Can You Hula Hoop if You are Fat?

This post has been updated for 2022.

Short answer: YES.  Yes you can 100% learn to hula hoop if you are fat, skinny, tall, short, young, or old!

When I started Ruby Hooping nearly ten years ago, I was a, shall we say, curvy woman who had been writing about plus-size fitness for a few years.  I had made it my mission in life to show the world that we curvy ladies can do anything we set our minds to, and that we should not allow our physical size to be an excuse not to live life to its fullest.

Can I just say first of all that I’m not sure how I feel about the word “fat”? I’ve been hearing it all my life, and so for me it connects with not so pleasant memories.

However, I am aware of a growing fat positive movement and I fully support it. And I used the word fat in the title so you would find me, because Google says that “can I hula hoop if I’m fat” is the way you guys are asking the question.

Pictured, Linda at the Ruby Retreat in 2019.

However, when I first saw a hula hooping video go viral on Facebook, it zoomed right past my radar.  As a kid I was always large and could never hula hoop like my peers, so it was a very ingrained belief in my mind that I would never be able to do it.  I quickly moved on to the next Facebook post, which, considering it was around 2012, was probably a cat meme.

But the thought kept nagging me.  It just seemed so damn cool!  I had always loved to dance to music, because it’s so joyful and freeing.  

Dancing with a hula hoop just seemed irresistibly fun.  So, I went to Walmart and picked up a kid hoop, like 99% of folks do when they don’t know any better.

But Really, Can You Hula Hoop if You are Fat?

Of course, I wasn’t able to hoop with that ridiculous hoop.  It was so small and light, designed for a child’s body.  I felt discouraged but wasn’t ready to give up yet.  

I did a few Google searches and eventually discovered that larger people CAN hula hoop, we just need larger hoops!  I found one little article buried deep in the depths of the internet that gave instructions on how to make my own hula hoop.

I ran out to the local Home Depot that afternoon, made a large 44″ hoop out of irrigation tubing, and gave it a spin.  Although I wasn’t able to fully hoop yet, I could feel the difference immediately and knew I would be learning how to hula hoop very soon!

The rest is history, of course.  For the past five years we have been getting the message out as far and wide as we can across this great planet about the many benefits of hula hooping.

Pictured: Mici, originally shared in the Ruby Hoopers Facebook group

 Not only does it burn calories and tone muscle, but it gives peace of mind and tranquility, it restores and grows confidence and love for your body, it opens you up to a beautiful worldwide community of hula hoopers ready to support and love you, and so much more.

Did I mention increases coordination and flexibility?  Oh, and it can relieve depression and help addiction problems too.

I could not tell you the number of emails I have received over the years from women who tell me that because of their size, they never thought they could hula hoop until they found Ruby Hooping.  This warms my heart so much!

Ashley Cribbs, sponsored Ruby hooper, who took her Ruby hoop all the way to Ireland!

So if you got on the internet today to find out if you can hula hoop if you’re fat, and you stumbled across my page, then my job here is done.  

The answer is YES.  Yes you can hula hoop, you beautiful curvy goddess!  Head on over to our beginner hoop page and grab a hula hoop sized uniquely for your big beautiful body. If you need extra help choosing a size, feel free to drop me a line at mamaruby@rubyhooping.com anytime.

Ready for a big change in your life? I highly encourage you to take my Six Week Beginner Hula Hoop Challenge for All Bodies.  I will teach you everything I know and help you develop your own beautiful flow, at your own pace, 24/7, from the comfort of your home!  You can also get our best-selling starter pack of hula hoops 50% off when you add them on to the course.

I’m proud to say that I can do things with a hula hoop I once never dreamed possible. Everything I have learned how to do, you can too-all it takes is to start!

Check out @rubyhooping on Instagram to see what my flow looks like these days!  You can also look at the hashtags #RubyFam and #CurvyHoopersUnite to see many other curvy hoopers doing their thang!  And make sure to join our free, awesome hoop community on Facebook, Ruby Hoopers!