Hoop to it with the Hula

Roll up your yoga mats and deflate your Swiss balls. You probably haven't used the latest work-out fad - the Hula Hoop - since you were at school. This time around, though, it is a souped-up version of the classic, a turbo design called the Heavy Hoop.

The Heavy Hoop (so called because it weighs 3lbs or more) is the latest must-have in Los Angeles and New York, with gyms offering cardio hoop classes. You'll be able to sign up in London later this year.

Devotees say it is the most effective way to trim waists and thighs and get a washboard stomach. That's not all. "When you circle a hoop around the waist, you need to switch on all your muscles," says Lorna Malcolm, director of the Reebok Sports Club near Canary Wharf. "Although the main movement is in the trunk and abdominal area, your legs and arms are working to stabilise you. Because you are using upper and lower body, it is a cardiovascular activity that will leave you out of breath."

According to Dr Conrad Earnest, an exercise physiologist at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, 10 minutes of vigorous waist-circling with the Heavy Hoop can burn 110 calories - as much as running an eight-minute mile. Less strenuous hooping can still burn 85 calories - the amount you would burn on a slow 12-minute jog.

Here's a guide to some of the moves. Unless otherwise stated, start with feet shoulder-width apart, tummy in and back straight ...

Basic hooping: bend knees slightly and position the hoop around your waist, pulled against your back. Swirl the hoop clockwise in a circular motion, using your abdominal and trunk muscles. Do 30 rotations, then change sides.

Neck twirl: raise the hoop so that it is gently pressed against the back of your neck. Gently start spinning the hoop, moving your upper body in a circular motion. Repeat 15 times in each direction.

Knee-knocker: hold the hoop around your knees. Open arms wide to balance as you move your knees slightly backwards and forwards, in a circular motion, to spin the hoop. Repeat 15 times in each direction.

Footsie: stand with hips facing forward and feet slightly wider apart. Spin the hoop gently around one ankle. Maintaining a good speed, hop in and out of the hoop with the other foot as it rotates. Repeat 20 times on each foot.

Doubles: you need two hoops for this. Hold your arms out , keeping them straight and parallel to the floor, and hold a hoop in each hand. Start spinning the hoops around by gently rotating your arms. Perform 25 subtle rotations.

The Heavy Hoop is available from www.heavyhoop.com for about £50 (incl video); ordinary hoops (£3.50) from The Physical Company (01494 769222).