Healthy Gifts For Adults

After talking earlier this week about healthy toy options for kids, I happened to find this article about healthy gift options for adults. I read through it and was amazed at the sheer amount of junk people try to sell these days. Stylish calf skin gym bag?!? Seriously? I’m not sure who came up with this list of gifts but they seem crazy to me. I suppose if you have an extra $20,000 to spend you may want to consider an “elite gym membership” but I happen to have better things to do with my money. So I went ahead and made my own list of good gifts for the fitness inclined. I’m linking to Amazon items here, but you can also find these items at most sporting goods stores.  I’m also linking to a lot of places which are local to me here in the SF bay area.  Obviously, if you live somewhere else, you’ll need to find your own local version of these, but I wanted to provide an example of what to look for.

Apex Polished Chrome Adjustable Dumbbell Set - No need to spend $500 on some fancy adjustable weight set when $60 will do the trick. This is the kind of dumbbell set I have at home. They’re reliable, easy to use and provide me with a nice variety of weights to use. Because the weight plates are detachable, I can always buy heavier ones if I want higher weights.

Valeo Burst Resistant Body Ball (65 cm) - Another really useful item, the exercise ball. It allows you to do a variety of exercises that you couldn’t otherwise do without some complex gym equipment. At $15, this will be far healthier than any calf skin gym bag.

Valeo Speed Jump Rope - Jump rope is one of the best cardio tools out there. You can easily take it with you on trips and provides a very good cardio workout while also working on your balance and coordination. Of course, you could buy a $700 treadmill, but this $6 gift seems a bit better.

SPRI ES501R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Red, Medium) - Another great exercise gift for the frequent traveler in your life. Exercise bands are a way of doing resistance training without carrying a lot of weight. They’re available in a variety of resistance levels and they’re cheap, so you can buy several for under $20.

YOU: The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger - I can’t say enough good things about this book. It’s easy to read, informative and provides you with a lot of information about your body and how it works. This is exactly the kind of information you need when you’re first starting out on your healthy lifestyle. Buy a copy for a loved one and another for yourself if you haven’t read it yet.

Dance Lessons - This link is for the Starlight Ballroom, a dance place in Sunnyvale, CA, but you can easily find similar places around your home. $10 to $20 a week is what dance lessons will cost you at a place like this. They’re fun and physically active. You can give them as gifts to people who aren’t that interested in fitness because it’s just a fun activity to do. They’ll never know you’re concerned about their health.

Horseback Riding Lessons - Again, this is a link to a place close to where I live, but you can probably find places around you as well. Horse back riding, as my wife proved to me, is very good exercise for both adults and children. Why not give it a shot and see if you like it? It’s a bit more expensive than dance lessons but still more reasonable than buying a soloflex home gym system that will just end up collecting dust in the garage.

A Bike - This is my local bike store.  They have a wide variety of bikes and a very helpful staff who’s always willing to help me pick out the right stuff.  A bike makes an excellent gift because it’s practical as well as healthy.  With gas prices soaring, bikes are a great way to save money while also getting a bit of exercise.  You don’t have to look at the high end bikes which can cost multiple thousands of dollars.  A good commute bike can cost around $100 or you can find them even cheaper if you look for used bikes on places like Craig’s List.

Summary

All of these gift ideas are cheap and healthy, proving that you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars just because your loved ones want healthy presents.  If you have your own healthy gift idea, feel free to add it in the comments.  Would love to see what other people are buying.

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