Rollins Student Hula Hoops Her Way to New Fitness Career
Thursday, March 6, 2014
By: Alicia Mandigo

You may think of hula hoops as child's play, but a growing number of people are turning to hula hoops as a form of exercise. And some people are seeing great results.

[Hula Hoop maker and instructor Morgan Kennedy demonstrates a folding hula hoop designed for travel]

“Ok, let’s go the other way, ” says Morgan Kennedy.  She’s instructing Evelyn Williams on how to spin a hula hoop on her arm, cautioning Williams to make sure she works both directions equally. Kennedy began hula hooping herself as a way to lower stress. Then she discovered it was an excellent form or exercise. 

“If you just stand in place for ten minutes hula hooping, you can burn 100 calories approximately, so if you add elements of dance and movement to it, you can burn quite a lot of calories within 20 25 minutes of hula hooping,” she says.

Kennedy is a certified instructor, working with students like Evelyn Williams, who needs to exercise but has a number of medical restrictions. Hula Hooping is acceptable to her doctor and is giving her results.

“So far just the building of the muscles, upper body and stuff, has been really nice,” says Williams.

Kennedy says she was inspired to become an instructor after losing 35 pounds hula hooping.  The Rollins College student also launched Happy Hula Hoops, which sells her handmade hula hoops.