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This Christmas, give a little thought to your stocking stuffers. The right gift can really make a difference in someone’s life.
Everyone loves Christmas stocking gifts. They’re like the tasty little
entrées you get before the main course under the Christmas tree. The
problem is, after Christmas, many stocking stuffers don’t get used very
often, if at all.
Here’s a thought. This year, give your loved ones a gift that keeps on giving. Gifts that promote fitness and wellbeing give your friends and family more than they might expect:
Yoga and Pilates equipment
Breathe in, breathe out, relaaaaaax. Pilates socks, resistance bands, yoga tops, flow balls and yoga straps are just some of the simple, inexpensive gifts that can help build a home studio/gym and enhance someone’s practice. Yoga and Pilates are low-impact workouts that focus on using bodyweight resistance. Both workouts can increase overall health for body, mind and spirit. The benefits are vast, like lowering stress levels, improving emotional wellbeing, all while building muscle tone and aligning the body. Not bad for a stocking stuffer, right?
Weights and Home Gym
You could be forgiven for thinking of Mr. Schwarzenegger at the mention of lifting weights, but bodybuilders are only a small subset of the people who incorporate weight training into their fitness regimens, and the benefits of doing even a light lifting/training routine are massive (no pun intended). Okay dumbbells and kettlebells won’t fit in a stocking, but there are many inexpensive gifts that will really improve a home gym like hand weighs, resistance bands, sports bras, and ankle and wrist weights to name just a few. More than 30 years of research has shown that muscle-strengthening exercise increases muscle mass, strength and bone mineral density. It improves our body’s capacity to remove sugar and fat from the bloodstream and our ability to perform simple everyday activities.
Cardio & Sports Watches
We all know the benefits of a regular cardio workout, and it’s easy to find all the gifts to go with it - skipping ropes, hand weights, shaker bottles and massage balls - all thoughtful gifts that can fit perfectly into a stocking…and a daily routine.
Then, for those who are a little more serious about their cardio, consider a smart watch. This type of watch tracks the details of your daily physical activity to an almost uncanny level, and all of that data is available on an app on your phone that allows you to review your workouts, activity levels, and heart rate to track progress over time. It also provides feedback on sleep, stress, blood oxygen saturation and menstrual cycle.
This Christmas we could all think a bit more about what we put in our stockings. If you can’t choose, just fill them full of rebel gift cards and let them decide their wellness journey! So, let’s eat, think and be merry!