studio spin

Not gone, and still hooping!

Posted on by jennabee25

Oi, I know my lack of updates is unusual, but I do have good excuses, as usual.  I’ve been incredibly busy.  And now that I have some time, here’s what’s going on.

Still going to class.  Jenny is teaching us choreography moves and sequences.  This is good because I have a few performances coming up!

First, on July 17, if you are in the Ephrata/Lancaster area, I will be performing during Family Fun Night in downtown Ephrata at 6:30pm.  It’s a 50’s themed event.  My outfit is adorable.

Also, I’m getting ready for the Studio Spin Student Recital on Aug. 15, 4pm-6pm.  More information on that later.

My posts may be spotty for the next couple of weeks, but I will be here and checking in.

Losing Weight, Getting Back in Shape

Posted on by jennabee25

I came to a sad realization two weeks ago.  I had to go up a size in pants.  I was gaining weight.

I decided then to take some action.  A few things landed in my lap that have helped me drop five pounds since I decided to shape up on April 1.  No joke. 

First, Hooping.org’s 30/30 started on April 1st.  I am taking part in it.  What you do take a pledge and hoop for 30 minutes a day for 30 days.  It’s not too late to start, if you want to join in.  So, I have some exercise taken care of.

Second, I decided to track what I eat through MyFitnessPal.  You can set up a weight goal within a certain amount of time, and the site, or app for your smartphone, will tell you how many calories you can consume to get to that weight.  It’s made me be a lot more careful about what I eat.  You can also track your exercise, and add goals for that, too.  It’s a good tool.

Third, Jenny started her classes at Studio Spin yesterday.  She kicked out butts.  I am sore.  I more workouts like that.  This circles back to my first point, really.  I’m getting in to better shape by participating in very physically active hooping class.

Speaking of class, Jenny really worked Cindy and I hard.  Lots of good fitness, lots of good music, and lots of drilling practice.  The main focus of the class was on transitions, something I know I can use work with.  It was fun and the hour flew by!

As for my pants, my current size ones are fitting much better after a little over a week.  Yay, me!

Getting Used to Mondays

Posted on by jennabee25

I went to Beginner Hoop yesterday, which was officially Ryane’s last day before maternity leave.  She sort of had an open format and let us ask questions and play for most of the time. 

Jenny, since she will be taking over, joined us for class to meet everyone.  She worked with the two ladies that have been coming to normal beginner class who had questions.  Ryane and Jenny also did some hoop-a-gami to show what you can do a hooping partner.  Cool!

I had to keep telling myself that it was actually Monday last week, and not Wednesday.  I will get used to the day switch. 

What I did during class was just go crazy.  I decided I’m going to use my beloved HDPE hoop for the talent show, since it’s heavy enough to chest hoop with for me, and is light enough to toss.  I can also leg hoop decently in it.  It’s ideal.  I even managed to place the hoop on my knees, and lift it off my knees.  YES!

People!

Posted on by jennabee25

I was not the only one in class last Wednesday!  I was joined by Kim, who joined us from the Beginner class, and Olivia, who has been coming, too.  I thought our hoops looked so pretty on the wall, I had to take a picture.

Oh, and my usual classmate, Brett, was working the desk at Studio Spin.  She is still suffering from a shoulder injury that is keeping her from hooping.  It was good to see her, though.

As for my health, it felt so good to hoop.  Amazing.  I probably should have taken another week off, come to think of it, but I needed to get out of the house and dance.  I’m so glad that I did. 

I should mention that Studio Spin was in our local newspaper this past weekend.  Take a look at the article here.  Yay!

As for how I’m feeling now, I’m almost 100 percent.  More like 85 percent, really.  I had a rough day, illness wise on Friday, but after some steady and quality rest, I’m getting back on my feet.

Charting Moves and Being Random

Posted on by jennabee25

Ryane has taken to writing out moves with diagrams for ones we learn in class.  I like that.  A LOT! 

It’s something I can study and follow as I practice.  I like having things written down like that.  It’s easier for me to remember and recall as I go along.

And on a more random note….

And here’s a picture of me in front of a deer feeder from August 2014.  I just felt like posting a photo.  The hoop is spinning on the hand away from the camera, so it look like it’s levitating. 

