9 Healthy Holiday Gifts for 2014

As the Director of Behavioral Health at Hilton Head Health, I am always keeping an eye out for products that promote good health and make the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle a bit easier. Since giving health-enhancing gifts never goes unappreciated, consider a few of my holiday favorites this year:

Workout Lab Exercise Cards: These beautifully-designed waterproof Exercise Cards contain 40 bodyweight exercises, 10 stretches and 6 easy-to-follow routines – everything you need for fun intensive 15-minute workouts you can do anywhere – your living room, hotel, beach, park or the gym – without equipment or guess work. $24.95

The Tiger Tail: Turn sore muscles into happy muscles by helping relieve muscle knots, aches, cramping, spasms and stiffness. This stiff, foam roller is a staple at H3. All our trainers use it to warm up muscles, relieve cramping and help with muscle recovery after a great work-out. $34.95

Goodbyn Bynto Lunch Box: These lunch boxes feature 3 individually-sealed compartments perfect for portion control. In addition to being a great lunch box without the need for baggies, they work wonderfully for meal planning and storing leftovers in healthy portions. Take the guess work out of portion control – flip the lid and enjoy! $8.99

SodaStream Sparkling Water Maker: Are you or someone you love trying to kick the sugary, soda habit, but miss the fizz? Turn tap water into sparkling water in seconds with the SodaStream Sparkling Water Makers. You can even add a squeeze of lemon, lime or orange for flavored sparkling water with no artificial sweeteners and minimal calories. $79.99

 Yonanas Frozen Treat Maker: This is a perfect gift for someone trying to break up with Ben & Jerry. Yonanas is a small appliance that turns frozen fruit into a delicious, healthy soft-serve treat. The unit combines frozen bananas and any additional fruit or chocolate and instantly churns the ingredients to produce a treat with the texture of frozen yogurt or soft-serve ice cream, but without the additional fat, sugar or preservatives. $49.95

Freshology.com Gift Certificate: Need a gift for the busy professional that doesn’t have time to cook or for the health-conscious individual who doesn’t enjoy cooking? Freshology is an online, fresh diet delivery service. No more drive-thru on the way home. Enjoy healthy, portion-controlled meals delivered directly to your home. Prices vary.

ProSource Resistance Bands with Travel Case: For the friend that likes to stay fit but travels a lot, consider purchasing the ProSource set of 5 resistance bands with door anchor, traveling case and instruction manual. ProSource resistance bands offer five progressive resistance levels, making the set useful for everyone from beginners to experts and they are light and compact enough to travel with you anywhere. $35.99

Wake Up & Work Out Alarm Clock: This gift is just plain fun. If you know someone who has trouble getting out of bed in the morning, and needs a little motivation to exercise, then this is the gift for you. The Wake Up & Work Out Alarm Clock is a 1.5 lb hand weight that will rouse you with an alarm which won’t go off until you have done 30 bicep reps. Motion sensors inside can tell exactly how many reps you've done and only if you do them right. No cheating!!! $29.95

HiltonHeadHealth Meditations CD: Many people are interested in meditation but aren’t sure how to begin. The Hilton Head Health Meditation CD offers two, 15-minute meditations that are great for beginners, as well as experienced meditators. Featured meditations include energy healing and a guided walk on the beach. Combine the CD with a lightly-scented candle and a soft blanket. Voilà! You have the ultimate gift of relaxation. $14.99  (Also available on iTunes.)

A Season of Presence, Not Presents

We are full on in the holiday season. Presents are being given, you are debating taking down decorations now or in a week, and you are looking forward to the last few holiday parties with friends. During this most wonderful time of year let me ask: is your focus this season on Presents or Presence? How often do we run through the holiday season shopping, cooking, attending parties, get togethers, family gatherings, giving presents, leaving us feeling like we are doing well to “survive the holidays?” In keeping with the spirit of the season and focusing on being mindfully present in our lives, let’s take back this time of year and choose not to survive but to thrive.

Right now we are focused on what we can give to others. That is a wonderful mindset and something we should hold onto all year round. But it is also important to shower yourself with love and care. Here are a few FREE suggestions of gifts to give yourself during this season of spending.

• Time: Gift yourself 10-15 minutes during your day to be silent. Leave the journal at your side and spend time in quiet reflection. With no expectations, allow your mind to quiet and your soul to rest.


