Building Core Muscles

Did you know that a child of trauma has little to no core?  This is why they have no sense of boundaries, seem out of their body much of the time and are floppy.  A child starts building their core muscles when their mother is carrying them around.  A child that doesn't get carried, loved on, bounced, etc. doesn't tend to build core muscles.

Kristy has had J doing yoga since we started with her almost 5 years ago.  Planks and tree poses, etc to build core muscles.  While we love yoga.....well...yoga typically only lasts a few minutes in each pose and it takes a while to build the core.  And typically getting a child of trauma to "enjoy" doing yoga is another thing to have a battle about sometimes.

Enter the hula hoop....y'all knew this was coming....  If you aren't hooping for the fun of it let me give you some other little bitty things to think about.....

I made Kristy a hoop several months ago and she's been using it faithfully.  Last week she shared with me that she's started using it with all of her trauma kids in her practice with great success.  Because it builds core muscles quickly and it is FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!  AND....  a child that is stuck will typically become unstuck because once they pick up a hoop they can't help but have fun.  It moves their brain from flight to fun rather quickly.   So now I'm making hoops for trauma kids.  Yay!

When gets grumpy during school we go outside and hoop our booty off.  She can come in and concentrate.  DING. DING. DING.  Light bulb moment....

Now J's friend, Kara, is getting it added to her IEP at school to use a hoop before tests to relieve stress AND whenever she is stuck.   I picture the whole school hooping soon. :)

Not to mention that it is great for proprioceptive part of the brain.  Kara was a kid that bumped into everything and fell down every set of stairs.  The days that she hoops she doesn't fall or bump into anything.  Coincidence????  I don't think so and neither does her mom or Kristy.  Kara also typically has a hard time getting started every morning.  The stress of school just wigs her out.  So she's hooping for 5 minutes in her room before she does a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g.  and she gets to do it again before they head out to school if they have time.  Watch Kara change her day up instantly.  It's a beautiful thing.

We are doing the 30/30 hoop challenge from Pandora's Healing Hoops via Christine.  Are you????  We missed today due to traveling to the beach but we'll make it up for it tomorrow.

P.S.  Do not buy one from the mart of walls.  You'll be doomed to failure for sure.  Search on you tube for videos that show how to make them.  They are easy peasy to make and will actually work.

Adopt Walk

Go now and enter my friend's raffle for cool stuff.  Support a wonderful cause in the process.  Click here for awesomeness.  You know you want to.....  :)

Today is day five of the hooping challenge.  I. am. sore.  But I will press on....  I was taking daily pictures to hold me accountable but I've given that up.  We are just having fun.  So far it has been a blast.  Lots of giggling and shaking going on.  Then more giggling as the hoops going flying off the dock into the water.  Luckily I have some short people willing to jump in the cold water and get them. :)  The pic above is from one of our new led hoops with me in the middle.  It's nice to know that I can have a 2 inch waist if I spin really fast in the dark.  Ha!