Shameless Midnight Hooping

Today the whole day went by, and I had barely the time to wash my face let alone hoop. It's totally embarassing- the UPS guy comes to the door, my hair is thrown into a bun and I am still wearing what I slept in. Mind you its well past noon. No excuse. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror at one point and thought, "Girl, you have GOT to get yourself together!"

But the bills got paid, the mail was sorted, and everything filed. All thank-you's have been written, family vacation details on lock-down, and all the while lunch was made for the kids in a timely manner, all diapers were changed... and I managed to not have a nervous breakdown.

Every Monday morning my husband leaves for his studio, and doesn't come back until Wednesday. It's really important to his "process" that he be left completely alone for 72 hours, uninterrupted. These days are long ones for me, as I struggle to balance being Mom, homemaker, CEO, and (evidantally) human. But you know HoopMamma of course structured some perks into this deal. I get the rest of the week to go out with girlfriends, sleep in if I choose, and occasionally take an overnight trip outta town. Plus, I don't mind missing my man a bit. If he's always around, I get annoyed more than I should. HoopMamma is an independant sorta soul.

By the time everyone was in bed tonight, I had my first opportunity to breathe. It took every ounce of will power I had not to inhale a container of ice cream while reading about Brangelina's twins. I decided to hoop.

Not only did I decide to hoop, but I decided to take off all my clothes (save undies) and dance naked in my livingroom. My daughter slept on the couch, so I had to imagine the music in my head. There was a party going on a few doors down, and I could hear people laughing, having a good time. I pretended they were all watching me.

I danced for a good solid....half hour. Now wide-awake at midnight, this is what HoopMamma has to report:

I have not worn a two piece bathing suit since I was 23. Low rise jeans were only OK with me because tunic tops were blessedly in fashion at the same time. If my belly button were pierced, no one would know. After my first C-section I can safely say that I did not recognize my belly AT ALL. I hooped through my baby weight the first time, but the second C-Section is not something I have fully recovered from. The weight I gained with my second baby has settled into odd places; like just above my scar, but not under it. Why can't they just do a little "suckie suckie" while they're down there as a "free gift with purchase"? HUH? It couldn't be that much more time consuming.

Needless to say, I am not one to draw attention to the wiggle in my middle. So you won't find any YouTube of HoopMamma hoopin in a bikini. It just wouldn't be proper. However, I never realized how much I was really missing out on until one day I pretended that I didn't care. I pulled up my top, tucked it into my bra, and let the hoop roll around my middle. It felt SO good. Firstly, the hoop "sticks" to skin differently, and so I have better control of the hoop. But more importantly, there is a sensory experience that occurs that is TOTALLY missed out upon when hooping clothed. I am sure that to anyone watching, it is not the prettiest thing in the world. But this type of hooping is for HoopMamma alone.

As I hoop in the darkness, I visualize myself in my ideal shape and size. I can actually feel the hoop rolling away my love handles. And it feels decadent. I really allow myself to feel every revolution. I hoop slowly, and I speed it up. I spiral it up to my shoulders and chest, and then back down. I love my body, and I love to hoopdance.

We spend so much of our time thinking about what we don't like about our bodies. We all do. And it's okay- identifying what we want to change in our lives is not bad. Its how we set goals, right? But taking time to appreciate all that is wonderful in our skin is rare. I invite you to take a moment to appreciate yourself. Go in your backyard, clear out space in your garage, climb up on your roof and get naked. Hoop. Hoop for no one else.... and it doesn't need to be fancy- if all you can do is hoop around your waist, let it be that. Do it slowly, and then speed it up. Slow it down... feel the way it rolls around your body.

What a perfect way to end my day today. It was a long day; a day full of Mommieness and never ending work. But after my shameless hoop session, I feel whole. Like no one can pull off a day like today and do it as sexy as me.

Try it. It will be our little secret.

HoopMamma