Tis’ the season to be healthy! Healthy people also like to give healthy gifts to help inspire those they love in the New Year. Say your mom or dad has a dormant talent for tennis or golf, yet hasn’t played in years. Perhaps, some tennis or golf lessons would be a good way to start them off on a healthy habit. If you have a friend or loved one that really could use the mind, body benefits of Yoga getting them a Yoga mat, and accessories like a Yoga block and Yoga strap. You could also include a helpful introduction to Yoga DVD or a gift certificate to a local Yoga Studio.
Pilates is so wonderful and gentle for all different ages. It was originally invented by Joseph Pilates as a rehabilitative method called “Contrology”. Pilates Mats are typically thicker than Yoga mats for comfort in doing the matwork. You could also include accessories such as a Pilates magic circle or power ball with the gift. One of my favorite DVD series of Pilates Workouts encompasses a Ballet Pilates Fusion workout with International Pilates Expert, Bernadette Giorgi. That DVD along with others involving the magic circle, resistance band and power ball are available at www.justbmethod.com.
Resistance training has come a long way and involves various methods that can be done at home with various pieces of functional equipment. There are various levels of tension and sizes of resistance bands which can encompass a total body workout. There are also a number of books demonstrating proper form on how to use the equipment. A resistance ball is also very functional and can take the place of a weight bench and be used for strength, cardio, Pilates and Yoga. I also like the TRX Home Training System which uses your body’s vertex for resistance. You can check it out at www.fitnessanywhere.com.
If you have a bigger budget to spend on a gift that is a little more technically geared check out the Garmin Forerunner 405 Watch. This gadget downsizes the GPS technology from your dashboard to your wrist. It can be used with your PC to display routes on a map, heart rate and speed. The iBike iSport can be used instead of a heartrate monitor to measure how many power meters. For the runner, the Nike + iPod Sport Kit - sensor in her shoe communicates with her iPod Nano or iPod Touch and for the swimmer, the Finis SwiMP3. waterproof digital music player.
Now onto workout wear which is essential to get one motivated to get to her goal. I remember when I was overweight, it was difficult for me to find cute clothes to wear in the gym. Instead of just an old pair of sweats and a tee shirt, there are more options. My favorite is called Taffy and is designed for plus sized women. You can find it at http://www.lolly38.com/taffy.html.
Joanne Sgro is a Television Fitness Expert, Certified Personal Trainer and Sport Nutritionist. She is Certified in Pilates, Pre-natal/Post-Partum, Yoga and Senior Fitness. She specializes in Weight Loss, Post-Rehab and Post Cancer Training. Joanne's fitness plans and recipes are available globally on her website www.fitnessanswer.com. She resides in the Phoenix, AZ area with her fiancé, where she runs her personal training business, Fitness Answer, LLC.