Happy holidays!
Have you finished your shopping yet? If not, here are some “healthy” gift ideas for you to consider. If you’re shopping for someone who likes to cook, enjoys exercise and working out, or simply likes to be outdoors, there are all kinds of gifts to choose from that will contribute to health and wellness. We’ve got some high-tech and low-tech options on this list, and you can find ideas here for any budget.
Who knows, maybe you’ll see something that you’d like and you can drop a hint to someone!
For the Cook
Cooking is a chore for some people. For others, it can be a hobby and something they look forward to. If someone on your list fits the latter description, you usually can’t go wrong with a new kitchen accessory. Here are some gift ideas that will make the cook in your life happy.
- Cookware: One of the best ways to eat healthier is to eat out less. A new set of pots and pans might be just the inspiration needed for more home-cooked meals. Look for nonstick cookware that allows you to cook without using as much calorie-heavy oil and butter.
- Digital thermometer: A good thermometer is a must when you’re cooking meat. If you have a grill master on your list, a digital instant-read thermometer would be a great gift.
Getting an accurate internal temperature is critical to cooking a good brisket, turkey or any other meat. An accurate temperature is also essential to ensuring the food is cooked to a safe temperature, killing dangerous bacteria. Some high-tech models will allow you to place a wi-fi temperature probe into the meat and leave it there as it cooks – you can then monitor the temperature on your phone!
- Cookbooks: Plenty of cookbooks focus on healthy eating, and any cook is always glad to have some new recipe ideas. You can find cookbooks focused on light meals, heart-friendly meals, vegetarian dishes and many other health-oriented recipes.
- Online recipe subscription: If hard-copy cookbooks take up too much space, there are some good online recipe resources available with an annual subscription.
- Specialty foods: You can’t cook without food! Consider ordering some gourmet, healthy food for delivery, such as salmon from the Pacific Northwest.
- Juicer: For someone who likes fresh-squeezed orange juice in the morning, a new juicer might be the perfect gift.
- Blenders: There are a lot of high-quality, reasonably priced blenders on the market. For someone who wants to start their day with a healthy smoothie or shake, consider a small blender/smoothie-maker that yields an individual-size smoothie.
- Kitchen scales: For an inexpensive and handy gift, consider a kitchen scale. Not only is a scale helpful to the cook trying to figure out how much of an ingredient to put in a recipe, but it’s also beneficial for those interested in cutting back how much food they are preparing and eating. For example, if someone is trying to get their meat portions down to the recommended four ounces per serving, a kitchen scale is a foolproof way of getting there.
- Air fryers: Air fryers are great at producing crispy food without the fattening, unhealthy oils traditionally used for fried food. In fact, air fryers don’t really fry food at all. They circulate heat around the food, similar to a convection oven. This helps to crisp the food without frying it.
- Multi-function cookers: These versatile devices can act as an air fryer as well as a crock-pot and pressure cooker, enabling you to cook all kinds of meals in one gadget.
For the Fitness Fan
Do you have someone on your shopping list who loves to exercise? There is no shortage of exercise and fitness-related gifts to consider.
- Shoes and clothes: A good pair of shoes and comfortable clothing are essential items for exercise. Running and walking shoes, warmup suits, joggers, exercise shirts/tops and sweatpants all make for good gifts. If you’re not sure exactly what size or style, a gift card works, as well!
- Fitness trackers and smart watches: A smartwatch or fitness tracker can provide you all kinds of useful information as you exercise and go about your day: they can keep track of the steps you’ve walked, how fast you have run, how many flights of stairs you climbed, your heart rate and how much sleep you’re getting.
If you’re thinking of buying a fitness tracker for someone on your shopping list, consider what they will use it for. If it’s someone who has a moderate exercise routine, a device that tracks steps will probably be sufficient.
But some trackers and smart watches will do much more. If you are shopping for an avid runner, swimmer or triathlete, consider a training tracker that does it all. Many include a GPS function, enabling the user to easily track the route and distance walked, run or biked.
