There’s no gift like health for the holidays

You can’t literally gift-wrap health, much less stuff it in a stocking.

But a gift that helps someone eat, sleep or exercise better can send a powerful message, said Dr Laurence Sperling, the Katz Professor in Preventive Cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Beyond the usual affection a gift demonstrates, something that encourages your recipient to stay well is “an extra comment to somebody about how much you care about them,” said Sperling, founder of the Emory Center for Heart Disease Prevention.

So American Heart Association News asked him and other experts for healthy gift ideas.

Here’s what they said.

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KEEPING ACTIVE

When purchasing a fitness-related holiday gift for someone, first consider what they most enjoy doing, said Dr Cindy Lin, clinical professor in sports and spine medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle.

“Gear that fits into an everyday routine, such as reusable water bottles and comfortable workout clothes, can be a great gift,” said Lin, who is also director of clinical innovation at UW’s Sports Institute.

“One-trick gadgets,” or items for activities they don’t do often, are likely to end up in the back of the closet, she said. “If your sister only skis once a year … that ski gear might end up collecting dust in the garage.”

Lin is a fan of gear that’s portable, versatile and doesn’t take up much space, such as a yoga mat, exercise ball, resistance bands or free weights. Other simple gifts include fanny packs or belt packs for carrying a phone or keys while walking or jogging, or a reflective vest or headlamp for evening activities.

JOINING UP

Class passes, sports lessons or a few months of gym membership could be a great way to help a family member get started on becoming more active without the financial commitment of a whole year up front, Lin said.

Consider online options, too. A few winters ago, Lin’s husband gifted her a subscription to a fitness programme that offered workouts that could be streamed on a tablet or TV. “It was perfect because there are a huge variety of 10- to 20-minute classes that I could do any time of day in our own living room, a huge convenience factor as a busy working mom.”

Sperling said a consultation with a trainer could help someone focus on specific goals. But be careful, he said: Gym memberships can be tricky to manage for anyone, and signing someone up who doesn’t already have the time or interest to go to a gym might not motivate them.

Similarly, paying registration fees for a race might work for someone who is already a runner, said Sperling, a veteran marathoner. But for others, it might be more effective to sign them up for a fundraising walk or other healthy activity – and then promise to join them.

“Support and partnership is really important” for people trying to make a healthy change, Sperling said, and a commitment to spend time together could be “priceless.”

GETTING TECHNICAL

“Fitness trackers are a great way to get started with being active,” said Lin, who has published an analysis on wearable technology in activity promotion.

“Monitoring heart rate helps track cardiovascular health and exercise intensity,” she said. “It’s also useful for people who are working on improving fitness levels or training for walkathons or marathons.”

Important features to look for, Lin said, include step tracking, calories burned, a long battery life and sweat and water resistance.

“Since the idea of most wearables for fitness is to use them daily, look for a lightweight, comfortable band and a style that matches your recipient’s tastes,” she said.

Sperling agreed that a tracker can establish how active someone is and help them reach a healthy level. Federal physical activity guidelines recommend adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity each week, or a combination of both. Adults also should do muscle-strengthening exercises at least two days a week.

Another handy fitness tool, Sperling said, is a digital scale. Although many come with bells and whistles, he said, you can just look for one that’s easy to read.

And with nearly half of adults living with hypertension, a blood pressure monitor can be a great gift, he said.

“An arm cuff is the way to go versus a wrist cuff,” Sperling said, and “you want to be sure it’s an appropriate cuff size.” The American Medical Association has a list of validated monitors at validatebp.org. He said to follow instructions from the American Heart Association on how to get an accurate reading.

EATING WELL

Holiday party gifts can be heavy on sweets and alcohol, but it’s not hard to find alternatives, said Dr Marie-Pierre St-Onge, an associate professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York.

“There’s nice food gift baskets you can bring that include dried fruit and nuts that are probably a better option than cookies and cakes,” she said. And nonalcoholic mocktails could make for a fun party, she said. Look for varieties that are low in sugar.

For kitchen gifts, St-Onge is a fan of air fryers. Her husband bought her one last year. “I wasn’t thinking I needed one – but now I do,” she said. St-Onge praised the way it cooks up crispy shrimp and tofu and said it helps her make “great” fish tacos, while her husband uses it to make eggplant parmesan with much less oil than the traditional version.

A cookbook full of healthy ideas could be helpful, she said. Even basic kitchen tools can lead to healthier eating if they encourage people to make their own food at home, where they have more control over ingredients than at a restaurant, where meals can be packed with excess calories and sodium.

SWEET DREAMS

Even if your long naps don’t include visions of sugarplums, sleep is essential for health. St-Onge, who also is director of her institution’s Center of Excellence for Sleep and Circadian Research, said that avoiding gifts with alcohol would be one way to support it, given that alcohol can interfere with sleep patterns.

But sleepwear would work. “Soft and comfortable sleepwear is so, so good for sleep in my opinion,” she said. Look for something that’s not too hot and not too restrictive.

Or you can help someone make their sleep space darker and quieter. “If you’re living someplace where there’s a lot of outdoor noise and light pollution, blackout curtains are a good way to go,” she said.

For technology fans, sleep trackers can help people see if they’re getting the seven to nine hours recommended for adults. St-Onge recommended checking to make sure the one you choose doesn’t require the recipient to buy a subscription.

Some fitness trackers can measure not only sleep time but quality of sleep, which can provide insights into sleep cycles and potential disruptions, Lin said.

Being “mindful and thankful” can help support sleep, St-Onge said, so the gift of a paper journal for writing down thoughts would make sense.

STEPPING OUT

A gift doesn’t have to be about “stuff,” Sperling said. It could be an experience that encourages people to get outside.

That could take the form of an annual state park pass, which would let someone enjoy the concept of “forest bathing,” or walks in nature, which can help reduce stress. For families, it could take the form of a membership to the local zoo.

Ultimately, when it comes to finding a healthy gift, “you want to focus on things that are simple and sustainable,” Sperling said, because a healthy lifestyle is about making meaningful changes for the long term, not any one item or experience.

By thinking along these lines, he said, you could be offering “life-changing gifts that can improve the health of the people you love and care about.”

Michael Merschel is a health writer for the American Heart Association News