History of the present. When California's Wham-O toy manufacturer successfully sold a plastic replica of the hula hoop in the late 1950s, it achieved international appeal. The ideal hula hoop for you is the one with which you feel most comfortable—this is decided by size, weight, and practice. The basic rule of thumb for newbie hoopers is: small weighted hula hoops are ideal for waist hooping; huge lightweight hula hoops are excellent for learning hula hoop techniques in the hands and arm hooping. Try hula hooping while walking. Hula hooping is already aerobic exercise if done consistently, but walking while hooping burns significantly more calories. You can try it out once you can effortlessly move between different postures and hoop continuously for 10–20 minutes at a period. Hula hooping is already aerobic exercise if done consistently, but walking while hooping burns significantly more calories. You can try it out once you can effortlessly move between different postures and hoop continuously for 10–20 minutes at a period. Begin in a forward posture and take a little step forward.