Can I Hula Hoop When I'm Pregnant? | Hula Dancercise

Hula hooping is one of the few workouts that grows with you rather than working against you, and that's exactly why so many of our community keep asking us the same question once they see two lines on a test: can I still hula hoop now I'm pregnant? The short answer is yes, most of the time, with some sensible adjustments along the way. 

Below, we've put together everything we know, from the medical basics to the practical, hoop specific details that generic pregnancy fitness advice never quite covers. 

The key points to take away

• Speak to your midwife before continuing hula hooping, or any form of exercise, in pregnancy, and let their advice take priority over any general guidance.

• A larger hoop is easier to control as your shape changes; consider changing size and weight when you need to, and listen to what your body needs. 

• Shorten sessions to 10 to 25 minutes, dropping further through the second and third trimesters.

• Don't take up hula hooping for the first time during pregnancy. It's a great postnatal exercise once you have medical clearance.

• Stop immediately if you feel pain, dizziness or discomfort, and trust your body over any fixed rule.

Please note that this article is for general information and does not replace any advice from your GP or midwife. 

The First Rule: Check In With Your Midwife

Before you change anything about how you exercise in pregnancy, tell your midwife that hula hooping is part of your normal routine and that you'd like to continue. They know your medical history and how your particular pregnancy is progressing, and their guidance should always take priority. 

If they're happy for you to carry on, everything below will help you adapt sensibly as your pregnancy moves forward.

It's also worth remembering that pregnancy is deeply individual. What one hooper's body handles comfortably at 30 weeks, another might find uncomfortable at 20 weeks. Use this blog as a guide and let how you feel on any given day have the final say.

Why Hula Hooping Works So Well During Pregnancy

Hula hooping is a low impact, weight-bearing movement, which puts it in good company alongside swimming and walking as an exercise that's broadly considered pregnancy friendly. Because there's no jarring or impact through the joints, it's kinder on a body that's already managing the extra load of pregnancy, and the rotational movement through the waist and hips builds core and pelvic floor strength without any of the crunching or straining that pregnancy fitness guidance usually asks you to avoid.

A strong core also does real, practical work later on. As your bump grows, your centre of gravity shifts forward, and it's your core and back muscles that keep you steady on your feet. Hoopers often find this shows up as better balance and coordination as pregnancy progresses, at exactly the point when many people start to feel less steady, not more.

None of this means hula hooping is risk-free or that everyone should be doing it. It means that, done thoughtfully, it's a form of exercise that tends to work with a pregnant body rather than against it, provided it's already a movement your body knows well.

If You've Never Hula Hooped Before

Pregnancy isn't the right time to take up hula hooping for the first time. Hooping is a skill that takes weeks or months of conditioning to build safely, and without that foundation you're more likely to lose control of the hoop, pick up bruising, or overwork muscles that haven't yet adapted to the movement, all of which are best avoided while pregnant. 

The postnatal period is a much better starting point. Once you have clearance from your doctor, hula hooping is an excellent way to rebuild core and pelvic floor strength gently, and even 5 to 10 minutes at home, (with your baby watching from their bouncer)! is a great place to begin.

Choosing the Right Hoop, Weight and Size

As a rule, we wouldn't recommend going heavier than 0.9kg once you're pregnant. As your abdomen grows, you want to reduce resistance around your middle rather than add to it, and 0.9kg gives you enough weight to keep the hoop stable and easy to control without loading your core more than it needs. We'd also avoid wavy or textured hoops during pregnancy altogether, since they're built for a more intense, higher-friction workout than a changing body needs. Remember to listen to your body, you will know when the right time is to reduce the weight. 

Size matters just as much as weight. A larger hoop travels more slowly and needs a wider radius to keep moving, which makes it noticeably easier to control as your shape changes week to week. When the time comes to size down in weight, a lightweight hoop is gentle enough to use on your bump or beneath it, depending on how you're carrying and what feels comfortable. 

If even a light hoop starts to feel like too much, a large polypro or Goldilocks hoop is worth trying, although its lightness makes it more technical to keep spinning steadily, so it suits more experienced hoopers.

How long to hula hoop for while pregnant

Session length is the other main adjustment. Where you might normally hoop for a full 45 minutes, aim instead for shorter sessions in your first to second trimester of around 10 to 25 minutes, and stop as soon as you've had enough rather than pushing to finish a set routine. 

Off body Hula Burn styles are a useful substitute on days when hooping around your waist doesn't feel right, letting you stay active and involved without the hoop needing to spin around your middle. Keep hooping in both directions where you comfortably can, and stop immediately if you feel any pain, dizziness or discomfort.

Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP)

Pelvic girdle pain causes discomfort in the pubic area, lower back, and hips, making exercise difficult. During pregnancy PGP impacts physical mobility, daily routines, and emotional well-being by causing joint instability and sharp pain. It affects about 1 in 5 pregnant people, making simple movements difficult. It’s important to remember that this could impact even an experienced hula hooper. Try to remember to be gentle to your body during this time and listen to what you need. 

