Give exercise hoops a twirl

Truth is, when I planned this review of fitness hoops and attended a 90-minute hooping class in Santa Monica last Sunday, I did not know that hooping had become a giant fitness trend and that Marisa Tomei used it to get in shape for her role as a stripper in the Oscar-nominated film "The Wrestler." But I can tell you that it is a smile-inducing, easy-yet-challenging, sweat-drenching, skill-building core workout for an uncoordinated male, and that when I woke up Monday morning I swear my gut had shrunk by an inch or two. And having seen "The Wrestler," I can also tell you that I recommend the products below to every woman in the universe.

February 23, 2009