Merry Fitness to All: Holiday Gift Options

Just because Santa Claus goes on annual globetrotting cookie binges while getting his ass pulled around by reindeer doesn?t make it okay for us normal folks. Unlike Mr. Kringle, most people can?t live forever eating candy canes and climbing down chimneys (might be bad for the lungs.)If you have a friend, coworker or loved one who shakes ?like a bowl full of jelly,? consider buying him or her some fitness-related gifts this holiday season. Make New Year?s fitness resolutions easy on everybody and think about purchasing one or more of the following products. Skip the cheese and sausage and give the gift of physical well-being.

Games/Apps

Workout gift basket!

Part of the reason why so many people are out of shape is the fact that so many of us sit around all day playing ?Call of Duty? — and/or tweeting about playing ?Call of Duty.? Fitness-related apps and video games are a great way to bridge the gap between working out thumbs and working out the entire body. Whether it?s a video game like?UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System? for the Wii or an iPhone app like iFitness, your beloved gamer or tech geek will appreciate the much-needed fitness boost.

Gym Membership

If your buddy?s got a treadmill at home and never uses it, consider getting him or her a gym membership. It?s a lot healthier than a Jelly of the Month subscription and is a gift that keeps on giving. A gym membership might just be the catalyst he or she needs to really make the commitment to physical fitness. Gyms offer structure, quality gear and the right environment, something a bench and a house full of fine china can?t provide.

Fitness Duds

A gym membership won?t do a hell of a lot of good if the person you get it for has nothing to wear to it but ratty old Foreigner T-shirts and clogs. You?re sure to find cheap workout clothes during the holiday season. Buy high-quality, sweat-wicking clothes and sport-appropriate sneakers and your giftee will be pumping iron and pounding the pavement in no time. Just refrain from red and green outfits; while certainly jolly, this might have the opposite effect.

Blender/Protein

Appliances often come off as impersonal gifts. For example, it?s(unfortunately)neither romantic nor socially acceptable thing to buy your girlfriend/wife a vacuum.? A blender, on the other hand, is a cheap, easy-to-use gift that could mean the difference between thousands of unhealthy meals and thousands of nutritious smoothies. Include a tub of whey protein as an added bonus and give your giftee a nudge in the right direction.

Personal Trainer

Go the extra mile and purchase a personal training package for the fitness noob. With all their new apps, clothes, and nutrition options, they?ll have a hell of a time trying to figure out how to use it all effectively. Having a personal trainer is incredibly beneficial to organization and motivation. Not only that, but it will save you late night phone calls asking about the benefits of circuit training.