Gifts for the fitness lover

Got a fitness lover on your Christmas list? Here are some great suggestions they’re sure to love (and actually use!) this year:

1. The water bobble. Hydration is essential when you’re working out. This BPA-free bottle comes in a multitude of colors and both 18.5 and 34 ounce sizes. Best of all, there’s an activated carbon filter, so you’re not stuck drinking water fountain water.
2. Suck it up, buttercup tank from Gymdoll.
3. Polar HR7 heart rate monitor. This comfortable HR monitor connects via Bluetooth to your phone or iPod and syncs flawlessly with the free Polar app. The sensor has batteries you can change yourself and the strap is machine washable.  I can’t say enough about this product. If you run, bike, or workout in a gym, you need this!
4. Quad Lock armband. I love how secure this feels. I also love that there’s an accompanying mount for both your bicycle and car. If you’re running around with an expensive phone strapped to your arm, you want to be certain that it stays there.
5. Fit Four Spartan grip gloves. The open thumb design is great because that prevents bunching on the palm. Just the right amount of padding, my hand have been callous-free since buying these.  The wrist wraps give great support.
6. Rock My Run.  I’ve written about this app before, and it just keeps getting better and better.   You can see my other review for the details.  There are hundreds of mixes in most every musical genre, and the keep adding more weekly. I use this app every time I work out. You can choose the mix based on beats per minute, or set it to match your stride or heart rate (if you’re wearing a HR monitor). There are quite a few mixes that come with the free version, but I have the paid version called “Rockstar”. It’s well worth the nominal fee, and they’ve just added a lifetime membership option.  Want to try a free month on me? Just go here and use promo code rockit7. You’re welcome. 🙂
7. Dona Jo leggings in Paulista.  Cute, comfortable, and colorful. What more could you want? How about 20% off your purchase?

I read this recently and several of the points made me laugh. It’s funny because it’s true.

“IF YOU’VE EVER watched a man working out in a gym, you can be forgiven for not immediately recognizing the bountiful lessons he has to offer. Instead, if you observed anything, it was probably one or more of these:

• poor form 
• overly optimistic weight selection, resulting in even poorer form.
• odd, guttural noises, usually uttered while lifting too much weight with poor form.
• a sudden inability to lift those weights after 8 to 12 repetitions (done with good or bad form), resulting in a pile of iron on the floor and an empty slot on the rack where those weights belong.
• a curious attraction to the bench press, which not only results in all of the aforementioned problems, but also is performed with a dedication and zeal that leave no time for exercises designed to work the muscles he can’t see in a mirror.
•  an even more curious lack of awareness that other people can see the muscles that don’t show up in his mirror.”

I’ve been asked by other women at the gym if I’m worried about getting “too bulky” because I lift “heavy” weights. My answer is, “do I look too bulky to you?” Granted, I’m definitely an ectomorph when it comes to body type, but women simply don’t have enough testosterone to get big from lifting weights. Most men produce 6-8 mg of testosterone per day, compared to most women who produce 0.5 mg per day. That’s a huge difference!

I want to give a shout out to FitFour and the wonderful lifting gloves they make. (There’s a link to the product if you click on the photo.)

Finally, no more calloused hands. I had a problem with the stitching on my first pair so I wrote to the company. The owner personally responded to me and sent out a new pair for free. Now that’s great customer service!