If you’re shopping for someone who takes their health seriously, you have many options for gifts that will keep on giving the gift of fitness, nutrition, heart health or other wellness benefits. In addition to gadgets, a number of health services make great gifts your health-conscious friend or loved one may not have considered.
Give a Juicer
Drinking pure juice from fruits and vegetables is an excellent way to maximize the vitamins and minerals you get from foods. When you eat a carrot, for example, much of what you eat is dietary fiber, which you pass. Drinking a glass of carrot juice concentrates the nutrients since much of the pulp is removed.
Search reviews of online juicers to make sure you get one that lasts — these should be powerful machines that quickly macerate seeds, pits, rinds and peels.
Dietitian Visits Can Change Lives
There’s nothing like sitting down one-on-one with a registered dietitian to learn exactly what your diet needs are. A professional dietitian will take into account your age, weight, activity levels, gender and health history to create the perfect diet for you.
You’ll learn the correct number of calories you should eat, as well as what nutrients, such as iron, calcium or protein, you need and what foods contain them. A certified nutritionist is not the same as a registered dietitian. Visit the website of the American Dietetics Association to find a registered dietitian in your area.
Smart Watch/Heart Monitor
Working out is more fun if you can see results each time. Smart watches and heart rate monitors let you track your maximum and average heart rate during exercise, see your calories burned and store information to compare workouts. You can find them online for $50 or less.
Check out our post on how to compare heart rate monitors.
Step Pedometers Are Affordable
More and more people are counting their daily steps to make sure they get off their butt during the day. These devices are inexpensive, easy to clip on to work, casual or exercise clothing.
Bike Trainers Are Unique
You don’t have to skip a bike ride if it’s raining or cold outside – if you have a bike trainer. Let your friend who cycles get great indoor workouts using a bike trainer. A trainer is a stand you set your bike on so the cycle doesn’t move while you pedal away and burn calories, build muscle and improve your heart health.
Stress Tests Are Fun and Informative
If your health nut works out, he or she has probably estimated his or her target heart rate range for exercise using a manual formula or online calculator. These methods only give you an estimate of your maximum heart rate and target heart rate range.
Arrange for a treadmill stress test, administered by a health professional, to get the most accurate heart rate based on your giftee’s age, weight, height, gender and other factors. You should be able to get one performed at a local clinic, hospital or college or university. Include a personal heart rate monitor as part of your gift package.
Tennis Lessons Are Almost Everywhere
Tennis burns more calories, increases your ability recover from physical stress, and provides more brain development than high-impact aerobic exercise. Find group tennis lessons in your area or buy a few private lessons from a local pro so your friend can learn the sport of a lifetime.
If your giftee has played before but hasn’t hit for a while, sign her up for a series of Cardio Tennis workouts to get her back in the swing while burning calories in an organized fitness class. Depending on how much money you want to spend on your gift, you can include a racket or racket re-stringing, balls, shoes, bag or an outfit.