Give A Gift of Fitness - Food and Health Communications

It’s the holidays. Give the gift of fitness to someone you love. Here are some great gift ideas to keep you and others motivated to get and stay in shape this year:
Fitballs:
These can strengthen the abdominals, knees and back. They can also be used with any stretching program. Find these balls at many discount and sporting good stores or do a search on ebay or google. Most balls come with instructions.
Step counters:
My favorite pedometer has calories, steps taken and distance. Order from the walking expert Robert Sweetgall at www.creativewalking.com.
You can receive a guide that will tell you everything you need to know to get walking.
Hand or leg weights or resistance bands:
Having weights or resistance bands available in the home will help your loved ones fit resistance training into their routine. Even 5-pound weights can help people increase their strength. Increasing strength makes it easier to do daily activities.
Class registration:
Give a gift certificate for an exercise class. Sign yourself up at the same time and have fun exercising together. Try water exercise, pilates, yoga or any other class you might be interested in.
Exercise clothes and shoes:
Running shorts, shoes, socks, bicycle shorts or fun tops are a great gift. Many of the discount stores like Target and Walmart now carry good exercise clothing. There are many companies that specialize in exercise clothing.
Home exercise equipment:
Give a gift certificate for exercise equipment. Be available to help your loved one choose the best exercise equipment to use in their home. A basic treadmill with a continuous duty motor of 1.5 horsepower is a good purchase.
One-day pass to a health club:
Give a one-day pass to a local health club. This would give a non-exerciser the opportunity to check it out for one day. They may end up joining!
By Jan Treftz-Allen, MS

More Healthful Gift Ideas:
Here are some delicious and healthful food gift ideas:
• Basket of fruit - arrange a basket of fruit including apples, pears, oranges and dried fruits.
• Apples in a pot - arrange a 3 pound bag of apples in a crock pot. Include this recipe:?Rinse, core and quarter apples and place in crockpot with 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Cook on low for 6 hours or until soft. Mash and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Variety of flavored vinegars - these are great for salads, vegetables and rice dishes
• Healthful cookbook
• Large salad bowl with utensils and dried herbs.

Judy Doherty

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland where she focused on pastry arts and baking. But after learning that the quality of a croissant directly varies with how much butter it has, Judy sought to challenge herself by coming up with recipes that were as healthy as they were tasty.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest in nutritional science to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.