Five Fun and Healthy Holiday Gift Ideas

This year, consider giving a holiday gift that promotes healthy living!  These food, fitness and nutrition gift certificate ideas are fun and make a great gift for anyone on your shopping list.

If you’re having a hard time picking out a gift for that special someone, you’re not alone. Gift giving is a great way to show others that you care, but it can also be stressful. Some people just seem to have it all, and that can make finding a gift difficult. I’m here to help.

How about giving a gift certificate toward a healthy living activity? Something fun that encourages fitness or nutrition, that they would love to have, but wouldn’t necessarily buy for themselves.  Here are five fun and healthy gift certificates to consider.

Cooking Class

If you’ve never taken a cooking class, you don’t know what you are missing!    They are a great way to learn new techniques and ideas to make cooking at home more enjoyable, or learn how to make a new dish. They’re also a great way to make new friends.  Even if your dish doesn’t turn out, the experience alone is worth it. Check out the local culinary school and see if they offer “open to the public” cooking classes.  Some grocery stores offer classes, too.

Three Month Gym Membership/Personal Training Sessions

A gift certificate to the local gym is a great gift for the friend or family member that has been talking about starting a new fitness regimen, but has yet to take the plunge.   A trial membership may be just what they need to get moving.  Around this time of year, many gyms run specials for new members or even allow their current members to invite friends and family at a reduced rate.

Nutrition Consult

We can all benefit from someone else looking over our eating patterns, and that’s just what a nutrition consultation with a local dietitian can do. If you have a friend or family member who has been talking about improving their nutrition or optimizing their health, consider getting them a gift certificate for a nutrition consultation. Some registered dietitians provide nutrition analysis of your diet, which alone can be a great thing to know.  You can locate a registered dietitian in a specific area by searching on the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Association website and entering your zip code.

Sports Lessons

Sports lessons are not only for experts, they are for anyone that finds learning new activities fun. It might be an activity they never thought of, or the gift they needed to move them from talking about it, to doing it. Whether it’s a lesson with a tennis or ski instructor or a golf lesson, it’s a great way to introduce someone to a new sport or improve their skills in one they already play.

Outdoor Adventures

A membership to a local organization that offer activities like kayaking, trekking, climbing, biking or other is a fantastic gift for an adventurous friend or family member. The gift could be for a specific event, a yearly membership or just a contribution toward a weekend getaway or trip.  In Pittsburgh, Venture Outdoors has multiple gift certificate packages available.  Another great website loaded with ideas for active people across the nation is Xperience Days.

With gift certificates, the options are endless.

Do you have a favorite activity that you would love to get a gift certificate for? Share in the comments so we can build on all of the ideas. Happy holidays!