Massage hoop: benefits, indications and contraindications

How to choose a massage hoop

A hoop with a massage effect has a ribbed surface to which balls, rubber spikes, magnets and suction cups are attached, which affect the body in a similar way to the vacuum massage technique.
This device significantly increases the effect of kneading the body, causes active blood flow, which has a positive effect on overall health. Among people who have used a collapsible hoop, reviews are contradictory. That is why, when purchasing a product in a store, it is worth considering that its use will have the desired effect only if the physical activity is correctly calculated and the hoop itself is selected in accordance with the desired result.

If you have not practiced with a gymnastic hoop before, it is recommended to first buy a lightweight plastic model. A lightweight version of the product is usually used to maintain tone. In addition, it must have a suitable diameter.

Models with weights are used exclusively to combat fat deposits. The weight of such a projectile should not exceed 2 kg. When using them, an unprepared body experiences pain that not every beginner can withstand. Sometimes training is accompanied by itching and rashes on the skin. However, this is a temporary effect that will go away over time.

Using a heavy hoop with massage balls or magnets in classes without sufficient skills, the apparatus will often fall, which can cause bruises on the ankles. Having got used to it, people do not experience discomfort from such harsh effects and get excellent results from training in the form of a beautiful figure and good health.

It is better to start training with hoops with light models.

Hula hoop: what is it?

A gymnastic hoop or hula hoop is a popular sports exercise machine with a ring shape, which is an economical but effective device for losing weight, getting rid of extra centimeters in the abdominal area, improving health and maintaining a beautiful figure.

Hula hoops were first used to improve the figure in Ancient Greece. Back then they were made of metal or wood. And plastic hoops, which are familiar to modern people, became popular in the late fifties of the last century. It was then that many American women turned their attention to this inexpensive but effective ring-shaped sports exercise machine, which you can spin while watching your favorite TV show.

Hula hoop training does not require any special skills. Children, adults and the elderly can spin the hoop. It is enough to devote 15 to 40 minutes to training every day to correct your figure and make your body more attractive. After some time, you will notice that your health has improved, your abs have become more pumped up, and the extra centimeters on your waist have disappeared without a trace.

15 minutes of intense training with a gymnastic hoop allows the body to burn about 120 – 160 calories. Thanks to the hula hoop, you can strengthen your back corset, speed up the metabolic processes occurring in the body, straighten your posture and develop coordination. Regular twisting of the hoop makes the waist and subcutaneous layer thinner, gets rid of subcutaneous cellulite nodules, and tightens the stomach and sides.

Benefits of exercises with a massage hoop

According to doctors, proper use of a gymnastic hoop has a strengthening effect on the muscles around the spinal column, thereby strengthening the spine itself. As a result of performing exercises with a hoop, immunity is increased, metabolism is accelerated, abdominal muscles are strengthened, and a proportional and beautiful figure is formed.

After a month of daily exercise, your waist may decrease by at least 2 cm.

Regular intensive exercises with a massage hoop allow you to:

• stimulate the functioning of various internal organs;
• improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• normalize intestinal function;
• significantly reduce cellulite deposits;
• eliminate lymph stagnation;
• improve posture and body flexibility;
• strengthen muscles;
• relieve tension and stress;
• in case of pain in the spine, it helps to form a muscle corset, thereby reducing the load on the spine and getting rid of pain;
• burn extra calories, which promotes weight loss.

You need to exercise regularly (5 times a week for 10-15 minutes), increasing the training time to half an hour.

Efficiency and benefits

When using hula hoops for weight loss, you must follow a number of rules in order to achieve noticeable weight loss. You should not expect rapid weight loss from irregular workouts - take the exercises seriously, like a full-fledged workout in the gym, under such conditions the hoop will help your waist become thinner.

It is necessary to spin the hula hoop in clothes that protect the skin of the abdomen, back, buttocks and thighs from mechanical stress. This rule especially applies to beginners. There is an opinion that a heavy hoop, which hits the body with force at high speed, helps you lose weight faster and literally breaks down fat deposits and destroys cellulite. In fact, the fat layer is reduced due to cardio exercise, and if you overdo it with a seemingly safe exercise machine, you can get bruises and abrasions, which is in no way a sign of weight loss. Carry out exercises in sports shoes (to prevent injuries).

The effectiveness and speed of weight loss are individual and depend on the following components:

• regularity, intensity and duration of classes;
• a properly selected hoop;
• additional physical activity;
• adjusted nutrition;
• drinking enough water.

Hula hoop exercises have a positive effect on the formation of a thin waist in two ways. The first is the mechanical impact of the hoop, felt with each rotation of the simulator. Circular movements with a certain amplitude involve the muscles in work, they contract and tense, and the skin and subcutaneous fat are loaded with the pressure of the hoop, as with an anti-cellulite massage.

The second way of exposure is through stress on the cardiovascular system: prolonged and active exercise increases the number of heart contractions and pulse. By maintaining your heart rate at a high level, fat burning processes are launched, which lead to weight loss. The undoubted benefits of hula hoop exercises for the body:

• increase in general tone;
• training of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems;
• reduction of swelling due to stimulation of the lymphatic system;
• improvement in the functioning of the reproductive organs due to increased blood circulation in the pelvic organs;
• vestibular apparatus training;
• reducing the appearance of cellulite on the skin;
• muscle tone of the back, abdomen, thighs, buttocks and arms;
• a positive effect on digestive processes, namely the evacuation function of the intestines;
• posture correction;
• massage effect on problem areas;
• improvement of psycho-emotional state due to the production of endorphins;
• burning calories and reducing fat in the abdomen, thighs and buttocks.

