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Being that it's almost Christmas, and the fact that I'm in the fitness industry, I figured I'd throw out some ideas about what you could get a loved one if you wanted to stay with a fitness theme this Christmas.

The first gift idea could be a box of chocolates ... Just kidding.  Actually, not buying chocolates or any other candy for Christmas could be a gift in itself.  We already get enough sweets as it is, why continue to pile it on with more gifts of sweets?  But, I don't want to use my first gift idea on something that doesn't require giving a gift, so number one could be a gym membership.  Now, I know that a lot of people out there have gym memberships and don't use them, but I have to believe there are some people out there who would love a gym membership but can't swing the monthly payment.  What better way to bring a smile to your gift receivers face than to pay the membership for them.  If you think this is a great idea, just go to the front desk of the gym and pick up a gift card.  The gift card can then be used to pay for a membership.  Pretty cool, huh?

Okay, number two has to be a personal training membership.  Again, go to a gym or training studio and pick up a gift certificate for a certain number of training sessions.  Or, make up your own gift certificate for a Your Live Trainers monthly membership, and on Christmas Day, sign you family member or friend up for in-home training over the Internet.  Now that's convenient!

Number three, buy some exercise DVDs or the Fat Dissolver Program.  If the person you're buying for loves to follow along to pre-structured workouts, exercise DVDs can be a great gift.  If they have a video iPod or iPhone, or if they would love to have exercises on their computer, the Fat Dissolver Program would be perfect for helping them stay fit.

Number four, a gift certificate for a massage.  I don't know about you, but I love when I'm able to get a massage.  Massages are great for loosening up any tight muscles; they're great for relaxing the body, lowering stress, and for reducing pain.  Just like exercise, there are so many great benefits that come from a good massage.

Number five, a set of nice pillows or a featherbed/memory foam mattress pad.  Sleep is extremely important to improved health.  A better night's sleep leads to a better day's performance.  Lack of sleep causes all kinds of problems, so the sooner you can sleep better, the sooner you'll be able to achieve better fitness results.  My wife and I just got a down comforter and featherbed, and boy oh boy do we sleep better!

Number six, an exercise ball.  You know what I'm talking about; those big blow up balls you see in sporting goods stores.  Exercise balls are a great piece of equipment for improving balance and stability by challenging the core muscles.  And don't worry, most exercise balls come with a DVD of exercises that are specific for the ball, so your gift receiver won't be lost when they go to use the ball.

Number seven, and this is a big one ... a treadmill or an elliptical machine.  From personal bias, I prefer treadmills over ellipticals because I feel they challenge me more, but for someone who has joints problems, an elliptical can be the best choice because it is a lot lower impact than a treadmill.  Now you may be thinking that these machines are way too much for you to afford, but you would be surprised what you can find on craigslist.  Give it a shot, and see if you can give the gift that everyone will be talking about this Christmas.

Number eight, a new workout outfit, or a gift certificate to a fitness shoe store.  This idea may seem dumb, but surprisingly enough, a good pair of training shoes and an outfit that is made with workout-friendly material can make all the difference in the world for someone who exercises, especially runners.  The right shoes are vital for helping prevent running injuries, and a good running outfit can help prevent overheating, excessive sweating, rashes, etc.  Plus, besides exercise videos, this is one of the less expensive options for a gift.

Number nine, a pair or set of exercise tubes.  Exercise tubes are some of the most underrated pieces of fitness equipment out there.  They're extremely versatile, unbelievably cost-effective compared to things like dumbbells and weight equipment, and the workout you can get with them can produce just as good, if not better, results than traditional resistance training equipment.

Since I have a few more ideas, and only one number left, I'll combine them into this last one.  For number ten, a nice stopwatch, a heart rate monitor, or an Omron Body Fat Analyzer are a few more gift ideas for those who love fitness.  A stopwatch is great to have while exercising since you can time your workouts intervals with one; a heart rate monitor can help you determine where your exercise intensity is during your workout, and a hand-held body fat analyzer is a quick and convenient way to measure your body fat, a number that is a lot more important than your weight on the scale.

So there you go!  Ten fitness gift ideas to help you out this Christmas.  I must warn you, though, it might be a little awkward if you give one of these gifts to someone who isn't into fitness.  I can just see Aunt Jane getting a body fat analyzer and being offended that you would even dare give her such a hint about her weight problem.  For safety reasons, you might want to stick with giving these gifts to your family and friends who enjoy fitness, but hey, if you really care about their health, then it might not be a bad idea to give these gifts no matter what.

Good luck, and Merry Christmas!

Dan Falkenberg, BA, ACE-CPT, NASM-PES

Dan Falkenberg is the cofounder of Your Live Trainers.  He can be reached at DanFalkenberg.com.

If you want some extra help heading into the New Year, I just released my first-ever downloadable training program called the Fat Dissolver Program; it features over 50 of the exercises I use with my own clients.  You can download them to your computer, watch them on your iPod/iPhone, or turn them into two DVDs of your own.  Make sure you check them out today! 

Tags: weight loss