“Sniff, sniff” - do you smell that?  “Lick, lick” - do you taste that?  That, my friends, is the moldy and flavorless essence of Ms.Bliss…  I have become, dare I say it… stale.  I know you’ve noticed it too and were just too polite to say anything about it, and that’s okay, but, um, yeah, it’s time for a Flava’ Booster!  The revelation of my blandness did not dawn on me until I posted a video the other day and I realized that nothing about my routine has changed.  Time is about an evolution of all things, and my hoopdancing is looking pretty “geico” to me.

The tricks I do know are smoothing out and when I tape and watch myself, I don’t cringe at what I see.  I used to think that was a good thing, but what I am really doing is sugar-coating the fact that I am not learning/practicing anything new.  Some of you want to know, “Ms.Bliss, how will I know when I am approaching my ‘expiration date’?”  Here’s a tip:  If you put on a playlist to rock out and don’t drop the hoop more than 5 times in 5 songs - it may be time to shop for some new “flava”.

Last night I felt particularly stale as my hair needs a touch-up, my nails need a manicure, my wardrobe needs a makeover, and if I get on the scale and see the same number again, I will just tack it on to the end of my social security number.  NOTHING ABOUT ME HAS CHANGED IN THE NEW YEAR!!!!  I take that back; my attitude toward my lack of “Flava” has gotten me in enough of a tizzy to realize that I need to quit stinkin’ up the joint and get with being a “10 in 2010″!  With that said, I found a trick, on YouTube, that I had been trying to learn FOR-EV-ER (the continuous vertical behind the back pass, or what I like to call “the flower”) and watched it, rewound it, watched, it, rewound it, and watched it again before I tried it; I still didn’t get it.  I watched/rewound the video and practiced the move until I was sweaty, bruised, and had dropped the hoop at least 15 times in a 3 song playlist.  By the end of the night, I was able to “blossom” without actively thinking about it and was excited that the stink of my old routine was being refreshed with the “flava” of this new move!  And because my hair needs attention that I can’t afford to give at the moment, I decided to infuse my style with a cute beanie.  Check it out!

Yes, I dropped the hoop, but I was proud because I was trying new things in this routine. I recovered and kept it moving.  I also added a two-handed isolation at the end.  I am pretty good one-handed, but will keep practicing to make my two-handed iso move seamlessly.

In other news, I am excited to report that I will be teaching a mini-class/demo at the Lucy Activewear store in Birmingham, MI on February 5th for their in-store Fitness Friday event! Over the holiday, they were offering a free Travel Hoop for orders of $150 or more and now they have some in store for purchase! I am sooo excited about a store in my neck of the woods having Hoopnotica’s phenomenal Travel Hoop for sale! I am such a “I want it right now; I don’t want to wait for the mail” kind of girl and I know others just like me. I will be able to tell them, “Go to Lucy, they have them RIGHT NOW!!” I want to help move these hoops off the shelves and into the homes of women that didn’t know they NEEDED them! By showing these ladies that hooping is indeed a cardiovascular/strength training workout, I’m sure our number of Michigan hoopers will increase in no time! I am on a mission! I will report more information as soon as it comes across the wire.

Last but not least, Vixen Fitness Detroit has finished relocating and will be open for business February 1st! Spinderella 1 and 2 will resume on February 2nd in a brand new, spacious loft-style studio! The ceilings are amazingly high so that means we will be able to practice vertical tosses and “the flower”!! Looks like I will be logging some flight time in the good ole’ Michigan air to perfect my own tosses and flower so that I may be able to share my knowledge/troubleshooting tips with my students.

Before I go, I want to know: How can you infuse more “flava” into your hooping and everyday life? How can you refresh the “stink” of the same ole, same ole and transform it into an aromatic experience? My plan is to scour the net and learn new tricks to add to my hoop arsenal, paint my nails a wild color, rock cute headbands/hair accessories, and talk with an English accent. Okay, maybe I won’t paint my nails a wild color; that would be doing waaaay too much!

Flavorfully yours,
Ms.Bliss

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