WE MADE FITNESS FUN!

Running and lifting weights isn't for everyone. These women have gained physical and mental strength in more unusual, light-hearted ways, from hula-hooping, circus skills, to pole dancing

-  JENNY ROWE

Hooping taps into my playful side

TAMSIN MARLEY, 55, from Dorset, has been doing hoop dance flow for 10 years. Now she has bulletproof core strength, a community of friends all over the world and her own business.

'A lot of people only know about waist hooping, but once you get a bit obsessed with it, like I am, you realise that there's loads more to it. You can do on-body hooping and off-body hooping, and when you begin linking moves together, it's called hoop dance flow, which is what I do. It's a whole body workout.

I first came across it in 2011 on holiday in Turkey, where I watched a lady fire hooping to music. I was captivated. I taught myself by watching tutorials on YouTube and now I teach others at festivals. That's my happy place. Lots of people think they won't be able to do it, but I tell them that I have a 100% success rate - and it's true! If someone can't get the hang of it at first, I just give them a bigger hoop until it clicks. Everybody absolutely loves it. The joyful look on their faces says it all. I think it takes some people back to their childhood,  but it also taps into their playful side. And we just don't play enough as adults, especially as we age.

Hoop dance flow isn't like other exercise. It's such fun, but it's still hard work, particularly as you start improving and can move the hoop over your body, isolating different muscles. If you do a solid hour of hoop dance flow you can burn about 400 calories. Plus, it really strengthens your core, improves hand-eye coordination and balance.

It can even feel meditative. The circular motion and rhythmic movement gets you out of your mind and into your body, bringing you into the moment. I can put my favourite music on and just get lost in it.