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Fitness Gift Guide 2002 --by Joan Price ©Joan Price. May not be reprinted without permission.
Do you have a fitness fiend on your gift list, and no clue what might delight someone who is happiest sweating and breathing hard? Or maybe you have a friend or relative who really should get in better shape for health's sake, and you'd like to help get that person on track with the right gift. Or perhaps you've been working out all year, and you deserve to buy yourself a reward for all your hard work. Here are some suggestions for gifts that keep on giving by keeping your recipient in shape. Cool Tools Why be hot and sweaty when you can be cool and sweaty? One of my favorite finds of the year has been the Cramer Stay-Cool Sport Towel. This towel is made of some slick, machine-washable material that, as the name implies, stays cool. You rinse it in cold water, wring it out until it's damp but not dripping, and drape it around your neck. It feels cool, and continues to feel cool no matter now hard you hit the cardio machines or the trail. If you feel it heating up, just rearrange it so another, still cool part of the towel is touching your skin. Attention hot-flashing women: this towel has great potential for you, too! This towel absorbs 12 times its dry weight in water and absorbs perspiration up to five times faster than regular cotton towels, good news for really sweaty exercisers. Available from www.medco-athletics.com (click "sports medicine" then search "Cramer towel" or go directly to www.medcosupply.com/cgibin/product.asp?Leaf_Id=76039) for $8.50 to $12.50, depending on size. If you have a door, you have a strength-training or rehabilitation station in your home or hotel room, once you attach the FitStrap. A mesh travel pouch contains the FitStrap--two nylon straps that are sewn together to form a series of loops, with buckles that snap the ends together. Fasten FitStrapTM to a door of any size, then use rubber resistance bands or tubing (placed through one or another of the strap's multiple loops) to exercise while standing, sitting, kneeling, or lying on the floor. Without the bands, you can use the strap for stretching. The FitStrap comes in a handy, mesh travel bag, with or without resistance bands. Order for $19.95 to $39.95, depending on which kit you select, from www.fitstrap.com. If your favorite cyclist bikes at night, make sure he or she has a good light, not just the dim $30 model that meets legal requirements, but really bright and reliable lights. Serious cyclists are buying Night Rider lights, $100 (suitable for commuters) to $390 (a seriously bright light for nighttime trail riding), reports Mike's Bikes (1601 Fourth Street, San Rafael). Choose from hundreds of exercise videos for all fitness levels. The best sources are Collage Video (www.collagevideo.com or 1-800-433-6769), which specializes in workout videos, and Amazon (www.amazon.com), which has a large listing with unbiased reviews (I know--I'm one of their editorial reviewers). You can find step, kickboxing, weight training, swing dance, belly dance, ballet, Pilates, yoga, straight cardio--if it moves to music, you can find it. Start with my recommendations, reviews, and links at http://www.joanprice.com/products/videos.htm. If you have a loved one who is too frail for heavy-duty workouts, or is recovering from surgery, consider the HeartFlex, a lightweight, flexible, plastic tube with foam-padded handles that you push, pull, bend, and twist. It provides mild resistance for light-intensity upper-body muscle conditioning, and it won't hurt your floor, your foot, or itself if you drop it. You can work the HeartFlex seated, standing, walking, or exercising on cardio machines that leave your hands free. $24.95 from www.HeartFlex.com. Other sources for cool fitness tools: Fitness Wholesale (www.fwonline.com, 1-888-FW-ORDER). Pedometers, heart-rate monitors, stability balls, mats, yoga props, dumbbells, aqua props, weighted bars, balance trainers, videos, body fat analyzers, jump ropes--any prop or tool having to do with fitness is here. SPRI products (www.spriproducts.com, 1-800-222-7774). SPRI offers all sorts of props and tools for fitness, sports, and weight training, including specialty items for kickboxing and yoga. consider one of their kits, such as the YogaBall Package, which includes a 65cm Resist-A-Ball, yoga mat, video and inflation pump, all for $39, or the Pilates Power Ring Package, which includes a Pilates workout video and Power Ring for $20. Books. You can find a total program designed by a top trainer, get motivational tips, or explore any health or fitness topic in depth with the right book. These new ones are highly recommended (See longer reviews of these and other recommended books at http://www.joanprice.com/books/reviews.htm.) Athletic Abs by Scott Cole and Tom Seabourne (Human