Holiday gifts for your favorite health nut
PIN IT!Can you believe it’s ALREADY December 9th??? Where did November go? Although I’m consumed with holiday cheer, there is still plenty of room left for stress, anxiety and all-out panic! It’s incredibly overwhelming having to make sure you have the perfect gift for your friends and family, especially when you have to wait until you get paid again to buy it! (Aka, my life story). I’m constantly having to go in and re-do my holiday budget (which I’m shocked I’m staying in) to add and update people’s presents. AND not to mention trying to decide what people should get me! I know, picking our your own gifts should be the easiest task to check off on my holiday to-do, however, I just haven’t had time to do it! And I KNOW I’m not the only person struggling to keep their head screwed on this holiday, with buying presents and finding time to persue a wish list of their own! So to make everyone’s lives a little easier, I’ve created a list of hot gifts to buy for your favorite health nuts.
Happy Shopping!
- Reebok Easy Tone Sneakers. ($ 90-120) These sneaks are a hot commodity in the fitness world! Why? The Easy Tone technology in each of their Easy Tone sneakers improves muscle tone in the hamstrings, calves and gluteous maximus (butt) by up to 28%! These sneakers come in a variety of colors and design (shown aqua Easy Tone Go Outside and pink Easy Tone Inspire.) visit www.reebok.com for more information and prices!
- Great workout DVD’s: $15-30 per dvd. With the economy still slagging, many people have had to cut out their gym memberships from their monthly budgets. But luckily, there are a plethora of fantastic and very effective workout DVD’s available that allow you to work out from your home, no membership required! The best workout dvd’s this year include:
Jillian Michael’s: The Complete Workout for Beginners ($24.95). This DVD can burn up to an estimated 460 calories for 97 minutes of excercise!
10 Minute Solution: Blast Off Belly Fat ($14.98). This DVD helps you burn 40 calories per 10 minute session and is geared solely at helping you tone up your tummy!
Get Ripped 1,000 with Jari Love ($14.99). This DVD is for those people in search of a serious sweat. You can burn a whopping 1,000 calories for the 70 minute workout!
Pilates Core Challenge ($14.98). For those in search of toning to the core, this DVD is perfect! You can burn 225 calories per each 60 minute exercise and it strengthens your entire core.
[all of these DVD’s can be purchased from www.amazon.com, as well as other fitness retailers)
3. Workout clothes ($10-100+). Nothing puts you in the mood better than a hot outfit. (Who doesn’t love that new, sexy feeling that comes with a brand new dress?) Well, same goes for work out attire! The better you feel GOING INTO the workout, the more effort you’ll put into it and the better you’ll feel afterwards. Nothing motivates me to go to the gym more than a new pair of running shoes or bright running shorts. You should always feel good and confident in your clothes, no matter what your activity, and I’ve never, EVER felt confident and motivated in a pair of sweats from highschool and a stained, Goodwill t-shirt. For ideas on the best gear to get, visit www.fitnessmag.com. For the best selection on workout gear, visit www.nike.com, www.reebok.com and www.dickssportinggoods.com. You can find something for just about anyone, whether they be a yoga lover or a marathon runner. [Here are a few examples, based on my own wish list!]
Nike Cold Weather Thermal Running Hoodie ($70) www.nike.com
Nike Tempo Track Women’s Running Short ($25) www.nike.com
Nike Woman Seamless Running Shirt ($50) www.nike.com
The North Face’s Woman Sentry Full Zip Hoodie ($90) www.thenorthface.com
The North Face’s Women’s Windstopper Hybrid Tight ($125) www.thenorthface.com
Reebok’s On the Move Go Awake Smoothfit Long Bra ($45) www.reebok.com
4. A subscription to a health/lifestyle/fitness magazine ($10-25). Clark, It’s the gift that keeps giving all year around! (Little Christmas Vacation humor-except this is much better than jelly roll of the month club). I have a subscription to SELF, and let me tell you, it makes having to ride the metro bearable!
Fitness Magazine
If you order a year-long subscription with this fitness favorite, you get a full year free and a free gift! That’s 2 years worth of monthly magazines for only $15. Each of these magazines in the grocery store are almost $3.50 a pop!
SELF Magazine
This is one of my favorite magazines, and for a mere $10 dollars for one year or $18 for 2 years, it’s a super cheap gift! Now, if you subscribe, you also get a free tote bag!
Shape Magazine
If you subscribe to Shape now, you only pay $14.97 for 12 issues (which is 75% off the cover price) and you receive a free absolution, which is a step by step guide to getting a flat tummy!
5. Books about weight loss, health, life ($5-30). A book is one of the easiest (and cheapest) gifts out there, and are almost never returned! Getting your friend, who is down on the dumps and having trouble losing weight, a funny, inspirational and realistic memoir about the struggles of weight loss is a great way to show them that you care and they are not the only one out there facing that problem. Sometimes, we feel so alone in our insecurities and our body troubles, all we need is to read a true life account about someone going through the exact same thing, and is making mistakes and having trouble. Here are a few of my absolute favorites:
Half-Assed: A weight-loss memoir, by Jennette Fulda ($10.85 from Amazon). This book is funny, sad and inspirational all in one! Jenette documents here weight loss struggles and how she managed to lose 186 pounds! She realistically documents her struggle to find herself again and journey from 376 pounds to 190.
Thin Is The New Happy, by Valerie Frankel ($16.46). For any of you with a mother who is always on your case about your weight, this book is perfect! Valerie discusses how she was placed on a diet at age 11 and has struggled with trying to be “thin enough” for her mother’s love. This book is funny, uplifting and a real look at how hard it is to try and be perfect for someone else’s approval.
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, by Stephanie Klein ($18.96). This funny account comes from a former chubby girl turned mother who is asked to gain 50 pounds for a pregnancy. She is then flooded back with memories of her youth where she spent her 8th grade years at a fat camp. Going from thin to fat to thin again and dealing with the battles of growing up overweight, this book is a hilarious account of growing up.
Confessions of a Carb Queen, Susan Blech and Caroline Bock ($9.99). This book is a definite read for anyone who has ever let their emotions guide their eating patterns. Blech, who ballooned up to 468 pounds, documents her time spent in a NC weight loss clinic. A very funny, and very emotional and truly inspiring, memoir that shows just how easy it is to let your emotions get the best of you.
Naturally Thin, by Bethenny Frankel ($10.88). This book is a great look at the life of the naturally thin and it can help anyone, no matter their shape, change their mindset. Bethenny quotes “everyone is naturally thin.” This book features many great low-fat , low cal recipes and cocktail ideas, as well as advice and easy fixes to some diet blunders. This book will help you transform your thinking to that of a skinny girl.
6. A trip to the spa for a massage or spa day. After spending hours at the gym, a health nuts muscles are sure to be screaming for a little TLC. So indulge your favorite fitness fene with a massage at your local spa, or if they’ve been really good this year, send them to one of the nation’s most renown luxury spas. For a complete list of spas in your area, or a list of the best spas in the country, visit http://www.spafinder.com/
Hopefully these gift ideas make shopping for your favorite health nut a little easier! When in doubt, a nice dinner or a great bottle of wine will work too.
