Winter 2021 Fitness + Wellness Gift Guide
I’ll make this brief so we can get to the gift ideas before its too late. Here are things I love that have really helped me with my health and wellness routine. Ask for them or get them for someone in your life thats looking to step up their game. Enjoy and let me know what you’d add!
Disclaimer: try to shop local when possible. I’ve linked to major sites but you can always use these for reference and then ask local spots if they carry the product.
For the home gym enthusiast
I wrote a whole post on building a home gym here. Any of those items would make great gifts.
Some of my favorites for building out a home gym:
BC strength bench. This bench is super solid and versatile. The taller size is the height of a conventional exercise bench while the shorter is about 12” - perfect for a stable low step, hip thrust, incline or decline push ups and more. It’s lightweight so you can easily move it for storage between workouts. I have this and everyone asks about it. It’s probably the item in my gym that home exercisers envy most.
Dumbbells. If you (or a friend) have been working out at home for years at this point it might be time to ask for the next heaviest set. All dumbbells are pretty much the same, so don’t waste money buying them from an expensive site. These Amazon Basics dumbbells ship free and are the same I use in my gym.
Bands. One high quality red long loop band and one strong glute loop band will do the trick. This is my go to for travel or a park workout. I recommend splurging on these as low quality bands can snap and hurt you.
Foam balance pad. This thing is surprisingly useful. I use it multiple times per day - in almost every session. It’s great for kneeling on during stretches and for measuring full range of motion on movements like split squats. It can also be useful set on top of the exercise bench linked above when you need it to be just a little higher for movements like box squats.
A cardio machine. If you really want to step it up and have the space this would be awesome.
For the person who needs some new gear
Don’t ask me about supportive sports bras, I am an A cup. That said, here are my favorite workout clothes! They run on the expensive side but might be a nice gift for a friend who would never treat themselves. New clothes can be so motivating.
I’ll include my size in case you wanted to buy ME a gift….
Favorite sports bra
Lululemon Free to be Wild sports bra. I love this for my other smaller chested friends. Not sure if its the most supportive for those with larger chests.
I wear a 4 in this bra.
Favorite leggings
Right now, I’m loving the Vuori daily legging. You can get a decent discount on your first order too.
I wear a size small in these leggings.
For someone who likes a tighter fit, I always get compliments on these Alphalete Amplify leggings. They definitely leave less to the imagination though, so be warned.
I wear a small in these as well.
Favorite shirt
I love the Lululemon Cate’s tee. Its a bit cropped but not extreme and works both for exercise and getting drinks after i spend 15 hours in the studio.
I wear a 4 in this shirt.
Favorite shoes
Currently the Nike FreexMetcon 4. These do run very small so check the sizing conversion! I usually wear an 8 but have a 9 in these.
I also really want to try these Vivo Barefoot shoes for gym based workouts.
Fancy Socks
I love some mid length Feetures! socks
Other wearable accessories that help me out
Hat for running (that actually stays on)
I have heard good things and want to try the Oura Ring in place of the apple watch.
For the person who wants to make healthy eating easier
Here are the tools that make it possible for me to eat the way I do.
A food processor. If you do not have one and you hate chopping stuff this is the #1 priority. This affordable Hamilton Beach one has gotten us by for years.
A good knife. You know, one that can actually cut sweet potatoes. We love shopping at Bernal Cutlery in SF. They also do online orders.
A good blender like the basic Vitamix.
This tiny measuring jigger. I love this thing. I want 10 of them.
Instant pot, obviously. These will run you about $60, which is less than i expected before looking.
A thermos for your morning oats and for your coffee. If you eat out too much, breakfast is the easiest meal to start packing.
This is the bowl thermos I use for my oats every day (also good for soup or chili!).
This is the travel mug I use (great if you commute to work on bike as it seals completely so you can throw it in your bag without any worries).
Salad to go container with separate compartments for toppings and dressings.
Reusable silicon bags for storage and packing lunches. I don’t have these but I really want some!
A big water bottle. I suggest drinking .5oz per lb of bodyweight. A great way to measure that is by drinking out of a water bottle.
For something simple, this classic Nalgene.
For an insulated bottle, this FiftyFifty one (I have the 34oz and the 40oz)
For those that hate drinking out of water bottles, a glass pitcher for your desk.
A good, inspiring cookbook.
I’ve been cooking out of Cook This Book by Molly Baz constantly.
I want to try Weeknight Vegetarians next and have heard great things about Nothing Fancy.
A Farmer’s Market Box Subscription. This is perfect if you struggle to have tasty vegetables on hand and value eating seasonally.
I use Farm Fresh to You, not hyper local but that means you get more flexible options. It’s still all from CA!
Other things that have made my life better
Or that I am eyeing…
No joke these are life changing for those of us that lose stuff. The number of breakdowns I have over losing keys or wallet has decreased by about 1000%. You can put one on ANYTHING and it shows up right in FindMy. I would suggest this as a gift for pretty much everyone you haven’t bought for yet.
Don’t forget to buy them a few cute keychains to go with. I got these cat paw ones for cheap.
I don’t have one but they have amazing recipes!! I get a lot of inspiration from them.
This will help you to experience more books AND to get your steps in at the same time.
Buy a pack, give one to everyone. These are amazing for self massage!
Thanks for reading, hope this helps give you some ideas for what to give (and what to request). Happy holidays!