Contraindications to using a hoop

It should be remembered that not all methods for losing weight may be suitable for a particular person. In most cases, spinning a hoop around your waist will greatly improve your form, but sometimes it can cause harm. Despite the insignificant nature of the load, the massage hoop has many contraindications.

The hoop is not recommended for use:

1. In case of diseases of internal organs (acute or chronic): liver, kidneys, bladder, stomach or intestines.
2. Pregnant women, since the pressure of the massage hoop has a negative effect on the fetus.
3. Women who have recently given birth are allowed to perform exercises with a gymnastic hoop no earlier than 2-3 months after giving birth. If the birth was assisted (by caesarean section), this period is extended to 6 months.
4. People suffering from ailments of the musculoskeletal system of varying severity: injuries and surgeries on the spine, intervertebral hernia, displaced discs. Curvature of the spine (scoliosis) is also a serious contraindication for using a massage hoop.
5. For some gynecological diseases. In this case, hoop training is recommended only after consulting a gynecologist.
6. During menstruation. During training, the anterior abdominal wall is actively massaged, so its blood supply increases. this may cause increased bleeding. If this period is not accompanied by any particular discomfort, classes can be resumed on the 3rd day.
7. For skin diseases such as dermatitis, psoriasis and allergies. In these cases, you should refrain from practicing using a hula hoop in order to minimize the mechanical impact on the skin.

To obtain the maximum effect, it is necessary to consider the training method with a massage hoop in combination with additional physical activity and changes in diet.

How many calories are burned when spinning a hula hoop?

According to a Mayo Clinic study, hula hooping is one of the effective methods of aerobic exercise. Half-hour exercises with a hoop for weight loss can burn about 165 calories in women and 200 in men.

For comparison, if we take data published in a report by Harvard University, such a load is comparable to rafting or kayaking, in which a person weighing 57 kg can lose up to 150 calories in 30 minutes, golf (165 calories), ballroom dancing (165 calories), volleyball, badminton (up to 135 calories), etc.

General recommendations

Using a hoop with a massage effect, like other sports equipment, requires compliance with certain rules:

1. It is important to take the correct starting position: arms above your head or spread to the sides, legs together, back straight. Moreover, your legs should not be spread too wide, as this will prevent you from working some muscles.
2. It is recommended to twist the hoop clockwise, performing calm and rhythmic actions. The amplitude of waist movement should be small.
3. To avoid bruising on the body, it is recommended to wear a T-shirt and high leggings that cover the waist. If hematomas do form, they should be lubricated with special ointments or ice should be applied. They should pass in a maximum of 2 weeks.
4. It is not recommended to spin the hula hoop after eating. If training takes place on a full stomach, you can get severe discomfort, and in case of complications, a serious disorder of the digestive system. You can twist the massage hoop no earlier than 2 hours after eating food or on an empty stomach. Drinking water is allowed.

Before twisting the massage hoop, you should do a light warm-up, including light bending to the sides, squats, etc.
In order not to harm your health during exercise, you should definitely take into account contraindications and available recommendations. Massage hula hoop is not a panacea, but only an additional means to a program for losing weight and improving the health of the body.

Is it possible to lose weight with a hoop?

A fitness hoop, unfortunately, is not a magic wand for weight loss and is unlikely to help if it’s gathering dust behind the sofa. To lose weight, you will have to exercise regularly and actively. Hula hoop works best to help you lose weight in combination with other cardio and strength training; a hula hoop alone cannot give the body the necessary load. The first tangible results will appear no earlier than one to two months of sports activities. The hoop will help you get rid of your belly and lose weight:

• for beginners in sports who are not accustomed to training, muscle strength and endurance gradually develop;
• for people with significant excess weight – it helps to accelerate metabolism without additional stress on the knees and joints.

How long should you spin?

The optimal load for losing weight is 2-3 workouts, lasting half an hour. The training time can be divided into equal intervals, for example, do six five-minute approaches, than do half an hour without a break. If you overdo it, you may experience pain and discomfort the next day. Measured workouts with moderate loads will allow you to lose weight gradually and correctly. You need to make movements in both directions. How many minutes in one and the same in the other. Torsion in one direction can cause dizziness, nausea and other unpleasant sensations. If you feel that the hoop is causing you pain, then protect the affected area with a towel or thick clothing. Gradually, your skin and muscles will get used to the effects of the hula hoop, and the pain will stop bothering you.

Selection rules

For successful training, it is important to choose a weight loss hoop wisely. You can buy it at a sports store or order it online. Many people have retained the spinning skill since childhood, while others have forgotten how to use this apparatus. A few workouts will help you regain your lost skill. For beginners, lightweight plastic hoops are best. It is with them that you can safely and quickly perform the correct movements. But such a lightweight projectile will not help in getting rid of fat folds. To solve this problem you need something heavier.

Collapsible structures have shown high efficiency in matters of getting rid of excess weight. Several parts are connected together, which allows you to assemble a hoop of any diameter. There is a filler inside these parts, which allows you to regulate the load. For those who have already mastered this exercise well, you can start using a weighted hoop for weight loss. You can buy it in the online store. This hoop promotes efficient calorie burning due to heavy load. It allows you to lose weight in the shortest possible time. But it's not easy to turn. This will require not only skill, but also sufficient physical training. Another type of hoop is massage hoop. On its inner surface there are additional protuberances made of plastic or metal, which massage the waist area during the torsion process. You need to get used to such a projectile. During the first training sessions, it can cause discomfort and even leave bruises.