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"Growing up doesn&amp;#039;t exactly come with written instructions. We know we&amp;#039;re supposed to go through phases, grow out of things and become wiser all along the way. Though, since there isn&amp;#039;t exactly a plan, I&amp;#039;d like to think that it&amp;#039;s good to improvise a bit here and there. So, here&amp;#039;s my confession: I still hula hoop...a lot. I reconnected hula hoops in seventh grade at a friend&amp;#039;s bat mitzvah. There was a contest to see who could hula hoop the longest. I ran over to join the second I spotted my eye on my favorite childhood toy. I figured I&amp;#039;d be eliminated from the contest right away, but somehow I kept going and before I knew it, four songs had been played and I was the only one left. The next week the same thing happened. I found myself hooping on one foot, then the other. I hooped up and then touched the ground and even spun around. I ran to one side and then the other. Before I knew it, I&amp;#039;d won again. Finally, I had discovered my special talent. I went on to win three more of these contests. When I was a camp counselor a few years later, I spotted a pile of hula hoops at an activity fair. While I knew they were intended for the campers, I couldn&amp;#039;t help myself \u2014 I jumped right in and started my moves until I was the only one left hooping. When I went to college, instead of concentrating on buying sheets, a refrigerator and organizers, I made sure to purchase the perfect hula hoop for school. Now, as an active hula hooper at age 21, I&amp;#039;ve recently found out that I&amp;#039;m not the only one hooping! The country is filled with weighted hoops, hoop classes and even hoop dances. Did you know how good hooping is for your body? I&amp;#039;m so happy to now have an excuse to still use my beloved childish talent!  So tell me, are there things you haven&amp;#039;t grown out of? What childhood toys have you held on to?  xoxo, Michelle Toglia Web intern "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.seventeen.com/life/a10958/daily-kiss-hoop-there-it-is/>