.  The man clearly knew no bounds.  He invented a square hoop.  A triangle hoop.  He hooped while snow-boarding.  He hooped while running a 10k.  But, most impressive were his stunts and dancing in his everyday show.  I didn't think anyone like Dizzy existed.  He does, and he is probably, without a doubt, the best hula-hooper in the world.  You see, Dizzy doesn't just do stunts, he tries to break records.  World records.  The highest 2 honors in hula-hooping is being able to hula-hoop either the longest or hula-hoop with the most hoops at once.  Dizzy owns the latter record by a whopping 25 hoops (132).  No one is even close.  He holds the record for the hooping while running a 10 k and the 1 mile.  He used to have the record for fastest revolutions per minute, but he was passed by Xia Tao and Greg Dillon.  Only one person has run a marathon by hooping (Sasha Kenney), though I wouldn't put it past Dizzy to try it.

It is difficult to to maintain these records, but Dizzy Hips has pioneered making hooping fun, making it creative, and ultimately carving out a new way to stay fit.

So enthralled by his hooping, I wondered where I could catch one of his shows.  I searched and found, somewhat coincidentally, that he would be teaching a four-hour hooping class in Sedona, Arizona (1 hour away) in two weeks.  I called the number to sign-up immediately.  Unsurprisingly, Dizzy doesn't have the fan-fare of an NBA star, but I was still stunned to hear Paul Blair, Dizzy Hips himself answer my phone call.  Apparently, I was the only one who had signed up so far, but he promised he would still hold the class even if I was the only one.  At the end of the day, I dragged my wife up to Flagstaff (he had changed venue to his hometown, because, well, I really was the only one that signed up), and did the class there.

He came to the park where the class was to be held and showed up rolling his tire, carrying several hoops, and walking his yellow labrador to the park.  Not only was Dizzy a great teacher, but he was genuine, down-to-earth, and fun to be around.    Meagan spent much of the time studying for school while I endeavored to increase my hooping skills through a 3 hour class.  It was awesome.  Not only did he give me pointers, but his show was great, and he even dazzled us with a card-throwing trick.  Apparently, he is second place in the world at being able to throw playing cards at long distances.  We watched him nonchalantly toss a playing card over forty yards across the park, the street, and over a building.  With all this said, one thing Dizzy told me stood out:  his only workouts were some running, some swimming, but mostly hula-hooping.  And let me tell you- for a short guy, he appeared rock solid and strong to the core.  And he indicated he NEVER really weightlifts.  My wife and I were extremely impressed.  It dawned on me that hula-hooping isn't something that I could just do in random talent shows.  Hula-hooping could be one of my workouts.

Talents have varied amongst my family members.  But one talent is prevalent. We all hula-hoop.  As kids we used to try and see if we could go at least an hour.  We would try walking with them.  My Dad caught on and put us in a talent show at church.  We rocked it, even at young ages.  We performed again in front of a larger audience.  Then, for whatever reason, the hooping seemed to disappear, but only on occasion.   I would win any contest I ever came across,  but that was about it.

Then, in high school, I began to dance.  I would go to every dance available.  I didn't know how to dance at that time as I never had formal training.  So, I would just make stuff up.  And that's what I became good at- making stuff up and just going crazy on the dance floor.

Eventually, after my mission, I got the idea to use the hula-hoop while dancing.  At a talent show for EFY counselors, I decided to give it a try.  I went nuts.  Absolutely flipping nuts.  I did some crazy dancing while hooping.  And tried other things.  Hula hooping on the knees.  Doing the cha-cha while hooping.  Standing on a balance board while hooping.  I honestly didn't hula-hoop much in my spare time, or ever practice much, but I reveled in any opportunity to enter a talent show.  For years I had somewhat hidden my talent, but I have slowly climbed out of what I like to call the "underground hula-hooping community."  Sure, my family knew.  I'd win some hula-hoop contests in front of people I didn't know.  I even did a talent show held at Creighton University while in law school.  I didn't tell all but three people of the event, and none of my classmates had a clue.  I took second place and won fifty dollars worth of prizes.  I loved it.  All of it.

One thing I have always noticed though is how remarkably exhausting hula-hooping can be for me.  It is a combination of dancing and moving the hoop, which causes considerable more energy than just the dancing.  I am usually quite winded, especially after an appearance at a talent show.  Most recently, I MC'd a fair in Gilbert and pulled out the act.  I was extremely tired, but had a blast nonetheless.

  It has lately dawned on me that I can hula-hoop, not just for fun, not just for talent shows, but- for my own well-being.  I have discovered that hula-hooping doesn't have to be a simple pastime.  Hula hooping can be a workout.  With some of the things Dizzy showed me, I have discovered ways I can turn it into a workout.  It doesn't just have to be a cardiovascular activity.  You can learn balance.  You can learn some strength exercises.  And if you follow the path of Dizzy, there is so much more.

So, in essence, if you don't want to go to the gym, and if you have that hula-hooping talent within ya; which, if you are a Hardy, then, you got it; then, I encourage you all to grab a hula-hoop.  Put on some music.   And just hoop it up.   Hula-hooping doesn't have to be confined to a contest.  It doesn't have to merely propagate pastimes.  It doesn't have to be a fond memory of walking like an egyptian in front of a few hundred people in Michigan.  Instead, it can be much more.  You can hula-hoop your way to a healthy life.

And, then, perhaps one day, you can do at least one hula-hoop trick that Dizzy Hips can do.  I know I want to.