Unplug and get real

I am generally a very positive person and it's a rule in our house to never use the word "hate". So, while I sometimes feel the need to use this word out of societal habit when we dislike something, it's a rule we've created to keep ourselves in check as parents as well. So, as I write this next post, I will be stating my "strong dislike" of a few things. But, I promise to end it on a positive note! :)

Since I have grown to love the mobility of my body and all it can do, thanks to my hoop, I have grown a strong dislike of any type of virtual exercise. I'm sure it serves a purpose for those who are really unwilling to get off the couch, that to make it a sort of video game makes it more appealing, but doesn't it just encourage people to be "near" the couch? Especially our children, who should be outside breathing fresh air into their lungs? Why does physical activity have to go virtual?

We have a Wii. It's almost a year old. We've played a game on it a total of 3 times, all of those times within the first month we had it. I must admit, it felt weird. We are used to moving around more, propelling our bodies forward, paying attention to our body and our surroundings instead of intently focusing on a TV screen. Our children never ask to play the Wii. Perhaps it's because when they say they're bored, we tell them to go outside.

So, having said that, it brings me to my whole point of this post ... hooping on the Wii. First and foremost, Hooping on the Wii is NOT hooping. I refuse to hoop on the Wii. To me, it's like "fake" hooping. It's like driving a racecar for real, and then driving an arcade version. Once you experience the open road, there is no substitute. Students who have "Wii hooped" and then take my class, are amazed how dis-similar they really are. I think because of this, I have a superior strong-dislike for any type of virtual exercise. I have hooped in the rain, the cold and in a small room and I plan to hoop in our first snowstorm. I don't think there is any sense of liberation in front of a TV screen.

For example, ask any true-runner if they prefer to run on the treadmill or run on the open road. They will all tell you the open road without a single thought about it. We see them running in the rain and freezing cold. Why? Because they didn't find their soul on the treadmill, they found it on the open road with it's unexpected bumps and potholes and hills to climb. They run harder, better, and faster than they ever do on the "fake" road. And when a runner hurts themselves, is it on the treadmill? Heck no, it's on the road, it's on the trail or it's in a race - because that's when they're putting it all out there.

So, the same with hooping. A hooper does not "Wii Hoop" because we can't learn, we can't spin, we can't toss, we can't get hoop bruises and learn from them. We can't be "one with our hoop". Simply put, hooping is about unplugging and getting real. No batteries or wireless connection required. And with that, I will end this post with a positively strong dislike for living a day without a bit of real, unplugged hooping!