2014-12-01

Hello! If you celebrate, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I sure  did – filled to the brim with delicious food and glorious family time.  Michael and I went down to Connecticut and visited with my brother and sister-in-law and their new baby (I’M AN AUNTIE!). It was lovely – and it even lightly snowed during dinner, which was beyond beautiful! How about you? Did you get a chance to do my Beat-The-Bulge workout I posted?!

But it’s officially December 1st – which means that it’s Christmas season, aka MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR. I’m completely obsessed. Michael and I got our Christmas tree and I basically went to town on the apartment.





Aside from the beautiful decorations, warms-my-heart Christmas music everywhere, and yes – snow, the Christmas season has historically given me a sense of anxiety when it comes to to gift shopping. I suspect I’m not alone in this. So, with that in mind, I created a short but bound-to-excite holiday gift guide for the healthy living aficionados in your life (there’s something for everyone!). Underneath each product description, I’ve put who it may be appropriate for – but obviously, this is just a guide!

The 10+ BEST Holiday Gift Ideas for Health/Fitness Fanatics! via @ThisJenTweets
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..aaand there’s one more thing before I get into it. You may have noticed a new tab in my Menu recently. Well friends, that is indeed my own very shop, managed by Parsel. What this means for you is that you’re able to purchase any of the items you see directly through my shop – but don’t worry; it’s a safe and reliable process and I won’t see any of your payment information. Parsel handles that. Practically speaking, this means you don’t need to deal with the hassle of doing several searches on Amazon or any other similar vendor, and each product is shipped directly from the manufacturer. FYI –  I do earn commission on each purchase, but all the products and brands I have on the shop I either personally have used or endorsed. I will not put anything on there just because it’s a higher priced item or if I wouldn’t purchase it myself. The shop is still largely in progress, but I greatly appreciate your support and I was too excited to wait to tell you about it!

So without further adieu….

JAWBONE UP3: $180

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I’m sure any kind of fitness tracker is on most people’s lists this year, but I’m especially drawn to the Jawbone Up3 because it’s getting great reviews AND includes a continuous heart rate monitor and biosensors. I don’t currently own a fitness tracker and this one seems pretty dang awesome – especially since it’s a little more fashion forward than others on the market!

BUY IT  FOR: People who like numbers-based results and are interested in tracking this information on a daily basis; runners, etc

YAK TRAKS: $40.00

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I saw the Yak Traks, clip-on-cleat contraptions, last winter when I was perusing Amazon, and immediately purchased them. Luckily, I haven’t had to put these to use this year (yet), but as a runner living in the Northeast, traction cleats for running on icy conditions is a must.

BUY IT FOR: Active runners/athletes living in climates where snow and ice are an issue in the winter months.

FABLETICS: STARTS AT $50.

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Are you a fan of cute workout clothes but not of the price tag that typically accompanies coveted brands like Lululemon and Athleta? Fabletics is a new clothing line and subscription services of sorts designed by Kate Hudson. Each VIP member to pick out an entire outfit for $49/month (you can skip a month as needed!). The first outfit is $25 – which is a complete steal! I’ve personally been eyeing Fabletics for quite some time now but haven’t had the ability to fit it into my budget. Hint hint, Michael?

BUY IT FOR: The budget-conscious workout clothing fashionista.

CLASSPASS GIFT CERTIFICATE: INFO@CLASSPASS.COM.

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ClassPass has really burst onto the scene in 2014, and for good reason. For $99/month, members can attend as many studio classes in their city as they want – and can visit one studio up to 3 times. As a huge fitness class junkie, this idea really appeals to me – while it is quite pricey, it’s not much different than most gym memberships and is a bigger deal if you prefer working out in a studio setting vs. at the gym! It’s also a great way to broaden your fitness horizons. ClassPass is currently offered in my city, Boston, as well as Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle and Portland.

BUY IT FOR: The studio class obsessed family member who likes several types of fitness options but can’t find them in one central gym location.

