Fitness Fanatic Gift Guide

I’ve had a few family and friends asking what I’d like for Christmas this year and since I have more than enough on the cosmetics side of things and fashion is a very personal thing, my mind turned more to my health & fitness goals. This year, I’ve asked for things that will help and encourage me to keep making progress and generally make me feel good inside and out. Now, you have to be very careful about buying health & fitness gifts for people as they can take it the wrong way! Someone I know got a ‘Think Yourself Thin’ DVD one Christmas and you can imagine how that went down…

So basically what I’m saying is, ONLY get something health/fitness orientated if the recipient has made it abundantly clear that they would appreciate gifts like these. If they constantly post healthy food they’ve made on instagram, tell you about how good their latest workout was or post weightless updates on their Facebook, that’s a good indicator that they will appreciate one of these gifts. You can top it off by writing something on the gift card like “you have been doing so amazingly well on your fitness journey and you look fabulous. I’m so proud of you and I hope this gift helps you to reach your goals!”. You could always give them one of these gifts as part of their present so it doesn’t seem like you’re putting all of the emphasis on one thing – however I, for one, would be delighted to receive any of these fabulous gifts!

The Journal

Training Diary (£34.95) | Yoga Diary (£34.95)

It always helps to keep track of your weightless, fitness goals, workout routines and general notes about your wellbeing. Although there is many an app to do this nowadays, us old schoolers like the feel of paper in our hands and the physical act of writing things down can, in itself, help you to be accountable for your lifestyle. It’ll be nice for them to look back on when they’ve reached their goal and can reflect on how far they’ve come. Writing how you’re feeling can also help you identify when you’re most likely to want to splurge and it can also help you to mix up your workouts and keep your body guessing.

The Healthy Cook Book

I Quit Sugar (£8) | Nourish: The Fit Woman’s Cookbook (£29) | The Superfood Kitchen (£14.39)

A huge part of a healthy lifestyle is diet, in fact they do say that 80% of weightless and maintenance is down to diet (with 10% being genetic and the other 10% being exercise). There are a plethora of healthy cook books on the market and the three above are my favourites for daily inspiration. You can adapt the recipes to suit your palate but they do give you the knowledge and building blocks to begin choosing the right foods to nourish your body. A healthy balanced diet is the ultimate tool for a happy life and healthy body and mind!

The Fitness Band

Garmin VivoFit £68.64) | FitBit Flex (£69) | Withings Pulse Ox (£71)

I have actually asked my hubby for one of these fitness bands for my birthday in December because they’re a great way to keep track of your activity and also to set yourself daily goals. They serve as a fab motivational tool because you’ll find yourself competing to increase the number of steps you do each day or to burn more calories. These bands can measure your heart rate, sleep patterns, calories burned, steps taken and can be linked up with your fitness apps to automatically download all of the relevant information onto your iPhone or android device.

The Healthy Subscription Box

The Flow Box (from £9.95) | Primal Snack Box (from £17.99)

There’s a new breed f subscription box in town and these ones focus on providing you with everything you need to kickstart or maintain a healthy eating plan. The Flow Box is filled with organic and wholesome food, natural beauty and eco-friendly household products and you can choose from a Vegan, Classic or Gluten-Free version. The Primal Snack Box is the UK’s first paleo snack subscription service. It’s grain, gluten, dairy and refined sugar free and available in Original & Meat-free. Both of these boxes give the recipient a chance to try new products and recipes to mix things up and keep it interesting.

For The Herbal Tea Lover

I don’t know about you but I drink herbal tea every single day and this beautiful glass teapot from The White Company is the perfect way to brew your favourite blend! As well as a lovely home gift, you could also get the person a herbal tea sample pack from Teapigs with loads of different blends to try from Green Tea to Nettle and Peppermint.

For the Fitness Neat Freak

The Glo Bag (£74)

I used to go to the gym religiously before myself and Chris moved to the countryside and now I have a little baby, I just don’t have the time/babysitting options to get to and from the gym. Not to mention the fact that I wouldn’t want to be away from Conor every day whilst I work out. However for all those gym bunnies out there who like to be neat and organised, this bag could be perfect to compartmentalise all of their gym gear. There’s nothing more annoying than searching around for things at the bottom of a deep bag so this pretty much solves that issue for you! It’s more expensive than your average gym bag but as a gift, it’s not crazy expensive.

The Healthy Hamper

Raw Food Hamper (£77)

Most hampers are filled with fattening, luxury foods that aren’t exactly going to help you meet those goals you had in mind so why not opt for a healthy hamper like this one as a gift? It’s full of superfoods and also a book which shows you how to rustle up some amazing snacks, meals and desserts! Archie Browns believe that choosing a healthy alternative doesn’t mean that you have to skimp on quality or flavour so go ahead and get them a hamper that’s going to make them feel amazing!