Last week, I mentioned this new feature in the fitness blog addressing the questions from readers. We’re making the countdown towards Christmas and some of our questions this week were from readers about shopping for fitness gifts and ideas this holiday season.
The Gift for Personal Training
Dear Heather,
I’ve been reading some of your articles on personal training. My wife is always talking about getting back into shape, but she’s always getting distracted or delayed. We have three kids and I know that it’s hard on her, I try to be supportive, but I am not good at it. She knows it, I know it and it makes it hard. I want her to be able to achieve her goals and you suggested giving personal training as a gift, how does that work? Thanks in advance.
– Mark Cullen
Good morning Mark,
Thanks for your note. I understand wanting to be supportive and having trouble for it. My husband is the same way and he gets frustrated at times because his idea of being supportive is to tease or to bait even when he is being encouraging. So that said, hiring a personal trainer or giving personal training as a gift can work, but it’s important to talk to your wife ahead of time. See how she feels about working with a personal trainer. If she is interested, your next task is to investigate the fitness clubs and gyms in your area. There area number of facilities from clubs that cater to specific clientele such as Curves and Gold’s Gym and other more generalized fitness centers that have an array of classes from Yoga to Pilates to Aerobics and more. Many of these gyms also feature their own in house personal trainers.
The holidays are a great time to get good deals on both membership and personal training. You will often need to purchase a package of 8 to 12 personal training sessions. This would give your wife six to ten weeks of training to help get her training program on track. You might also research independent personal trainers (this is a growing field) who will travel to your home to work with your wife on the equipment that you have. This may actually be a more economical and time friendly for your wife.
It’s also important to make sure that the personal trainer has certification and education in the areas of fitness that your wife is interested in. Ultimately, you want to make the best match possible, so that’s why she needs to be a part of the process. It’s still a good gift and your wife can enjoy the substantial benefits of it. Good luck and please let us know how it’s going.
Equipment Options
Dear Heather,
I was trying to decide what would be better – aerobic videos, the fitness games or a gym membership. I want to get back into shape and I want to give some fitness gifts to my sister. We like a lot of the same things, but she’s as confused about what would work best for us as well. There seems to be just too much out there to choose from – can you help?
– Mindy Reese
Dear Mindy,
You’re right, there are a lot of fitness options out there. You have to decide what your goals are and what you enjoy. When you can answer both of those questions for yourself, it can help. Fitness videos and fitness games are great, but you need to know that you’re not going to let them just sit on the shelf and gather dust. You need to know that you are going to use them and that can be harder than you might imagine. A group fitness class is a good choice for many beginners because it gives them a definite time they have to set aside for their workout regularly.
If the two of you are that interested in getting started on a fitness program – try giving each other walking shoes and making a pact to walk together 2 to 3 times a week. If you both can maintain that, then kick forward to new goals, a fitness class or adding some weight lifting together. You have a great opportunity because you already have a potential fitness partner and that can give you both a leg up on meeting your goals. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
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Ut oh – Is it already Friday? How is the shopping going?