(Healthy) Gift giving ideas

Buying the perfect gift for someone can be intimidating at the best of times. But when your wife/ mother/ sister/ friend/( fill in the blank) is attempting to live a healthy lifestyle, it becomes almost impossible.  Candy is out (obviously) by what do you do?

Learn a lesson from comedian Tim Hawkins. (If you haven't heard of him, Google "Tim Hawkins Youtube" and prepare to laugh like you haven't laughed for a long time. Think Tim Allen meets Weird Al and square it!)  In Tim's famous song, "These are the things you don't say to your wife".


If you missed it, there's a line "Happy anniversary. I got you a treadmill".  Probably not the best idea!

I got to thinking, with Mother's Day approaching....not to mention birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and "just because" gift buying occasions, maybe some ideas would help.

DISCLAIMER: Do not, I repeat DO NOT!!!! give diet or fitness gifts to your loved one UNLESS she (or he) has specifically requested it.  It would not be a healthy thing for your relationship.  Fat people know they are fat. They know they need to exercise.  But they do not need you telling them they need to exercise.  It's a decision they need to make.  I know.  I didn't start making changes until I made the decision.

Here are some suggestions that I would love.  Some I have already blogged about.

1. Yonanas frozen dessert maker.  You take frozen bananas and make a cool, sweet treat---with no added sugar, dairy, or anything else.  Or you can add other fruit.  The machine comes with lots of recipes, but my favorite is plain bananas with a bit of chocolate chips or dark chocolate.

2. A good sports bra.  If she is a runner or doing high impact classes (like Zumba). A good sports bra is a must.  You might want to make it a gift certificate.

3. A fancy pedometer and/or heart rate monitor.  There are many choices out there.  I have a FitBit One and I like it. But they did just come out with the FitBit Flex which is a bracelet.  I don't have a heart rate monitor yet, but I'm looking at a Polar 4 or 7.  These are helpful for tracking workouts, calories burned, and steps taken.

4. Workout clothes.  I've been working out in a variety of tank tops, but I decided I wanted some "real" workout shirts.  So for Mother's Day, I asked for some shirts from Old Navy. I went to the site and selected an assortment of shirts (with sizes) and emailed my list to my husband. I did not select colors (I need to leave somethingn for the surprise!!). I'll find out on Sunday if they fit.

5. Food scale. When I started my journey to healthy living, my goal was to eat less and move more. I have not been too concerned with measuring and weighing everything.  But I know that as I get closer to my goal, that will be more important.  My body needs less fuel than it did 40 pounds ago. 100 pounds from now it will need even less.  EatSmart sent me a digital kitchen scale to try out. The scale works in ounces, pounds, and grams.  My favorite part is the tare feature.  When want to weigh something, I turn on the scale, then I put the plate down and hit "tare" and it resets to zero. Then I add my item.  The weight of the plate is removed.  I can also add multiple ingredients by hitting tare after recording each item.  The scale is very thin and lightweight. Counter space is a premium in our kitchen. So I store my EatSmart scale on it's side behind the bowls in the cabinet. It's easy to reach when I need it, and it is out of the way when I don't need it.

 

 

6. Registration for an upcoming run/walk.  If you know your loved one plans to participate in the race, why not show your support by pre-registering her? Or, you could print off a coupon for "One all expenses paid race of your choice".  But be careful with that one. She might choose the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii!!

 

What gifts would you recommend for yourself or someone who is learning to live a healthy lifestyle?

 Disclosure: The opinions are all mine.  I was sent a free product (EatSmart Scale) in order to review the product, but I was not told what to write.