Ever wondered what it’s like to be a hula hoop instructor? We caught up with Suffolk-based instructor Abby to get the low-down. Abby trained to become a HulaFit instructor in autumn 2020. Since then, her hula hoop business – Hula with Abs – has gone from strength to strength. She loves sharing the joy of hula hooping with her local community in Stowmarket, Suffolk, and showing people that fitness doesn’t have to be boring to be effective!
When was the first time you picked up a hula hoop?
As so many children do, I would play with hula hoops on the school playground. Or they would make an appearance at sports day. I then started getting into hula for fitness at twelve when I began hooping in my back garden with my best friend. We went for over four hours! And the rest is history… I got hooked on hula hooping.
I continued to hoop throughout school and my time at university, taking my weighted hula hoop with me to university. Going to the gym just wasn’t for me! I found hula hooping to be a safety blanket I could always go back to after a bad day
“I found hula hooping to be a safety blanket I could always go back to after a bad day”
What does hula hooping mean to you?
Hula hooping is a release of my inner child. I never get into my circle of happiness without a smile on my face. It allows me to enjoy exercise as I find it pure FUN!
Why did you decide to join the HulaFit Core Crew?
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit I was stuck at home in Suffolk with nothing but my hoop. After doing some research I was shocked to find a huge online community who were just as nuts about the sport as me. I signed up to train as a HulaFit instructor to share hooping with my local community.
What’s your favourite part of being a HulaFit instructor?
My favourite part of being an instructor is sharing my passion with others, seeing their faces light up when they perfect a new move, and feeling like a real part of my community.
What does your HulaFit class offer to your local community?
HulaFit creates a safe space that like-minded people can meet and have a real giggle! I have several mums who attend who say it is the one hour a week they really get to themselves and they don’t think about family life, it’s all about keeping that hula hoop up.
What challenges have you faced as an instructor and how did you overcome them?
The pandemic was tough to start a business. But I persisted and grew awareness of hula hooping as much as I could through social media and talking to the local press to spread positive news when people needed it the most. Building those relationships has been key for me.
“HulaFit creates a safe space that like-minded people can meet and have a real giggle!”
I have also made friends as a result of bringing hooping to my community. This is fantastic, as I’m not from Suffolk myself, so it has been a great way to make connections. We really are a hula family
What would you say to anyone thinking of becoming an instructor?
DO IT! It’s scary at first, planning and research is key. The rush you feel after teaching a class is like nothing else. Hula With Abs is such a big part of me as a person and I l love sharing that with the world!
If you’re interested in joining the HulaFit Core Crew – a fast-growing community of passionate hula hoop instructors bringing fun fitness to their local communities – you can find out more here. You can even access bursaries from EMD UK to support your training, to help encourage more people into active lifestyles across the UK.