PADERNO WORLD CUISINE SPIRALIZER: $35

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If you follow me on Instagram, you know how much I adore my Paderno vegetable spiralizer. I first discovered this gem of an item through food blogger Ali Maffucci and it is easily my favorite kitchen gadget (and trust me, Michael and I have a TON of appliances). It easily transforms vegetables into pasta like dishes – my favorite veggies to spiralize are zucchini and sweet potatoes, but really, the possibilities are endless! This is a perfect gift for people just starting out on their healthy lifestyle journey, or who suffer from allergies preventing them from enjoying gluten-filled pasta dishes. If you get anything on this list for someone this Christmas, this is the item I personally recommend the most.

BUY IT FOR: The healthy lifestyle beginner, your uncle who swears by the Paleo diet, YOURSELF.

BESTOWED GIFT SUBSCRIPTION: $20/month

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I’ve done a few Bestowed box reviews in the past here on the blog, and disclosure: I stopped getting them a few months ago because my credit card on file expired and I never renewed it  . However, I still definitely recommend the service for any of your healthy snack loving friends and family, and a gift subscription is a perfect way to try it out!

BUY IT FOR: The person in your life who spends half their paycheck in the snacks sections of Whole Foods.

COOKBOOKS: $13-18

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Anyone pursuing a healthy lifestyle is in need of a good cookbook. I’ve found two that are excellent and I highly recommend. Gina Homolka’s Skinnytaste Cookbook is preempted by her wildly popular blog of the same name.

BUY IT FOR: Anyone who wants to lighten up favorite dishes while still having be edible.

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Beth Moncel is the author of Budget Bytes, another fabulous blog, that allowed her to bring her creations to life in a cookbook. Beth’s whole schtick is to eat well on a budget – which is relevant to most if not all of us! Her book in particular is very thorough and includes basic kitchen and cooking tips and tricks, which I appreciated.

BUY IT FOR: The college students/broke young professionals in your life.

DR. KAY’S THERAPEUTIC NECK SUPPORT TENSION RELIEVER: $18

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While not the same as a full on massage, this little contraption is pretty effective at what it does. I suffer from chronic neck and shoulder pain and have for years, and recently purchased this after looking up at home massage devices. So far, I have no complaints – all you do is lie down with the support cushion against your neck for about ten minutes, and it makes a pretty big difference to the pain level!

BUY IT FOR: Someone in your life who does a lot of weight lifting or upper body dominant exercises on a regular basis.

MARCY MAG UPRIGHT CYCLE: $137

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For those of you with a little more space in your living area and whose budget prevents a full on gym membership, this bike has received fairly good reviews on Amazon, offering a good cardio workout AND apparently is suitable for people as height deficient as 4’9….aka, yours truly. #shortpeopleproblems.

BUY IT FOR: Anyone in your life who prefers exercising at home.

WOMEN’S HEALTH BIG BOOK OF EXERCISES: $16

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Since I’m studying to be a group fitness instructor, I’m on the lookout for some good exercise workout information. It’s no secret that fitness magazines are not my favorite thing in the world, but the Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises does appear to be a good and fairly exhaustive resource for all sorts of exercises.

BUY IT FOR: Your personal trainer friend.

BON AFFAIR WINE SPRITZERS: STARTS AT $39.

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I first heard of Bon Affair Wine Spritzers while watching Shark Tank a few months ago (arguably my favorite current TV show).  Bon Affair is a wine spritzer in a bottle (boasting red and white varieties) with half the calories found in regular wine and electrolytes that supposedly help prevent hangovers. I’m not sure about the last part, and while I’m sure it’s not for the true wino, the wine lover in me is desperate to try this – and pssst, there’s even a holiday gift set option!

BUY IT FOR: The health conscious wine aficionado who spends at lot of time at cocktail parties.

So there you have it! I hope this gift guide was helpful to you and at least gave you some more ideas when it comes to health and fitness related holiday shopping.

Tell me what you think – would you buy any of these items for the healthy living obsessed ones in your life?

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The post The 10+ Best Holiday Gifts for Health/Fitness Fanatics appeared first on Bagels to Broccoli.

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