East Lyme — Let's face it, guys: When it comes to hula hooping, women are way more hip.

So it came as little surprise that most of the women attending Snap Fitness' first hula hoop fitness class earlier this month were able to keep the hoops spinning around their bodies, while the lone guy — a gamer by the name of Jake Marcus, who happens to be the latest personal trainer to join Snap Fitness' staff — was struggling mightily.

But then some magic happened. With a little instruction from hula hoop teacher Shimmer Shine of Uncasville (a rock singer for the band Jeremiah Hazed who goes only by her stage name), Jake began to get it. And pretty soon, he was hula hooping with the best of them.

"I'm so proud of you — you all said you couldn't hula hoop — now look at you," Shimmer said to the class during the hourlong workout. "We've got a bunch of pros in here."

Hula hooping is one of the new offerings at the 4,000-square-foot Snap Fitness, a franchise operation that new owner Kim Moran of Killingworth bought from the Minnesota-based company six months ago. Moran is trying to distinguish her fitness outlet from many others in the region by experimenting with new ideas and offering workouts few others in the region have entertained.

"Everyone loves to hula hoop," the 18-year-old Shimmer said. "It becomes a flow."

And exercise advocates say hula hooping is great for stengthening abdominal muscles, gaining more flexibility and improving hand-eye coordination. It also can burn more than 400 calories an hour, according to the American Council on Exercise. 

Shimmer picked up hula hooping two and a half years ago while attending music festivals. Soon, she started experimenting and developing moves mostly on her own.

During the class, Shimmer demonstrated a variety of hoop moves — both on body and off body. She used hoops in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes, saying the weighted devices are easier for beginners to pick up.

"It's kind of like a side to side motion," she said while starting with the traditional on-body hula hoop moves familar to millions after the plastic toys became a craze in the late 1950s. "You don't have to move very much to get it around."

Off-body workouts included whirling the hula hoop on an arm — a tricky undertaking for some beginners who found their hoops flying around the fitness area.

"Hoop on the loose," laughed Sandy Allen of Niantic.

"Oh my God, it's going to kill me," said Mary Ellen Gladue of Niantic, the oldest hula hooper at age 77.

"I got so many bruises when I first started hooping," admitted Shimmer.

But while hula hooping can be physically demanding, it also has a beautiful side. Shimmer demonstrated one of the more interesting moves, called an egg beater, which involved a delicate flick of the wrist to create an interesting pattern.

"It looks so pretty when everyone is doing it at the same time," she said. "There is no such thing as a wrong way to do something — whatever feels comfortable."

Fitness studio owner Moran discovered Shimmer performing hula hoop moves at a party and decided to invite her to give Snap Fitness a whirl. This was Shimmer's first class in a fitness place, and Moran vowed she would return about once a month.

Hula hoop is just one of the offerings Moran has added to the mix at 24-hour Snap Fitness, located near downtown Niantic in a space across from the post office. One new ingredient is a Pilates reformer machine, a resistance-exercise platform that is advertised as a full-body workout great for people nursing injuries or recuperating from surgery.

"It's a hard workout, but forgiving on the joints," Moran said.

Snap Fitness also will be hosting cardio boot camp classes, she said, moving some of the workouts to a grassy area outside in milder weather. From May 16-17, the studio will be hosting a personal trainer certification workshop and hopes to add more trainers over time to the two currently available.

Changes to the traditional offerings of free weights and various workout machines at Snap Fitness have gone over well among her clientele, Moran said. Membership that had been in the low 400s when she took over has zoomed into the lower 600s, she said, crediting the business mentoring service SCORE and mentor Peter Van Strum with helping turn things around.

"It's about being here," she said. "Before it was an absent type of thing."

While the winter was hard on some businesses, Moran said she saw benefits because runners needed to move their workout routines indoors. Moran caters to all ages, and offers a college discount for soon-to-be-returning young athletes.

"We want people to meet their goals," she said. "We provide a personal touch."

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow

BUSINESS SNAPSHOT

Basic information about Snap Fitness in Niantic

What: Snap Fitness

Where: 88 Pennsylvania Ave., Niantic

Who: Kim Moran, co-owner

Open: 24/7

Phone: (860) 691-1140

Website: www.snapfitness.com