THE BEST GIFT GUIDE FOR THE STARTING OF THE NEW YEAR
FOR THE FITNESS ENTHUSIAST OR FITNESS NEWBIE
As a personal trainer and girl who loves working out (I know that is weird, but I really do, just ask Tom and my kids!🙄), here are some fabulous finds that help make my workouts more productive, more fun, more flexible all with a great variety! This list has a wide price range for each type of gift you are looking for and then the reasons why I love it, FIT tip in pink for the quick reasons as to why I love these items, and then further explanation if you want to read as to why I love them! And who couldn’t use better variety, more motivation & more fun in their workouts? I know I do !👍
ALL of these items can be used in your home, BUT many of the items are also portable to take with you when you travel to a hotel, another person’s home or just going outside! Also, I will be showing in upcoming blog posts (don’t miss out, sign up today for my email blog post updates) the many awesome workouts to go with the fitness equipment below. Also some blog posts workouts already show some of these items in my workouts.
GIVE THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING . . . . . .health, fitness and motivation!
JUST ✅ CLICK ON PHOTO TO GO TO AMAZON FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO PURCHASE
best heart rate tracker approximately $300 excellent
APPLE WATCH
FIT Tip: excellent way to monitor your heart rate. I will check my heart rate during my workout to see if I am meeting or exceeding my goal. You will find the more you use the heart rate tracker, the better you will be able to monitor the intensity of your workout. I now know that when my heart rate gets up to the 150’s and sometimes 160’s (my heart rate has always been very high🙄) I am hitting my peak workout capacity. Then I will bring my heart rate down and then again strive to bring it back up to its peak. This is a great way to monitor the calorie burning, H.I.I.T. workout. The watch comes in 2 sizes, I wear the 38mm (most women wear) and Tom wears the 42mm (most men wear) but they are unisex, so it is your choice.
Also, I absolutely love having my workout music playlist on my Apple Watch. When I workout alone (only by myself due to I listen to my music, the other times I workout with Tom and don’t tune him out☺️) I love listening to my cardio playlist to give me the motivation and energy that great music can provide when you are working out. You don’t have to carry around your phone to have the music (which can be more of a distraction) instead just download your favorite music to your playlist to have readily available on your watch.
“tune out & tone up”, approximately $150
WIRELESS HEADPHONES
“keep your cool”, approximately $20
STAINLESS STEEL WATER BOTTLE
FIT Tip: Having my water cold throughout the day just makes me happy, especially where it gets so hot that when you leave your water bottle in the car it almost is at boiling temperature (like where I live)! These water bottles keep water cold for about 24 hours (yes, it truly does, even in the summer here where it is in 100s 😓! ) and keep liquids hot for 12 hours. I have not put hot liquids in mine, but I have heard it really does keep it hot. Another great feature is they are composed of non-toxic 18/8 stainless steel, unlike many plastic bottles that breakdown particles into the water that you drink. Also, the bottles do not sweat, they are leak proof, so you do not get water anywhere except your mouth when drinking.
” no partner required”, approximately $16
STRETCHING STRAP
FIT tip: Does your body feel tight, sore and inflexible? I do, and I am sure it is not because I am getting older. . . . .🤔! Stretching your body is one of the best things you can do to release stiffness in your muscles and joints, create more flexibility for easier moment and release the tension from sore muscles or even from sitting from lack of activity! I do stretch, but never as much as I should (I have a new goal to stretch every week!) With this stretching strap it really is very easy to use wth the loops and handles to adjust to every level of stretching. And I am not talking about a quick stretch after a workout, this is a stretching routine that works on every part of your body. I do my stretching usually at night on the carpet in front of the TV, if not, I get too distracted and think of other things to do. Every time after I stretch, my body always feels better . . . .why don’t I do this every day then? Also, the strap is extremely portable, so you can take it with you wherever you go. It is a great tool to have after a long airplane flight. I also suggest this brand because they include a step by step guide.
“basic but good”, approximately $25
DUMBBELL SET
FIT Tip: There is something so simple about using dumbbells that just works on getting the job done for building and strengthening your muscles! Working out with a variety of dumbbell weights give you many options for varying exercises. Depending on your athletic ability look for a set that fits your needs. I suggest for a beginner getting a set with weights approximately 3, 5 & 8 pounds. For an intermediate level of fitness, I suggest weights approximately 5, 8 & 10 pounds. And for an advanced level of fitness, I suggest weights approximately 8, 10 & 12 pounds. These are not portable, but gives you the option to get in an excellent workout at home. Check out my blog posts on my website showing many workouts to be done with weights.
” take a deep breath”, approximately $20
YOGA MAT
” excellent overall workout”, approximately $29
BOXING GLOVES
“heart pumping workout”, approximately $99
BOXING STAND
FIT Tip: Boxing will give you one of the best overall workouts, from building and strengthening your upper body and lower body, to tightening your core and bringing your heart rate up for a great cardio workout. I recommend the boxing gloves above, and if you are working out with a partner you can have the other person wear the boxing mitts and then rotate. Another option is to box with this boxing stand, as a solo workout or even a partner workout. Depending on where you will be placing the stand (garage, bedroom, etc. just pick a place that you will want it to stay, as it is not portable when loaded with the sand for weight) you can do a partner workout with one of you on each side of the stand, space permitting, or if less space, it is better to do a single punching at a time. Get ready to sweat, get your heart rate up and feel the muscles getting challenged to the point of exhaustion! Also, the gloves can weigh anywhere from 8 oz. to 16 oz. so just the weight of punching really gives the arms a wonderful workout, you will be surprised how quickly the weight of the gloves can be felt!
