We all have someone in our life who likes to work out, or who needs a little extra push to keep their fitness momentum going. We’ve put together a few ideas for every budget for the fitness lover in your life!
If you need to buy for a frequent traveler, or if you know someone who works out a lot at home, check out the Jungle Gym XT. These suspension straps give you all sorts of new ways to use your own bodyweight to get in a great workout anyplace you can hook them on a door, all for only $99.95!
(Honorable mention: TRX is the more famous name in this space, and there’s a few subtle differences as well as a big price difference [TRX is around $199], but it’s worth looking at both).
Fitness Trackers
There’s a lot of debate about how useful a fitness tracker can really be long-term, but in general they’re a helpful way to inspire someone to move or to give someone the incentive to keep moving. The two biggest considerations when buying someone a tracker are price and ecosystem; if your entire family owns Fitbits, it’s probably a good idea to gift someone a Fitbit so they can compete with Aunt Hilda on their steps. If you aren’t worried about which platform, Misfit, Jawbone, and Garmin all have excellent offerings in multiple prices and styles; Misfit in particular can be attractive since you can find the Misfit Flash as low as $19.99 at times, a jaw-dropping price for a waterproof fitness tracker!
Kettlebells
Know someone who wants to get some strength training in, but they don’t have a ton of space? Consider getting them a kettlebell (or a few!) These are versatile, compact, and can be found at all sorts of price points, colors and weights. Pair it with a book or DVD on kettlebell workouts and techniques!
Gym Membership
Costco sells 2-year memberships to 24hour Fitness starting at $399; it’s a bit steep up front, but that works out to $16.60 per month! Alternately, if your giftee doesn’t live near a 24hour Fitness, there’s always chains like Retro Fitness, Planet Fitness, and others who are around $250 for a year. It’s a thoughtful way to give the gift of health all year long!
If you’re buying for someone who works out at home, they may need a good pullup bar. We recommend the Gorilla Gym bar because it is both door mounted and pressure mounted. This means it’s more stable than a regular door bar, plus it opens up more workout options (and Gorilla Fitness offers all sorts of cool add-ons to take advantage of that). At $59.90 it’s a bit pricier than the “AS SEEN ON TV” Perfect Pullup and other knockoffs, but it also offers a lot more features!
Barbell, weights, rack
This is one that might be good as a group gift, since the expenses can add up fast (the rack pictured above starts at $699). But if you know someone who’s dying to outfit a home gym, check out Rogue Fitness’ offerings. They sell everything you need for a full weight gym in a basement or garage, from barbells and weight plates to various styles of safety racks and benches. You can help someone add to their collection of weights or get them started on their home gym!
We’ll be reviewing these in the next few weeks, but the concept is pretty cool (though obviously only for the ladies on your list). It’s a pain to find ways to store ID, cash, house key, etc in most workout clothes designed for women, so World’s Best Travel Bra solves that problem. Just about any woman working out will be wearing a bra, so why not use it to hold your valuables? [Note: this is currently being crowdfunded, and you can support it starting at $45. MSRP will be $59.]
If the bra didn’t fit anyone on your list, a SPIbelt is another great choice for any runner, biker, hiker, etc. It’s small, doesn’t bounce, can be tucked under your shirt or in your waistband, and holds everything you need, all safely zippered away. At $19.99, it makes a great stocking stuffer!
Gift card to local running store
Looking to buy for a runner? Check out this list of local running stores, find one in your giftee’s area, and get them a gift card! You’ll help them outfit themselves, plus support a local business.
Premium membership to fitness/food site
Maybe you know someone who swears by MyFitnessPal, or who constantly posts their Runkeeper workouts to Facebook. Many fitness and health apps these days offer premium memberships, and a gift of membership is the perfect gift for someone who could make use of the increased statistics and features but who wouldn’t necessarily buy it for themselves.
All this working out is going to make your giftee thirsty. There’s all sorts of water bottles out there, but I swear by my Hydroflask. Not only does it keep liquids hot or cold for hours, but the interior is metal and doesn’t absorb any flavors, so you can have Gatorade in it one day and water the next without any lingering aftertaste. They’re also tough and nearly indestructible, perfect for indoor or outdoor adventures! You can find these starting at $21.99, and they are worth every penny!
We hope a few of these ideas help you shop for the fitness buff in your life, and if you have other suggestions, let us know in the comments!
