Fitness in the Raspberry Filling Years

It never ends. 
Women in the subprime of their lives are not allowed to be pleasingly plump and happy about it. We see TV interviews with great-grandmothers who run marathons. 
Actresses who were old enough to know better 20 years ago still choose to appear in the altogether. 
Diana Nyad is in her 60’s. She recently cavorted in the ocean before TV cameras in a swimming suit. For the love of Mike. Many of us would rather moonwalk past Buckingham Palace with our 80’s perm rather than wear a swimsuit in public.
 
Middle age spread has descended to the status of the bubonic plague. It must be avoided at all costs.
 
Some of us defy public scrutiny, don a one-piece swimsuit and head to the health club pool. Others lace up the walking shoes and hit the pavement. Some perch on stationary or gallivanting bikes, ignore the pain in the posteriors, and pedal their way to thinner thighs.
But what about the woman who, as detailed above, does not aspire to swimsuit exposure? How about those among us whose knees and ankles protest at the punishment of pounding and pressure? Whose hindquarters have no desire to be permanently numbed?

Two words, dear raspberry filling friends.
Hula Hoop.
Half an hour with a hula hoop and you’ll burn off 200 calories. Swivel your way through a rerun of ‘Murder, She Wrote’, and you’ll have shaken off your lunch.
Just like that. No pressure on joints, no special clothes, no expensive equipment, and only 1 caveat.
Unless you are pint-sized, chances are you can’t use your kids’ old hula hoop from the garage.
You could order an adult-sized one and pay money.
OR
You could make one. Like I did. Via my husband.
Just sweet talk someone into giving you some old flexible water line. We used 3/4”. Measure it so that, when looped, it hits between your...upper hip and upper ribcage.

Connect the 2 ends with a connector. We (as in my husband with my enthusiastic approval) used a piece of 1/2” tubing to connect the ends to each other.
Wrap it with electrical tape and
Viola.
Your own custom made hula hoop. You can get funky and decorate it, or you can keep it rustic.
Wait till everyone is out of the house, make sure the breakables are out of the spin zone, turn on the TV or the dance tunes. Sashay, shimmy, and get down with your own bad, ever-skinnier self.
Because that’s how Raspberry Filling Women roll.