Kinetics, 2002). Abdominals are the stubborn, problem area for exercisers of all fitness levels and both genders. Athletic/fitness trainers Cole and Seabourne belly up to the challenge of presenting the most current knowledge of how to firm and chisel the abs you've always wanted and strengthen your core for your sport and daily life with exercises that train the abs along with their surrounding muscles. These exercises are done standing, sitting, moving, and sometimes with a partner. Stronger Legs and Lower Body by Keli Roberts and Linda Shelton (Human Kinetics, 2002). Whether you're a recreational exerciser concerned with creating a shapelier bottom half, a competitive athlete focused on increasing your leg power for your sport, or anywhere in between, this book's 124 clearly illustrated exercises and drills will satisfy any fitness level or goal. The exercises use machines, body weight, free weights, body bars, steps, ankle weights, stability balls, bongo boards, and bands to work the calves, thighs, and buttocks. But the book is more than an excellent collection of exercises--you'll get information about setting up a strength-training program, assessing your level, training effectively and safely, and much more. Sculpting Her Body Perfect, by Brad Schoenfeld (Human Kinetics, Second Edition 2002). For women who are serious about strengthening and sculpting their physiques, this book provides a progressive program with a variety of resistance exercises for each muscle group using free weights, machines, bands, and cables, including many that can be done at home rather than at a gym. Personal stories and photos of female fitness competitors and body builders make it seem as though this book is aimed at women aspiring to the competitive level, although it does start with a beginner's program and progresses through advanced level. The Young Athlete: A Sports Doctor's Complete Guide for Parents by Jordan D. Metzl, M.D. with Carol Shookhoff (Little Brown & Company, 2002). More than 30 million U.S. children and teens under 18 participate in organized sports. Sports physician Jordan D. Metzl, M.D., helps parents keep their children safe and healthy--physically, socially, and psychologically. This is not just sports medicine--in fact, only about one-third of the book is about avoiding and treating injuries. Metzl also explores essential issues in the lives of child athletes and their parents: how to be a good sports parent, hallmarks of good coaching, nutrition and nutritional supplements, and keeping values and perspective (such as preventing sports from taking over the family's life, good sportsmanship, and ethics). Wear It and Go. Fitness fiends never own enough activewear. Whether your giftee would love a new pair of running shoes, yoga pants, or a dance outfit, your best bet is a gift certificate so that the recipient will get exactly what she or he wants, and with the best fit. Marin has fabulous shops serving cyclists, dancers, yoga enthusiasts, runners, walkers, home exercisers, and both hardcore and recreational athletes of all stripes. Some recommendations: For both indoor and outdoor fitness activities, InSport clothing feels and looks great. It fits well, moves well, and wicks moisture away from the body. I especially like the Dritec Halter top, with spaghetti straps to show off muscles, and cut long enough not to show off navels (for those of us who prefer to keep that body part a mystery). It has a zipped pocket at the lower back for change and keys, ideal for running or cycling. You can find INSport clothing at ArchRival in Mill Valley (206 Strawberry Village) and Greenbrae (150 Bon Air Center), or online at www.insport.com. If you have a yoga enthusiast on your list (and who doesn't, these days?), you're in luck. Body Wise Studio (1566 Fourth St, San Rafael) offers a large variety of yoga clothing--pants, shorts, shirts, and tanks--along with yoga and Pilates classes and all sorts of props: mats, blocks, straps, books, videos, balls, and music. For a stocking stuffer, how about socks? No, not those cheapo tube socks, but specialty socks just right for the sport, with cushioning where you need it, breathability, and just the right shape and thickness for your sport. For example, the cleverly designed DeFeet socks (available in bike and running stores and from www.amazingsocks.com) are terrific for dancing, cycling, and running, and they're really cute. For walking, Thor-Lo (available from Walking Company. and many sports stores) can't be beat. The ASICS performance socks such as the new Kayano Quarter and Kayano Ped are another good bet, with anatomically correct right and left socks -- you can't get a better fit than that. Have a Merry Fitness and a Healthy New Year! This article was originally published in The Pacific Sun in Marin County, California. NOTE:
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