12 Healthy Holiday Gifts

By , SparkPeople Blogger
Can you believe it’s already that time of year again? It seems like the holiday season approaches more quickly each year. Before you know it, the malls will be filled with last-minute shoppers scrambling to find parking spaces and gifts for their loved ones. If you’re like me, searching online from the comfort of your own home is an easy and less stressful way to shop. Considering giving the gift of health this year? Here are some ideas in a variety of price ranges to get you started.    

Homemade Gifts
These are often the ones that mean the most (and can be the most inexpensive!). I’ve given jars of granola and loaves of bread as presents in the past, and they are always warmly received. You don’t need to be crafty or a fancy chef to create these kinds of presents. Here are some gift-worthy treats you might consider making this year.

Online Fitness Classes
These have become very popular in recent years. Sites like fitnessglo.com offer monthly memberships, and you are often able to choose from a variety of classes and instructors. This is a perfect gift for those who want to change up their home workouts regularly. 

Activities for Kids
There are lots of ways to teach children about healthy living in fun and interactive ways. The MyPlate Game  teaches about portion sizes, food groups and healthy eating. Playful Planet offers yoga DVDs, activities and other resources to help develop healthy, happy and earth-conscious kids. 

Magazine Subscriptions
This is a great option for the person on your list who has it all. Choose from a wide variety of topics depending on their interests. Some subscription ideas might include general fitness, sports, cooking, healthy living or even stress management.

FlipBelt
This product takes the hassle out of finding a place to store your valuables while you’re working out. Made of a moisture-wicking, spandex-lycra blend, FlipBelt slides right on and sits snug on your hip. FlipBelt is also machine washable and machine dryable.

The Stick
Used to compress and stretch muscles, The Stick treats knots and other muscle discomforts. It can help prevent muscle tightness, as well as treat muscle cramps and pain. This is a great alternative to traditional stretching for both athletes and casual exercisers.

Produce Delivery Service
Sounds expensive, but it might be cheaper than you'd think! My family has a bin of fresh fruits and vegetables (grown locally and/or organically) delivered to our home every two weeks. I gave a gift certificate to my parents for Christmas last year, and now they do it, too! You’ll need to do a search to see what’s available in your area (we use Green Bean Delivery), but this is an easy way to help those you love get their ''5-a-day''!

Monthly Snack Service
Naturebox offers a wide variety of healthy snack options delivered right to your door. A gift certificate allows the recipient a trial run of the service to see how much they like it. 
  
66 Audio BTS+ Bluetooth Sports Headphone
This product is both a wireless stereo headphone and Bluetooth phone headset. It allows you to adjust volume, accept calls, and switch music tracks right from the device. Perfect for the exerciser who doesn’t want to miss an important call during their workout!

Philips Activa Music Player   
This device automatically selects music to keep up with your workout pace, provides vocal feedback with status updates as you exercise, and allows you to download workout stats to your computer. It’s especially helpful for someone who needs a little extra motivation during their workouts.    

Waterfi iPod Shuffle  
This waterproof MP3 player is great for swimming, surfing and other water activities. It can go as deep as 210 feet under water, and holds up to 500 songs, podcasts and audiobooks. 

GARMIN Edge 500
Perfect for cyclists, the Edge 500 measures your speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb and descent, and records this data for your review. For extra-precise climb and descent data, Edge 500 also incorporates a barometric altimeter to pinpoint changes in elevation.
 
Happy shopping, and Happy Holidays!