I don’t know about you, but I haven’t picked up a hula hoop since high school. But guess what—the former gym class activity is now a top trending workout on TikTok— but with a twist. Instead of those lightweight, plastic hula hoops, TikTokers have leveled up with weighted hula hoops.

When I heard about this new fitness trend, I tried to imagine giving it a shot and ultimately failing to even get the hoop around my waist more than twice. Frankly, if it were the only option, I’d probably burn more calories picking the hula hoop off the floor. Luckily for the highly uncoordinated, TikTok users have endorsed a weighted hula hoop that doesn’t require you to use gravity and skilled hips to keep it aloft.

TikToker Mariarma Saidyliegh demo’ed her weighted hula hoop journey using a smart weighted hula hoop from good old Amazon. It’s designed with a special waistband and it comes with a swinging hammer, which serves as your “hula hoop.” Welcome to the 21st century, guys. Instead of doing tons of crunches, you can put on your latest favorite show and hoop away. Now that’s the kind of multi-tasking I can get behind.

Weighted hula hoops also strengthen your core, back, hips and legs. Trust me, it’s more of a full-body workout than it looks. You can work your way up to doing it for 30 minutes but if you’re like me, you might need to start at 5 minutes until you start getting the hang of it.

In addition to the TikTok-famous hula hoop, we found another highly-rated option for shoppers on the hunt for something a little more classic. Happy hooping!

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Courtesy of Mige Tec.

Auto-Spinning Hula Hoop

If you aren’t particularly coordinated, like me, this is the hula hoop for you. You don’t have to worry about keeping the weighted hula balanced in air. You just attach this waistband around your waist and then start swinging your hips, then the weighted ball spins on a rope. Just make sure you’ve got a lot of space or you might hit something. It can be a little difficult to get into a good flow, but practice makes perfect. Some reviewers recommended wearing a shirt underneath the waistband because otherwise, it’ll pinch.

Buy: Mige Tec Smart Hula Hoop $29.85

Courtesy of BetterSense.

Traditional Weighted Hula Hoop

Try your luck and see if you can still hula hoop the old-fashioned way. The hoop can be assembled to make three different sizes, so you can make the one that’s right for you.  The 2 lb.-hoop is padded, so you won’t get bruised while hooping away. Plus, it’s currently 26 percent off. I love a good deal.

Buy: Better Sense Hoola Hoop $34.99

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t picked up a hula hoop since high school. But guess what—the former gym class activity is now a top trending workout on TikTok— but with a twist. Instead of those lightweight, plastic hula hoops, TikTokers have leveled up with weighted hula hoops.

When I heard about this new fitness trend, I tried to imagine giving it a shot and ultimately failing to even get the hoop around my waist more than twice. Frankly, if it were the only option, I’d probably burn more calories picking the hula hoop off the floor. Luckily for the highly uncoordinated, TikTok users have endorsed a weighted hula hoop that doesn’t require you to use gravity and skilled hips to keep it aloft.

TikToker Mariarma Saidyliegh demo’ed her weighted hula hoop journey using a smart weighted hula hoop from good old Amazon. It’s designed with a special waistband and it comes with a swinging hammer, which serves as your “hula hoop.” Welcome to the 21st century, guys. Instead of doing tons of crunches, you can put on your latest favorite show and hoop away. Now that’s the kind of multi-tasking I can get behind.

Weighted hula hoops also strengthen your core, back, hips and legs. Trust me, it’s more of a full-body workout than it looks. You can work your way up to doing it for 30 minutes but if you’re like me, you might need to start at 5 minutes until you start getting the hang of it.

In addition to the TikTok-famous hula hoop, we found another highly-rated option for shoppers on the hunt for something a little more classic. Happy hooping!

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Courtesy of Mige Tec.

Auto-Spinning Hula Hoop

If you aren’t particularly coordinated, like me, this is the hula hoop for you. You don’t have to worry about keeping the weighted hula balanced in air. You just attach this waistband around your waist and then start swinging your hips, then the weighted ball spins on a rope. Just make sure you’ve got a lot of space or you might hit something. It can be a little difficult to get into a good flow, but practice makes perfect. Some reviewers recommended wearing a shirt underneath the waistband because otherwise, it’ll pinch.

Buy: Mige Tec Smart Hula Hoop $29.85

Courtesy of BetterSense.

Traditional Weighted Hula Hoop

Try your luck and see if you can still hula hoop the old-fashioned way. The hoop can be assembled to make three different sizes, so you can make the one that’s right for you.  The 2 lb.-hoop is padded, so you won’t get bruised while hooping away. Plus, it’s currently 26 percent off. I love a good deal.