Some trackers contain a gyroscope that can tell if you’re sitting or standing – with periodic reminders to stand or move about. They can also determine if you are running, swimming or on a bike.
Others will also monitor your heart rate, so you can track it throughout the day and know if you’re hitting your target heart rate during workouts. Even others can track your perspiration and breathing.
Most of these devices will sync to your smartphone so you can monitor your progress and track changes.
- Resistance bands: For people looking to do more strength training, resistance bands are a great way to go. They are lightweight, inexpensive and easy to store. You can even throw them in a suitcase and take them with you when traveling.
- Bench & weights: For someone trying to up their strength-training game in the home gym, a bench and dumbbells is a great gift. For those with limited space, an adjustable dumbbell set that allows you to increase and decrease weight without having to have multiple dumbbell pairs may be the perfect item!
- Headphones, music & books: For those who like to listen to something while they exercise, consider upgrading their headphones or earbuds. And if they need some new material to listen to while running or hitting the weights, you could always buy them a subscription to a digital music service or some audio books.
- Water bottles: Water bottles aren’t just for working out anymore. Many people – especially younger folks – routinely carry a water bottle with them throughout the day. This is a great healthy habit – it makes it more likely we’ll hit our minimum 64 ounces a day of water intake, providing necessary hydration. Drinking water may also help you feel full, reducing the impulse to snack between meals. Water bottles come in all types of sizes, colors and styles.
- Memberships, classes & passes: It’s not necessary to join a gym or take classes to get physically active – you can do that just by going for a brisk walk. But for people who want to take their fitness routine to a more advanced level or need an additional incentive to get up and get moving, a gym membership or class may be the perfect gift.
Finding a new activity does not have to involve a pricey membership, however. Here in North Texas, there are plenty of options to consider. Community colleges, including Tarrant County College and Dallas College, offer inexpensive, non-credit fitness classes, available to any resident of the county. These include cycling, kickboxing, yoga, swimming and a variety of sports. If you have someone on your list who is interested in a new challenge, one of these classes may be the perfect gift for them or for both of you to take together.
And for someone who enjoys spending time in the Great Outdoors, consider a Texas State Parks Pass, available for $70 from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. This pass grants entry for one year to the pass holder and anyone else in their vehicle to any one of Texas’ 89 state parks, including several North Texas locations. The Parks Pass provides limitless opportunities for hiking and other outdoor activity.
For Everyone: Give Back to the Community
Everyone likes the feeling of knowing they have made a difference. Knowing you’ve helped someone else is good for our emotional and mental health. There are some great opportunities to do just that this holiday season.
For the last 16 years, Privia Medical Group North Texas (PMGNTX) physicians and employees have teamed up with The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever to raise money for North Texas non-profit organizations. The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever features gifts that the shopper can buy for those in need – charitable contributions to some of our area’s leading non-profit organizations. Each non-profit features specific dollar amounts that will purchase specific goods and services to further their mission.
As in past years, The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever can be found in PMGNTX physician offices in November and December. The 2023 catalog features the following North Texas charities:
- A Wish with Wings
- Academy 4 Every 4th Grader
- Alzheimer’s Association
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tarrant County
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth
- Camp John Marc
- Catholic Charities Fort Worth
- Community Healthcare of Texas
- Don’t Forget to Feed Me Pet Food Bank
- Fort Worth Zoo
- Gill Children’s Services
- Helping Restore Ability
- Humane Society of North Texas
- LinkEd (formerly The Learning Center of North Texas)
- Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County
- Neuro Assistance Foundation
- Recovery Resource Council
- Ronald McDonald House Fort Worth
- Streams & Valleys
- First Tee Fort Worth
- The Parenting Center
- The Welman Project
- Wings of Hope
- Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County
By making a tax-deductible, charitable contribution through The Greatest Gift Catalog Ever, you’ll provide a meaningful gift for those in need in our community – and to those volunteers who are on the front lines, doing good work to care for those less fortunate.