Stepping Up

Posted on by jennabee25

I’m not sure if I’m dedicated or a glutton for punishment, but I had TWO hoop classes yesterday, one right after the other.  The first was a private session I had with Jenny Hill, and the second was my regular class with Ryane. 

Jenny was telling me about some cool ways to incorporate a fitness step, like the ones you see in aerobics classes, into a  hooping workout routine, and was I was quite interested.  Incorporating that step is quite a challenge!  It seems like a fun way to do some indoor hooping, too, so I have to see if I can talk my husband into letting me get an inexpensive one soon.

Jenny and I also worked on a doubles move that has been vexing me for a while.  It’s a double corkscrew/stirring the pot type move, and I think I have the basics down, I just have to put the pieces together and keep on trying.

After that, I zipped off to Studio Spin, where Ryane was getting worried because I got there later than usual.  We had another girl in the class, and her name was Olivia, and she is a friend of Ryane’s who has been hooping since June.  She really good and very nice!  I hope she comes back to class. 

What we worked on?  Breaks.  We worked on shoulder, arm, and pinch breaks.  We worked on those breaks standing up straight, bending over, and leaning backwards. 

After that came folding!  I like folding, as it is something easy I can do inside.  Ryane also told us a few different ways we can incorporate folding into our flow.  Quite cool!

I was tired last night, to say the least, but it felt so good to spend a good evening with my hoops.

Back to the Beginning

Posted on by jennabee25

Really?  It’s 2015, already?  Where did the time go?

Because Studio Spin’s regular Intermediate Hoop class we cancelled two weeks in a row due to a holiday (eh, it’s just the way the calendar works, right?), I went to the beginner hoop class on Monday, the 29th.  It was fun!

There are two students in the Beginner class, Kim and Casey.  They are two enthusiastic and eager learners, and it’s it was so good to see this in two women starting their hooping journeys.

We worked on sequences again, and both ladies had to show me what they were working on.  It was nice to see what they were working on, and Ryane and I got to show them a little of what we do in Intermediate, too.

I saw in Kim and Casey a lot of what I saw in myself when I started hooping.  You want to learn ALL THE MOVES.  You can’t progress fast enough for your own liking.  It’s a thirst to learn and progress.  My advice to both beginners and all hoopers:  ENJOY THE JOURNEY.  You only get to start this once, and it’s a fantastic ride.  And it only gets better.

Photo Shoot Photos

Posted on by jennabee25

Ah, the photos from the photos shoot with Melissa Engle Photography are done!  Here I am, and with Ryane, at the top of Tellus360 in Lancaster, PA. 

I am so behind on stuff right now with the holidays creeping up on me and such.  And I was sick last week.  Blech.  But, I did get to hoop class with Ryane and we worked on tosses.  It was fun!

Video Extravaganza!!

Posted on by jennabee25

When I say “extravaganza,” I mean two.

First off, is a hooping compilation video of Ryane and I yesterday during class yesterday.  We worked on hooping combinations, two she came up with, and one I did.  We worked on them for a little bit, and then we decided to have some fun and video ourselves doing all three.  Take a look!


The royalty free music I added is sort of cheesy, but it works.

Ready for video number two?

Courtesy of my pole teacher Latasha at Studio Spin, here is a combination we did during Pole 1 on Tuesday night!


So, two days of classes, two videos of showing progress.  It feels good!

Holiday Hooping Joy

Posted on by jennabee25

Studio Spin had a holiday party on Sunday, and I went.  It was fun!  There were plenty of goodies to eat and drink, good music, and even a white elephant gift exchange. 

What struck me the most about the party was what happened after the festivities had ended, for the most part.  People started playing around on the poles, and a nice lady I met wanted me to demonstrate hooping.  Knowing where Rachel had stashed the studio’s hoops, I grabbed on and started playing. 

As what usually happens, people want to try.  I love that!  I get to show them how to waist hoop and see the happiness on their faces when they manage to sustain that spinning hoop for just a few seconds.  It makes them feel good and it makes me feel good, too. 

There was one girl in particular who was especially anxious to try.  I worked with her for a few minutes, showing her the two main ways to waist hoop, and she managed to get it!  I admire her persistence. 

And that how I spread some holiday hooping joy on Sunday.