‘Hip Hoopz’: Exercise enthusiast takes hula hooping into local community

Hip Hoopz by Nekeva owner Nekeva Lowery demonstrates an exercise movement with a hula hoop in the War Memorial Building on Dec. 18. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — In the experience of Nekeva Lowery, a hula hoop has proven to be far more than just a childhood toy.

"I’ll go anywhere within a 50-mile radius of my home in Martinsburg to deliver a hoop," Lowery said, as she whirled a handmade hula hoops in the air. "They’re made out of irrigational equipment, like farmers use. I just put somewhere from a cup of water to a cup-and-a-half of water into each hoop that I make, to give it the right amount of weight for exercising, and then decorate them with colorful patterns."

On Dec. 18, hula hoops and a hula hooping instructional class were being held on the second floor of the War Memorial Building, under Lowery's business name, Hip Hoopz by Nekeva.

"This is our second year!" Lowery said. "I do a hula hooping basics class once a month in Shepherdstown here or, in the summertime, at Morgan's Grove Park. We’ve been at parks outside of Shepherdstown, as well, like War Memorial in Martinsburg. I just try to travel and go around."

For Lowery, teaching classes around the Eastern Panhandle is about more than just making a profit. It is about passing on the gift that she was given, when her own coworker shared its addiction-defeating power with her over a decade ago.

Sylvia Clinton, of Charles Town, practices with her hula hoop at the Hip Hoopz by Nekeva class in the War Memorial Building on Dec. 18. Tabitha Johnston

"I did it to stop smoking cigarettes about 10 or 11 years ago. I actually learned about it from someone who I used to be a coworker with. This is the original hula hoop that she made me!" Lowery said, motioning to the leopard print hula hoop in her hand. "I then watched YouTube videos to learn how to hula hoop."

"I have rheumatoid arthritis, and I also suffer from fibromyalgia and depression," Lowery said. "Hula hooping is a way to help me stay active, stay mobile, so I don't stiffen up. It also helps my mood, by encouraging me to be active. It brings me out of depression sometimes."

While some of Hip Hoopz by Nekeva's customers simply purchase a hula hoop without taking a class or attend one class just to learn hula hooping basics, others have turned into faithful friends.

"Ms. Sylvia has been here since day one! She comes to every class," Lowery said, noting the only time 75-year-old Charles Town resident Sylvia Clinton has missed a class in the past two years, was due to her going on vacation.

"I love this exercise! It keeps my joints moving," Clinton said, mentioning she switched from a store-bought exercise hula hoop to one of Lowery's hula hoops, after realizing she was being bruised by the store-bought hoop. "They’re lighter and come in different weights and sizes, so you can find one that works best for you."

Handmade hula hoops, of varying sizes, rest along a wall in the War Memorial Building, prior to the Dec. 18 instructional workout. Tabitha Johnston

The combined cost for a class and hula hoop is $25. The cost for attending a class, without purchasing a hula hoop, is $5. The cost for purchasing a hula hoop alone is $15.

Class times and locations can be found on Hip Hoopz by Nekeva's Facebook page and Instagram page, @dat304chic. #gallery-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */