10 Great Gifts for Women Who Workout (Leave where your husband/boyfriend/kids/parents will see.)

1. Pedometer- Goal =10,000 steps a day.  Try and increase daily average by 100 steps a day over time to reach 10,000 a day. When you wear a pedometer, you are much more aware of doing things like walking and listening to a book you don’t have time to read, hand delivering a document rather than using email, walk to the mailbox rather than drive, walk your dog, take the stairs, park farther away (not a stretch anyway this time of year).  Any sporting goods store should carry a pedometer-get a basic one for about $7 (bells and whistles unnecessary.) A great stocking stuffer.

 

2.  Strong(her) T-shirts from EliteFTS –“The attitude starts here”…it says on the EliteFTS website.  Great way to get psyched up before a workout.  Buy here it here. $10-20.

3. Online tracking system software–Like I always say…”what gets measured gets managed.”  There are some great online fitness and nutrition tracking software systems that track metrics going well beyond weight and body fat percentage. Some systems like sparkpeople.com and fitday.com are free (be aware, some of these systems allow you to track for free to sell you their products and programs.)  Some are membership sites that charge a monthly usage fee such as trainingpeaks.com (great for cyclists-about $9 a mo.), and some are very sophisticated systems purchased as software downloads (do your homework on these to see which one is best for your training and/or sport and budget.)  Caution: careful not to be tempted to stray from your current fitness program by using their suggested exercises/nutrition approach; stick with one program at a time if you want to see results.

4.  Subscription to Eating Well Magazine –A lot of cooking and food magazines devoted to eating for a healthy lifestyle are not so…healthy (like some “health” food stores.)  This one has great healthy recipes and interesting articles. $15.

5.  Push-up and Pull-up Guide –“What do you bench?” (stupid question.) What is the ultimate test of strength then? Is it squats?  The answer is: a lot of different things. If you’re a woman, the ability to execute even one pull-up or 10 perfect push-ups is elusive to say the least.  But not if you know how to train specifically to master these powerhouse exercises. Trainer Shawna Kaminski has come up with a method that does just that for $29.  Nothing is more impressive than cranking out 20 pull-ups (male or female) and Shawna shows you how.  Check it out here: challengeworkouts.com

 

6.  Protein Powder –“Just what I always wanted…a tub of protein powder.”  It might sound like a strange gift but for busy people who don’t always have time to prepare a healthy breakfast (or lunch or dinner), a good quality protein powder mixed with some coconut milk or coconut water, a tablespoon of almond butter, ground flax meal or other fiber will keep her full for hours, help build lean muscle mass, and balance blood sugar plus, it tastes great. Check out these on my website: www.Jinifit.com and remember to always buy a professional brand for superior quality and bioavailability. $69 + shipping for a 30-day supply (the gift that keeps on giving; it’s less than three dollars per meal.)

7. Sweatshirt from her favorite show –I am a huge Game of Thrones fan and love the new sweatshirt I recently got from the HBO shop. Nearly every cable or network TV show sells apparel from their programs.  Great to throw on on the way out to the gym.  About $50.

8. Airopes –Klutz’ unite! As one who can barely walk and chew gum at the same time, I was thrilled to discover Airopes. Airopes are jump rope handles with lightweight plastic balls attached.  Great for those who want to get the cardio-vascular benefit of jumping rope but are…”coordinationally” challenged. Get them from Power Systems. $35.

9. Valslides –Taken from the Valslides website…”The Valslide® makes exercise seem easier, while making your muscles work harder. The sliding motion transforms traditional lunges, leg curls, and mountain climbers by allowing fluid, stress free movement.” Great for developing power and strength, these simple, plastic pieces are fun, effective and add real variety to your workout.  Valslides sell for $30.

10. Xiser –Don’t have the space or the money for a treadmill?  Want to get your bursting in without having to change clothes, drive to the gym and park?  The Xiser is the perfect alternative to expensive cardio-vascular equipment (you can even travel with it.)  This stepper machine is made of aluminum aircraft alloy with a hydraulic cylinder system.  It is one sturdy piece of equipment incredibly priced at $300.

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Fitness expert and integrative performance coach Jini Cicero, CSCS, teaches intermediate exercisers how to blast through plateaus to create incredible transformations. Are you ready to take your fitness to a whole new level?  Find out now!  Take Jini's "Are you Ready?" Quiz at www.Jinifit.com. © 2011 Jinifit, Inc.

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