Buy: Better Sense Hoola Hoop $34.99

The long, warm days of summer will soon arrive. There’s no better way to spend them than sipping your favorite beverage with friends, outdoors. As for me, I always love a refreshing seasonal cocktail.

Summertime brings an abundance of fresh fruits and herbs that can be mixed into all sorts of flavorful craft cocktails.

It’s fun to experiment – whether infusing your libation of choice* with an herb or creating interesting simple syrups, be creative! Try some of these paired flavors and you’re on your way to becoming an amateur mixologist.

• Cantaloupe and mint leaves
• Pear and ginger root
• Honeydew and thyme or basil
• Meyers Lemon and just about most herbs: basil, rosemary or mint
• Mandarin orange and tarragon
• Cucumber and cilantro

Cocktails to Sip On

All of the following cocktails are made as martinis. However, they can be served over ice, too. And of course, you can “spice” them up a bit more with a heavier hand on the alcohol.

If you’re serving martinis, start with a shaker filled with ice. Once all the ingredients are added, shake vigorously for at least 30 seconds, and then pour into a chilled martini glass.

Uncle Paul’s Ginger Martini

My brother-in-law introduced me to this years ago and it’s always a big hit. In a shaker filled with ice mix:

• 3 ounces gin
• 2 ounces ginger simple syrup**
• ½ ounce fresh lime juice

Serve with a slice of lime.

Grapefruit and Elderflower Martini

I stole the recipe for this martini from one of my favorite restaurants, and then kicked it up a bit. I added elderflower liquor to cut the acid and enhance the flavor. It’s so good that it’s become my “signature” go-to cocktail. In a shaker filled with ice mix:

• 3 ounces vodka (I prefer Absolute Citron)
• 3 ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (strain the pulp)
• 1 ounce plain simple syrup**
• ½ ounce St. Germaine Elderflower Liquor
• ½ ounce of fresh Meyers lemon juice

Satsuma Special

Satsuma mandarins have a mellower flavor than your basic orange, but any mandarin or tangerine will do. In a shaker filled with ice mix:

• 3 ounces vodka (plain vodka or Absolute Mandarin)
• 3 ounces freshly squeezed satsuma juice (strained of pulp)
• 1 ounce tarragon simple syrup**
• Splash of fresh squeezed lime

Mint and Cantaloupe Concoction

You can substitute basil for the mint. In a shaker filled with ice mix:

• 3 ounces vodka
• 2 cups ripe cantaloupe, cut into chunks and pureed
• 1 ounce mint simple syrup
• Splash of fresh squeezed lime or lemon

Serve with a sprig of mint.

Infused Vodka or Gin

Simply muddle about a ½ cup of the herb of choice, pour 2 cups vodka or gin over the herbs and seal in a mason jar. Let it sit for a couple of day, then strain.

Simple Syrups

To prepare syrup, in a sauce pan, bring one cup water and one cup sugar to a boil. Simmer until all the sugar is dissolved. Let it stand until it’s room temperature.

If you’re making a flavored syrup, add in a heaping amount of the herb. I find you can’t put in too much. For example, about 20 basil leaves or ½ pound grated ginger work great.

Seal and refrigerate for a couple of days. Strain and use. Any leftover syrup can be frozen for several months.

Do you have a favorite summer cocktail that you love to prepare for your friends? Please share some of your favorites below!

A few years ago I had a long term friendship come to an end. Four decades of love, laughter and jokes, gone. I felt as though someone had removed a part of my heart. However, that experience both taught me important life lessons as well as opened many new doors. Here’s what I learned:

A Right to Choose a Different Path

If you’ve had years of investment with a close friend, noticing that there are differences cropping up can be genuinely disturbing. At first we ignore it, because we want very much to preserve what we’ve had. If it persists, it might be time to ask:

Can we still relate? Are we still on the same wavelength? And, perhaps even more challenging, can I honor the changes in my friend and still be friends? Sometimes, yes, sometimes – no. That is uniquely up to us.

A Fork in the Road

Friends can disagree on many things and still bear great love for one another. I have a close friend whose family differs completely from mine; however, I learn from them, and from her, every time I visit.

This brings value and perspective into my life, and I can appreciate alternative viewpoints. What’s key is mutual respect. If you no longer feel as though your thoughts, views, ideas and opinions are honored, even though you may not agree, this can cause heartache and arguments.

We evolve. Sometimes there is a fork up ahead. You’re headed to the lake front. Your friend needs to climb the mountain. When a long-time friend needs to walk a different path, it can feel as powerful as losing a close family member. In fact, it is.

