Fitness and exercise trends can be hard to keep up with. In the '80s it was all about aerobics until the so-called "low impact" step classes became all the rage. The '90s brought an onslaught of at-home exercise equipment and videos, before yoga and pilates took the spotlight.

Recently pole dancing has caught on, but another more tame activity is re-emerging -- hula hooping.

Even First Lady Michelle Obama was seen swiveling a hoop on Oct. 21 and the childhood pastime has sprouted up in gyms across the country, including the YMCA of Kings County.

Cindy Rodriguez began teaching the class in 2008 and said that she thinks part of hooping's popularity comes from a renewed interest in exercising the core -- the abs, back and pelvis.

Initially she began researching the activity online, where she came across a video of a woman who hula hooped during her lunch hour to shed unwanted pounds.

"She just inspired me it was amazing," Rodriguez said. "I just thought if she can do it, I can do it."

Since Rodriguez, 54, has struggled with her weight in the past, that was enough to persuade her to purchase a larger, heavier hoop online that is designed for exercise.

The hoops typically weigh between 1.1 and 1.5 pounds and measure 37 to 44 inches in diameter. Rodriguez said the larger hoops are actually easier to work with than the readily available child-sized versions.

"You have to go back and forth fast because they're so small," she said. "But the bigger ones are easier and to keep it up you have to tilt your pelvis."

After a few weeks of practice, Rodriguez found herself enjoying the activity so much that she started taking her hoop home with her so that she could continue in her living room.

"Just crank up the radio and go at it," she said.

Rodriguez can now bring the hoop up over her head and keep it spinning around her arms.

Advanced hoopers have also incorporated spinning their entire bodies as they keep the hoop swiveling about their hips, shoulders or legs.

"In time, you're supposed to be able to go all the way down and all the way up as you're turning," Rodriguez said.

Since hooping is nowhere near as easy as it looks, the activity does take patience and participants should be prepared to drop the hoop dozens of times before they get the swing of things.

As an exercise, hula hooping not only builds core strength but provides an intense cardiovascular workout with little to no impact.

Attendance to Rodriguez's hooping classes has dwindled but the classes are reforming now at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Rodriguez said that those of all ages will walk away from the classes with a good exercise and a sense of accomplishment.

"I've seen a lot of people satisfied and hopping up and down, 'I did it, I did it,'" Rodriguez said.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2427.

Hoop it up at the YMCA

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:15 a.m.

YMCA of Kings County

1010 W. Grangeville Blvd., Hanford

Monthly memberships for adults are $25, or classes are $8 each

For more information or to sign-up, call the YMCA at 584-9622

(Oct. 30, 2009)