Hula Hoop

On a long ship journey, I wandered up to the top deck to read one night and found a fellow passenger serenely whirling a hula hoop. She went on for half an hour, then pulled her hoop into pieces and put them in a bag.

"This is my exercise," she explained.

She had a great figure and was a happy character. I was fascinated, and when I returned home I decided to take up hooping.

I tried the hoops sold at kids' stores, and was embarrassed to fail. Finally I went online to find one like the one my travelling companion had.

I found one at http://www.sports-hoop.com/ and it's great. These adult hoops are heavier then kid hoops, so if you've been having trouble, you can stop worrying about incipient decay.

It's easy to put together. Just lock each section with a little twist. You'll need to find a good bit of space to do your hula, because it swings a wide swathe.