• Forgiveness: “Failing is as certain as sunsets. Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Is there something that you need to forgive yourself for? What can you learn from that experience as you rise up and continue forward?

• Self Love: Take some time and fill out this Self Love Letter from my Self Care lecture here at H3. Take some time to connect with all of the reasons why you are awesome!


• A Sense of Humor: He (she) who laughs, lasts. A good laugh can do amazing things to clear out the darkness. Smiling (even when you do not feel happy!) can change your outlook. Remember, every passing moment is the opportunity to turn it all around.

Are you thinking about New Years Day coming up? Are you stressing about writing New Year resolutions and making this year the best yet? Check out this great blog post written by Lisette last year, she offers a new perspective on looking at the New Year.

Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas for 2012

The holidays are quickly approaching and you still have some shopping to do. What better way to share your healthy habits with others than by buying healthy gifts this year. Whether your loved one need to focus on fitness, nutrition, SELF or all three, here are a few healthy gift ideas for everyone (even yourself).

Fitness

• iPod Armband: iPod armbands are inexpensive and very useful, obviously making them perfect for gifts! You can also shop around for other iPod fitness accessories such as a heart rate monitor, wifi scale, headphones or even a dock to jam out while cooking healthy meals at home.


• GoPro Camera: This gift is great for your friend who loves adventure.  This nifty camera can be mounted and worn on a helmet to capture angles you never would have thought to capture. Zip lining, skiing, mountain climbing… GoPro is definitely the best way to share your experience with others.


• Head Lamp: Nightfall comes sooner than we’d like these days. Don’t let a little dark stop your friend from enjoying their afternoon walk, run or bike ride.


• Workout Bag: A workout bag is the perfect gift for someone on the go. You can shop around and find bags in all shapes and colors. I’d suggest getting one with a strap so it’s easy to carry around and one with a couple compartments or pockets that can hold deodorant and other toiletries.

Nutrition

• Food Processor: Food processors make slicing vegetables easy and can save a lot of time.


• Tupperware: We all have that stack of random containers and lids that never seem to match up right. Buy your friend a fresh set of Tupperware so he/she can prepare healthy meals ahead of time.


• Ice Cream Maker: If your friend loves sweets, an ice cream maker may be the way to go. There are healthy versions of homemade ice cream all over the internet (even right here on H3Daily!). When making your own ice cream you know exactly what you’re eating making it easier to cut back on calories.


• Air Popcorn Popper: An air popcorn maker is great for your friend who can’t get enough salt. Air popcorn has fewer calories because it’s not cooked oil. Just sprinkle your freshly made popcorn lightly with salt and you have a delicious snack.


• Portion Controlled Dishware: If you’ve attended Bob Wright’s Portion Control lecture, you know all about the sneaky ways calories seem to find their way to your plate. Slimware offers unique designs to suite all personalities.

SELF

• Foam Roller: Instead of giving your friend a gift certificate for a massage they’re too busy to schedule, buy him/her a foam roller. Foam rollers simulate a deep tissue massage but can be done alone and in the comfort of your own home.


• Infuser Mug: Tea is believed to improve health in several ways including boosting the immune system and lowering blood pressure. Many also feel that there’s no better way to relax than with a nice cup of tea. Tea mugs with built in infusers are becoming very popular, are inexpensive and can be found at many retailers.


• Health Book or Magazine: Rest your eyes from the screen for an hour with a health book or magazine. Find out what your friend enjoys reading about and buy them a book or subscription on the topic.


•  Music: Buy your friend that CD they’ve been wanting or add a personal touch by creating a disk with all their favorite songs. Whether fast or slow, music seems to brighten everyone’s mood.

For more gift ideas, check out some of these posts:

Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas for Cooks

Holiday Gift Guide

Load Up on Experiences, Not Stuff

Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas for Cooks

For all of you gift giving cooks out there wondering what to give your loved one that reflects what you love this Christmas, here are a few gift ideas that are perfect for the holidays. Need ideas that are more exciting than the typical large array of cookie platters? Well, try and spread the holiday cheer with a healthy twist.

• Jar up some of that famous chili! Perhaps you jar up the beans that you use (raw) and attach the spice blend you add plus a little recipe card for the novice cooks.