” best items for balance & core”, approximately $150
BOSU BALL
FIT Tip: This is one of my favorite pieces of equipment to use when training my clients, and also for my own workout. It is almost endless the different types of exercises you can do with the Bosu ball. One of the best features I like is the balance and coordination aspect of doing your workouts on the ball. As we age our balance skills begin to diminish and if we do not continue to work on this and challenge our skills, we start to loose more balance. Also, this is an excellent tool for gaining more core strength (abs, lower back and obliques “side ab muscles”) all while challenging and strengthening your arms and lower body. Depending on if you place the blue rounded ball up with the flat black surface on the ground or the blue rounded ball on the ground and black flat surface up, you will get two different levels of exercise. By standing on the blue ball portion you will challenge your balance which is a great place to start, but when you position the blue ball down and stand on the wavering black flat surface you take the balancing and core workout to a whole other level.
” travel & go”, approximately $17
RESISTANCE TUBES
FIT Tip: Are you looking for a great way to tone and strengthen your arms while traveling, but you don’t want to go to the hotel gym, or the home you are staying at does not have weights? This is an excellent way to keep your workout going while traveling! The resistance tubes offer a wide variety of strengths, anywhere from 10lb. to 50lbs. resistance and every weight in-between . There are so many exercises that can be performed with just these tubes and you can also interchange the strength depending on the muscles you are working. Also, the resistance tubes are extremely portable as they are very light weight at about 1 pound each(depending on what tubes you bring) and they take very little space requirement in your suitcase. Also, I recommend this line of tubing, as the quality of the tubes and handles are more sturdy than most.
” best portable workout”, approximately $10
RESISTANCE BANDS
FIT Tip: Can you believe something so small and weighs so little could help you get an excellent workout while traveling. . . . .or at home? These little resistance bands can add a great strengthening tool to your workout while on the road. There are many upper body and lower body exercises you can do with these bands that bring an element of constant contraction of your muscles for your workouts. And they are so small, and portable you almost do not even realize that they are in your suitcase! This is one of these easiest decisions to make when packing your suitcase and wanting to get a workout in on the road! Ready for it . . . .and they only weigh 0.3 ounces, and lay flat, so they take up no space in your suitcase and you could even fit it in your purse, briefcase or backpack!
“great cardio & core tool”, approximately $25-39 depending on the weight
MEDICINE BALL
FIT Tip: This is a great exercise tool to add to your workout for a great variety for upper and lower body routines. Its an excellent way to develop core strength, balance and coordination. Depending on the weight of the medicine ball, will determine the intensity of your workout. One of my favorite exercise to have my clients do, and my own workout, is with the medicine ball and is wood chops. (It is not their favorite 😳, of course until afterwards when they are done and received a great cardio addition to their workout.) This ball makes it easy to lift weight over your head with the rubber texture so it does not slip, and also the ease of holding a ball versus a dumbbell. You can also add this ball to your core workout to get an even better toning of your abs and obliques.
“excellent core workout”, approximately $40
SUSPENSION TRAINING
FIT Tip: If you have never tried a suspension training, you are missing out on an excellent way to totally strengthen your core beyond any other way, as your core must be engaged throughout your workout. There are some very expensive suspension training products, and I decided to try this one at home, as this product received awesome reviews stating the strength and durability of this product was equivalent to the top brand. I have taken classes with the original TRX suspension and absolutely loved the intense core workout and I found that this product at home produced the same great benefits as in the class. This product does require a great deal of strength in your upper and lower body and you need to have some core strength too. Also, you will be challenged to keep your balance, again by using your core muscles. I highly recommend this product for the intermediate or advanced fitness enthusiast and you will not be disappointed . . . . . especially when you start seeing more defined core muscles!
” the gift that keeps on giving”, price $0 sign up for blog post updates so you don’t miss out on the many more workouts ahead!
FITFABFOREVER WORKOUTS
FIT Tip: Are you looking for new and improved ways to get your workouts done at home? Do you need ideas on how to workout on the road, in hotel room, friends homes? When you buy someone a gift, isn’t it awesome knowing that they will get an amazing benefit from your gift all year long?
You can purchase these items as a gift or for yourself, and then share with them my blog, so they can get free workouts and still continue to receive free workouts in the future, where I will demonstrate how to use each of these fitness items. This is truly a gift that keeps on giving!
Each of these fitness items above, I use with my clients or for my own workout, and I truly think YOU or your special someone will love them too!
This site contains occasional affiliate links (like Amazon Affiliates) to better serve you in finding the products to assist you in your Fit Life. I do receive commission on the sale of these products, but I will ONLY recommend products that I use and feel will be beneficial to my readers. You can always trust me to give an honest opinion that will bring you helpful advice with encouraging content.
I now have a wish list for Santa! Great ideas, thank you.
Awesome, I think Santa will appreciate knowing exactly what you want! 😊