Better Gifts for Better Living – Our 2017 Guide to Health and Fitness Gifts!

By Better Living Staff Writer Dawn Weirauch

Finding the best health and fitness-related holiday gifts can be pretty difficult – after all, there are a lot of fads out there. Remember the Thighmaster? Not to mention the Shakeweight...

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Funny (and ineffective) fitness fads aside, this year our Better Living Fitness staff has come up with a number of great suggestions for the fitness buff (or would-be fitness buff) on your holiday shopping list.

Whether your friend or loved one wants to learn more about healthy nutrition, is interested in building their strength and cardio fitness, or wants to stay on track with their goals while out on the road, we've got the gift for you.

A Better Book for Better Eating: Better Living's Nutrition Counselor, Becca Body Kindness by Rebecca Stritchfield. “Body Kindness is about taking care of your body and treating yourself with compassion,” says Becca. “It discusses healthy eating, but also emphasizes the importance of allowing yourself to enjoy all foods and not go on crazy diets.”
Addison, recommends the book

A Creative, Budget-Friendly Solution for Better Wrist Strength: Wrist and forearm health aren't just essential for strength training but for daily living as well – and Better Living trainer Will Burchfield has the perfect do-it-yourself solution.
“Just pick up a para cord and a dowel from your local hardware store. It'll cost about $3, and them BOOM! You've got forearms for days!”

Here's a quick guide to creating a wrist roller from scratch.

Portable Strength, Cardio, and Better Balance In One: Better Living's Office Manager, Nina Carlson, recommends the TRX Suspension Trainer for anyone on your list who is both health conscious and frequently on the road.

According to Nina, “I love this product because you can do so much with it! Not only can you strengthen your whole body, you can add cardio elements and really work on your balance. The TRX is also small and lightweight. It doesn't take up a lot of suitcase space, and you can easily hook it up to your hotel room door for a great workout on the go. I've had several clients who wouldn't travel without their TRX!

Also, when you purchase the TRX directly from the company's website, you get access to a personalized app to guide you through different exercises and routines.”

More Fitness On the Road – Resistance Bands: For solid resistance training for a much lower price point than the TRX, Better Living trainer Eduard Font recommends this cost-effective four pack of resistance bands, which are just $9.99 from Amazon.
“Resistance bands are easy to use, lightweight, and you can take them anywhere,” Eduard says.

A Perkier Butt and Better Hip and Knee Health – The BootyCo Booty Belt: The Booty Belt may sound like the next Shakeweight, but according to Better Living trainer Mallory Ghrist this inexpensive product is a great gift to help your friends and loved ones build their glute strength – “...and everyone needs stronger glutes to support the health of their hips and knees.”

A Better Gift for Better Posture – Foam Rollers: Our trainer Josh Plonka swears by foam rollers, both to help with posture and to help ease tight muscles after a busy day. According to Josh foam rollers are, “inexpensive, yet versatile piece of equipment that anyone on your Christmas list can make use of. You can get foam rollers just about anywhere that fitness equipment is sold – here's a link to a nice, inexpensive model from Kohl's.

Better Hydration On the Go:  Better Living founder Mark Thiesmeyer recommends the Yeti Rambler because, “...drinking enough water and staying hydrated is so important, and water is a lot more delicious when you can keep it nice and cold all day long!” You can also use the Yeti to keep hot drinks hot, and – bonus – it's dishwasher safe.

Of course, no Christmas gift list would be complete without a gift from the Better Living Fitness Center. This year we've got something extra special: Purchase any membership or small group personal training package and receive a $100 FREE Service Package on us!

Buy the membership or small group training package for yourself and give the Service Package to a friend. Or, better yet, introduce TWO of your friends or family members to the Better Living Fitness by giving the membership to one and the Service Package to the other!

This year's Better Living Bonus is only available until December 23rd, so click here to get yours today!

If you're looking for even more health and fitness Christmas gift ideas, we've got you covered – check out last year's gift guide, which includes a look at wireless headphones and a comparison of the Garmin GPS watch vs. the Fitbit Blaze.