Can you believe it’s already mid-December? If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for that person on your list who is just starting their health journey, or has committed to making 2018 their healthiest year ever, I have rounded up some ideas to help you finish up your Christmas shopping. Of course, I always believe the #1 gift you can give someone is your support, encouragement, and a smile, but I know you’re looking for a few things that can be purchased, too. Here are my top 7 healthy holiday gifts, perfect for those healthy people on your list!
Top 7 Healthy Holiday Gifts
- Gifts to create a healthy morning routine. I believe that one of the most impactful things we can do for our health (tied with drinking more water and eating more vegetables!) is to create a healthy morning routine (you can read a bit more about my own routine here). To help the person on your list create their own morning routine, I recommend giving a copy of The Miracle Morning (the book that got me started on morning routines!), a 5-Minute Journal (my very favorite way to practice gratitude and reflection each day!), an alarm clock (I like this one because it incorporates light to wake you up naturally! You can read more about why I think an alarm clock, rather than your phone, is the best way to wake up, here, and see how my morning routine originated!), or, if you’re looking for a pricier gift, a Muse headband (which I absolutely adore for my daily meditation practice).
- Gifts to inspire healthy cooking. While I don’t personally use many cookbooks, my clients who are starting their healthy journeys are always looking for healthy cookbooks to give them inspiration. Some of my favorites are SkinnyTaste, So Easy by Elle Krieger, Julie Bauer’s Paleo Cookbook, and Against All Grain’s Meals Made Simple.
- Gifts to facilitate meal planning and food prep. One of my all-time favorite health habits is meal planning and food prep: taking willpower out of the equation by eliminating decision making is so helpful. Meal planning and food prep save time, money, stress, and your health! For more on that (including my best tips and tricks!) check out my Meal Planning Mastery Webinar. For those healthy all-stars on your list, consider giving a Crockpot (my favorite food prep tool!), an Instant Pot (its trendy cousin, although I use it less often than my crockpot), and / or a set of reuseable food containers (I love this Snap Lock variety!).
- A gift to inspire movement. If you’re like me, before you got a fitness tracker, you thought you were self-motivated and didn’t need a watch to tell you to be more active. But the strangest thing happens when you strap a step-counting watch to your wrist … you move more! I’m constantly inspired to meet my personal goal (12,000 steps per day), and often find myself heading out for an extra short walk if I’m falling short. My clients are similarly motivated, and many of them use only their step counter as exercise – no gym needed! For someone who has goals to be more active during the day, achieve and maintain an optimal weight, or increase their energy, I can’t recommend a fitness tracker more. My personal favorite is the Fitbit Charge HR – not the fanciest one out there, but does a great job at monitoring exercise, sleep, heart rate, and reminding me to move throughout the day.
- Gifts to motivate hydration. I know what you’re thinking … “really? a water bottle?!?” Well, yes, a water bottle. Because hydration is so critical for overall health, energy, digestion, weight maintenance, and so much more, and because there’s no simpler way to ensure you stay hydrated than to carry a water bottle around constantly. And if you have a water bottle you love, you’ll carry it around constantly! (see this 2013 post for more tips to stay hydrated!). While S’wells are still the most popular bottles, I like this 32-ounce, leak-proof glass bottle. For someone who is not used to drinking water regularly yet, try this BPA-free fruit infuser bottle. And if you want to really hit a home run, I highly recommend this reverse osmosis home water purifier (the one I use every day!).
- Gifts to help them get their booty to a group fitness class. While I believe that nutrition yields 80% of the results we see and feel in our bodies, there’s no denying that exercise has so many benefits for our heart, our metabolism, our energy levels, and our confidence. Group fitness classes are an incredible way to start a true commitment to fitness, and can be so much fun, too! I recommend gifting a flexible membership like ClassPass (you buy “credits” that can be applied at almost any studio in participating cities, and with my link, you get $30 off!), StudioHop (more limited cities, but some additional perks), or a gift card to a local studio that you know your recipient enjoys.
- Gifts to make healthy eating a bit easier. Wouldn’t it be so nice if we had all the time in the world to hit the Farmer’s Market daily, and spend hours in the kitchen preparing delicious home cooked meals? I firmly believe in the power and benefit of meal planning and food prep every week, and cook the vast majority of my food at home. But for weeks when I arrive from out of town on Sunday evening or food prep is otherwise not going to happen, I love getting pre-made meals from Territory Foods. It’s by far the best-tasting option I’ve tried, and meals can be customized to your dietary needs and preferences. My Territory Foods link gets you $50 off your first order! And while we’re making healthy cooking easier, I can’t forget about Thrive Market, my source for all healthy pantry items. Thrive gets you 25-50% off retail prices for an annual membership (and my link gets you an additional $25 free!), which would be an amazing gift to someone starting their own health journey!
A gift to YOURSELF!
Now that you’ve bought healthy holiday gifts for the special people on your list, it’s time to think about YOU for a moment! If you’re ready to make 2018 your healthiest and happiest year yet, let me help you set and achieve goals with my best proven goal-setting strategies. You can register for my FREE Healthy Goal Setting webinar (on 12/28) here!
Now it’s your turn … have any gift ideas to add to the list of healthy holiday gifts?
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