Hula Hooping Trimester by Trimester

First trimester

The first trimester is often the toughest, with nausea, exhaustion and general depletion leaving many mums to be simply trying to get through each day. 

Not everyone experiences noticeable symptoms, but if you do, it's worth remembering that your body is doing an enormous amount of invisible work for your baby, and there's no need to feel guilty for slowing down. 

On the days you do have energy, hooping at home or at your usual class is generally fine, adapted as needed. On the days you don't, rest is the priority.

Second trimester

Energy often returns during the second trimester, and many hoopers find this the most enjoyable stretch of pregnancy to keep training, whether they're still using a 0.9kg hoop or have already moved to something lighter. This is also typically when you'll have your 20-week scan, which will show whether you have an anterior or posterior placenta. Mention this to your midwife, since an anterior placenta can come with extra guidance worth factoring into how and when you exercise.

As you move past 20 weeks and your bump becomes more visible, you'll likely want a lighter hoop within the next couple of weeks, so it's worth having one ready before you actually need it. Heading towards the third trimester, from around 26 weeks onwards, you may need to shorten sessions further still, perhaps to around 15 minutes, broken into short spells of hooping and resting rather than one continuous stretch.

Third trimester

By the third trimester, many may find 5-10 minute sessions become the new normal and even that may be too much, take short breaks as you need in between any form of exercise you take part in. 

You may also feel more confident hooping under your bump, working the hoop around your hips rather than your waist. Your centre of gravity will have shifted noticeably by now, so expect to feel a little less steady on your feet, alongside common symptoms like swollen ankles and feet. 

At some point, hula hooping simply won't feel comfortable any more, and that's a completely normal, expected part of pregnancy, not a sign you're doing anything wrong. You'll know when that time arrives, and it's fine to stop.

What the wider hooping community says

It's worth hearing from beyond our own brand on this, because the guidance broadly lines up. HulaFit's advice echoes ours on the most important point, that pregnancy isn't the time to learn hooping from scratch, a view shared by hooper and personal trainer Sophie Carr, who cautions against starting any new fitness activity, hula hooping included, once you're expecting.

This guidance isn't purely theoretical. Our founder, Rachel JB Jones, hula hooped throughout her own pregnancy using our 0.9kg weighted hoop, continuing up to 23 weeks before switching to a lighter hoop as her bump grew and her needs changed. 

Rachel continued hula hooping throughout pregnancy, adapting the hoop weight and movements as her body changed.

Rachel shared:  

“I've loved continuing to hula hoop throughout my pregnancy. Adapting my moves and also the weight of the hula hoop I am using has given me a new insight into how to make certain moves lower impact. This has been invaluable for me during my pregnancy.”

She isn't alone in reaching that conclusion. Carla Rose, known in the hooping community as Cahula Hoops, used a 0.9kg HulaFit hoop made from HDPE tubing throughout her own pregnancy, continuing up to 24 weeks before also moving to something lighter.

Carla Rose known as Cahula Hoops, hula hooping during pregnancy.

“I switched from my 0.9kg HulaFit hoop between 24-26 weeks pregnant, then switched to a 20mm MDPE adult hula hoop of a similar size for my own comfort.

I taught HulaFit classes up to week 29 of my pregnancy, but did carry on to teach some hoop tricks classes after.

It's so important to get the information out there so people can make informed (and safe) choices for their own pregnancy/hooping journey.”

Jo Mondy, owner of Live Love Hoop has been a hula hooper, hoop teacher and performer for 20 years! She shared with us her journey through pregnancy:

Jo Mondy, (left) owner of Live Love Hoop, during her pregnancy.

“During my first pregnancy I was teaching up to 8 classes a week as well as performing. I felt really great throughout, but I did have to modify moves based on the laxity of my ligaments. Tricks like wedgies (which involve a lot of hip movements) were not great for me.

My second pregnancy was at the tail end of Covid so I was teaching classes online at that point. I was SO much more tired and sick this pregnancy though, so I struggled to get the energy for any personal practice. 

Every person and every pregnancy is so different, so my biggest piece of advice is to listen to your body! 

There might be some moves that just don’t work for you while you’re pregnant and that is okay. You might just be exhausted the whole time and don’t feel like hooping at all. That’s okay too! The hoop will be there for you when you are ready for it. 

I usually used a 36-38 MDPE hoop which is what I would normally use on-body so it didn't change too much.”

Still have questions?

Every pregnancy, and every hoop journey, looks a little different, and that's why this guide leans on real, lived experience from within our own community alongside sensible, general safety principles, rather than a single rigid rulebook. 

If you're pregnant and hooping, we'd love to hear how you're getting on, or your own recent experience of keeping fit during pregnancy and postpartum. 

If you're choosing a hoop to start or continue with, our 0.9kg weighted hula hoop is the one our founder trusted throughout her own pregnancy, and our team is always happy to help you find the right fit.

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