Ending Things in Person Is So Very Hard

Sometimes we see behaviors that telegraph an unspoken intention. For example, someone is perpetually unavailable. At first we think that they’re busy. Then it feels like rejection.

A conversation that ends a friendship is very hard, and many of us avoid that kind of confrontation. Lots of us express our intentions without actually knowing it, because we don’t wish to cause someone pain. If a longtime friend “doesn’t have time,” that may be their way of saying things have changed.

Long friendships involve years of investment. When we see that slipping away, it can be terrifying. We’re losing part of who we understand ourselves to be with that special someone close to us.

Of course, we want to hold on, and rejection feels like abandonment. It brings up strong emotions and people may simply not be up to that emotional discussion no matter how close you are, or were.

Just Walk Away, Lovingly

If and when a friendship reaches a breaking point for any reason, sometimes all you can do is walk away. As hard as this may sound, if the joy is gone, and aspects of your connection have become stressful or toxic, then the kindest thing you can both do is acknowledge that you need to move on.

We may never find out what happened. There may not be answers. Sometimes we don’t know why things changed. While that can be frustrating – “But what did I do wrong? – not everyone can give, or even has, an answer.

Lots of us don’t want to have to justify our actions or choices. Part of maturity includes not only allowing others to make their own choices, but also to be able to live in the question.

Create Room for New Acquaintances

While it’s important to mourn the loss of a beloved friend, it’s just as important to create room for new acquaintances. They may not share our history, but the pleasure of new ideas and lively discussions far outweighs feeling lonely.

Healing is ahead – for both of you – as long as you can honor what you had and wish your friend the best in all things.

Hold the History in Your Heart

We can’t all have a gracious discussion when a friendship ends. Sometimes it’s just not available. In the best of scenarios, you can talk it out, express your love, and say good bye without recriminations.

Or, have a loving conversation with this person with whom you have shared so much of you. Then visualize them with a halo of brilliant love around them. Above all, be grateful for what you had, for the memories and the gifts they brought into your life.

After our friendship ended, I would find small tokens from Ellen around my house. Rather than make me sad, today they remind me of the treasure that her friendship brought to my life. She graced my life for most of my adulthood. And that is gift enough.

Have you recently ended a lengthy friendship? Are you currently hurting because an old friend seems to be turning on you or changing? What do you do to work through your feelings? How do you open your heart to new friends as you age? Please share your insights and tips below.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t picked up a hula hoop since high school. But guess what—the former gym class activity is now a top trending workout on TikTok— but with a twist. Instead of those lightweight, plastic hula hoops, TikTokers have leveled up with weighted hula hoops.

When I heard about this new fitness trend, I tried to imagine giving it a shot and ultimately failing to even get the hoop around my waist more than twice. Frankly, if it were the only option, I’d probably burn more calories picking the hula hoop off the floor. Luckily for the highly uncoordinated, TikTok users have endorsed a weighted hula hoop that doesn’t require you to use gravity and skilled hips to keep it aloft.

TikToker Mariarma Saidyliegh demo’ed her weighted hula hoop journey using a smart weighted hula hoop from good old Amazon. It’s designed with a special waistband and it comes with a swinging hammer, which serves as your “hula hoop.” Welcome to the 21st century, guys. Instead of doing tons of crunches, you can put on your latest favorite show and hoop away. Now that’s the kind of multi-tasking I can get behind.

Weighted hula hoops also strengthen your core, back, hips and legs. Trust me, it’s more of a full-body workout than it looks. You can work your way up to doing it for 30 minutes but if you’re like me, you might need to start at 5 minutes until you start getting the hang of it.

In addition to the TikTok-famous hula hoop, we found another highly-rated option for shoppers on the hunt for something a little more classic. Happy hooping!

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Courtesy of Mige Tec.

Auto-Spinning Hula Hoop

If you aren’t particularly coordinated, like me, this is the hula hoop for you. You don’t have to worry about keeping the weighted hula balanced in air. You just attach this waistband around your waist and then start swinging your hips, then the weighted ball spins on a rope. Just make sure you’ve got a lot of space or you might hit something. It can be a little difficult to get into a good flow, but practice makes perfect. Some reviewers recommended wearing a shirt underneath the waistband because otherwise, it’ll pinch.

Buy: Mige Tec Smart Hula Hoop $29.85

Courtesy of BetterSense.

Traditional Weighted Hula Hoop

Try your luck and see if you can still hula hoop the old-fashioned way. The hoop can be assembled to make three different sizes, so you can make the one that’s right for you.  The 2 lb.-hoop is padded, so you won’t get bruised while hooping away. Plus, it’s currently 26 percent off. I love a good deal.

Buy: Better Sense Hoola Hoop $34.99