Jocking Stuffers: Give the Gift of Fitness This Holiday Season

Another year's gone by, and we're making our lists of Christmas gifts once more. It's the same drill as last year: You're wondering what's new to give those loved ones, and you're fresh out of ideas. But finding new and affordable gifts isn't hard -- especially if the people in your life have a mind for health and fitness.

1. Get Them Started
What better way to help someone get (or stay) motivated than with a membership to yoga or dance, rock climbing, a ninja gym or a local pool? Buy directly from the establishment, or seek out workouts on Groupon and LivingSocial. If you're in one of the many cities that have ClassPass, you can give your loved one an entire smorgasbord of health and fitness and be assured they will be grateful.

2. Inside Out
Good health is about more than exercise. Maybe that someone on your list could use the services of a nutritionist to help them with their food plan or a massage therapist to iron out the kinks left from CrossFit. Look into session fees for a good acupuncturist, craniosacral therapist, reiki or Rolf practitioner, maybe someone who does cleanses or detoxing. With a good teacher or healer, your gift helps your bestie or parent learn how to help themselves.

3. What They Need
Everyone likes to get gifts that they wouldn't necessarily spend money on themselves. Think outside of the box. Does your giftee take supplements? Maybe they just got some new exercise DVDs and could use some adjustable dumbbells. Are they refilling a plastic water bottle instead of a proper gym canteen?

4. Make It Easy
What is everyone never without? Their phones. And the gift of a fitness app can be like a digital stocking stuffer. FitStar Personal Trainer is great for someone into weightlifting, while FitStar Yoga works with people more interested in a body-mind workout. For the bike rider in your group, there's CycleCast, while the jogger will be more into MapMyRun.

5. Stay Basic
Don't go overboard. There are easy choices: a new suit for the pool, new shoes for Zumba class, new headphones for the treadmill, a Tommie Copper compression bandage for that bum knee or a replacement for that beat-up gym bag.

The truth is, you can choose the perfect health and fitness gift for your workout buddy or best friend by asking the right questions the next time you train together -- and listening to their answers. As long as it tells them that you know them, it will be a gift well received.