• How about a whole grain muffin mix, with a portion control scoop and muffin wrappers. Try the popular H3 Banana Flax Muffin or our Banana Blueberry Muffin recipe.

• What brings the family together like pizza night? Give whole wheat pizza dough ingredients and spend the holidays making homemade dough while everyone chooses and cuts their favorite veggies for their own individual pizza.

• Don’t overlook classic everyday dishes. Create a simple rice blend with brown rice, wild rice, whole wheat couscous and add a little red rice with a seasoning for a kick.

Load Up On Experiences, Not Stuff

With Black Friday just around the corner, we all have our minds on shopping for our loved ones. This year, consider purchasing something that will last past the latest trend or the upgraded version. This year, give a gift that is meaningful and will leave a lasting impression.

In the blog post “Buy More Experiences and Less Stuff,” the writer poses this question:

Which of these two types of spending do you think makes you happier, purchases that are made with the primary intention of acquiring

A) a life experience: an event or series of events that one lives through, or

B) a material good: a tangible object that is kept in one's possession.

According to the post, when thousands of Americans were asked this question in a poll, 57% said experiences make them happier. (Carter & Gilovich, 2010).

Sometimes we forget the value of experience and quality time and become overly consumed with “things.” That’s it, they’re just things, which too often become piles of stuff. At Hilton Head Health, we hear people say all the time that this was the best investment they’ve ever made or that their trip was an unforgettable experience. Sometimes we don’t take the time to let these words really resonate and feel the power of an event so significant.

Here are a few reasons why people prefer experiences over tangible objects:

• Experiences improve with time because they tend to take on new meanings in our minds, but things just tend to get old.


• People mentally revisit their experiences more than things they've bought (Van Boven & Gilovich, 2003). So experiences keep providing pleasure long after the event itself.


• Experiences resist unfavorable comparisons because each is unique. Things, though, are easy to compare unfavorably because they're similar to other things.


• Also, because experiences tend to be unique, we adapt more slowly to them and adaptation or habituation is the enemy of happiness (Nicolao et al., 2009).


• Experiences tend to be social and social events (generally) make us happy. Things are often not that social.

 So as you make your list of all the people you need to buy gifts for this year, and even when considering what you’d like to treat yourself with, invest your money in something that will create a lasting experience and skip the material goods.

Holiday Gift Guide

Looking for the perfect gift idea?  Why not give a gift that everyone will love, but also benefit from. 

Top 10 Healthy Holiday Gifts:

1.  Travel Yoga Mat  $ Great for your traveling yogi – this yoga mat folds up and fits in bags of all sizes. 

 

2.  Insulated Lunch Bag $  A great insulated lunch sack that will keep your food hot/cold for up to 4 hours!  It’s a lunch bag you will want to use over and over.



3.  iPod Shuffle $$  The newest generation of the iPod shuffle holds over 1000 songs and is the perfect size for the person on the go!  They even come in 5 bright colors.



4.  Thai Massage Gift Certificate $$  An ancient and sacred form of healing with roots in Yoga and Ayurveda that combines rhythmic massage, acupressure, asanas (Yogic stretching exercises), gentle twisting, energy work, and meditation.  Great relief from holiday stress!

 

5.  Dance Lessons $$  Always wanted to learn how to salsa, tango or even hip hop?  It’s never too late to learn!  Check with your local fitness center or dance studio for beginner lessons.

 

6.  Rollerblades $$  A great gift for kids, and adults!  You can find a pair your local sporting goods store. 



7.  Stylish Gym Bag $$  The hottest gym accessory – you’ll want to carry this bag everywhere!  With room for a laptop, removable straps, this trendy bag even comes with a removable water resistant pouch to hold your sweaty gear. 

 

8.  Garmin Forerunner 405 $$$  For the runner in your life – help them train smarter.  A GPS device you can sync [wirelessly] with your computer – monitors heart rate, distance, pace and calories burned.



9.  Wii Fit $$$  Keep the family entertained – and fit!  Not only can you make your own custom routine, but test your strength, yoga, and aerobics. 



10.  Cooking Healthy workshop $$$  A great gift for the foodie in your family!  Our Cooking Healthy workshop is filled with interactive cooking demonstrations, instructional sessions and hands-on experience in our special demonstration kitchen.  Next year will feature 4 different and exciting Chefs – including our very own Chef Cathryn Matthes and Chef Marvis Hinson.