My Healthy Holiday Gift Guide

It’s that time of the year again when malls are packed and your online carts are ready to be checked out! I have to say, I personally don’t love the stress of holiday shopping, but I do love to find the perfect gift for the special people in my life. To save you some brainstorming, I wanted to share my healthy holiday gift guide and I am positive you will love it (and so will your friends and family receiving the gifts). PS - this is NOT sponsored and simply my gift-giving ideas for all you health-savvy peeps out there!

The Gift of Self-Care

This is by far the gift that keeps on giving … and the best part is you can get as creative as you want with it. I know everyone loves a massage and a facial, but my all-time favourite is gifting a special someone with of a luxury mobile mani/pedi treatment. Over the years we have had the honour of having The Nail and Champagne Bar come to our home and pamper us with a true spa-like experience. Self-care can mean so many things, but there’s something about a fresh mani and pedi that just takes the cake. It’s the perfect gift for that busy mommy friend in your life who deserves the extra R&R, but needs the convenience of having the spa come to her! To add to the gift of self-care, you can also check out Peace Collective’s Self-Love collection, which includes the message: Self-Love Is Power!

The Gift of Time

Okay, don’t we all wish we had more time?! 24 hours isn’t enough time to pack in all we need to do, but in this case when I’m referring to time I am actually referring to the gift of a smart watch! There are so many out there on the market and they are NOT all made the same. We gave Harper a Fitbit as a gift and she rarely takes it off! The Ace 3 Fitbit is the perfect smart watch for her age because it’s incredibly user friendly and gives her the simple stats she needs. Perhaps when she is a teen we will graduate to an Apple watch, but for now the Fitbit works well and way less expensive.

The Gift of Active Accessories

There’s no denying that an ‘on-the-go’ lifestyle is not going anywhere! As busy parents we are often running from school drop off to work or from workout to grocery shopping. I have been a huge fan of Forward With Design for years for this exact reason. This brand totally gets it! If you’re looking for a gift for someone who leads an active lifestyle, but needs his/her active accessories to move with them through every errand in the day, then FWD is going to be your goldmine. I swear by their water bottles and all of their totes are functional (and fashionable). You can find their stuff at Sport Chek!

The Gift of Movement

Health is wealth is my lifetime motto! Gifting someone with anything health-related is where it’s at. Think yoga mats, kettlebells, running shoes … I mean, the list is pretty long! But if you’re looking for something memorable, I really LOVE the new GoZone Fitness active line for kids. They offer everything from pogo sticks to skipping ropes and everything in between. The collection also features marvel and Disney characters! GoZone Fitness also collaborated with Mattel to offer a one-of-a-kind Fitness Kit with Barbie! My girls can’t get enough! Other options for gifting movement include the Bala Bangles (wrist/ankle weights), resistance bands or a mini Theragun.

The Gift of Activewear

With the new year comes new fitness goals and what better way to support that than with new workout wear. There’s something about a fresh new ‘fit to get you motivated. Some of my favourite lines are Aurum Activewear, which was designed for the modern woman and Lole, a Canadian active line that fits and moves in all the right places. Other notable brands include: Lululemon, Athleta and Adidas. I shared some other faves here.

The Gift of Memberships

Now this is a gift for the books! Imagine getting gifted a membership to your go-to yoga studio or your favourite online workout app. If you don’t want to break the bank, but love this idea, opt for the virtual memberships instead. Some of my all-time favourite fitness apps include: Peloton, Hinter, and Sweat. I’ve shared other great options in a recent blog post here. There are also so many great studios in Toronto that you can support by gifting someone with a class. Some of my faves include: Drop Boxing Studio, Toronto Yoga Mamas, Chi Junky and Fit Squad. These spots are all women-owned!

The Gift of Hope

This is hands down one of favourite gifts of all! We have been Plan International Canada Ambassadors for years now and I always encourage others to visit their Gifts of Hope page to give someone a gift that helps vulnerable children and families most at risk around the world. This is truly an unforgettable gift!

The Gift of Mental Fitness

While physical fitness is a huge priority for everyone, we cannot forget about our mental health too! Giving a gift that supports mental fitness goes a long way and can include anything from your favourite book, a subscription to the Calm app or a heart-fulfilling journal (The 5-Minute Journal is a goodie). My book recommendations include: The Universe Has Your Back, You Are A Badass, and Daring Greatly.

I hope that this list helps you with some brainstorming as you begin your holiday shopping for the ones you love! But I wanted to end this post reminding you that the best present of all is the gift of your Presence!