It has now been almost two weeks since Black Friday and I’m still getting promotions! When will this madness, which seemingly started months ago, finish?
In my book Real Questions Unreal Results: Rants, Insights, and Lessons Learned from an Overeducated Underachiever, Chronic Procrastinator, Retired Military Veteran, Cowboy, and World Champion Powerlifter, I devote a whole section to holiday spending. Since I published it almost nine months ago, I thought I would update the numbers. According to a Nov. 20, 2023, post on Forbes.com, Americans are projected to spend around $960B this year (Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023). Yes, BILLIONS!
There are approximately 341M Americans and roughly 80% of them (272M) have purchasing power. Thus, $960B divided by 272M consumers comes out to be a little more than $3,500!
Well, enough about consumer data, right? After all, it’s not how much you spend, but what and who you spend it on.
This column focuses on health, fitness, longevity, and a little financial wisdom sprinkled in. Therefore, I would like to propose ten ideas (in no particular order) for those of you who didn’t succumb to the Black Friday/Cyber Monday spending frenzy.
Fitness Tracker/Wearable Tech
I started out with the most controversial recommendation. Why? On one hand I think these devices, which can monitor steps, distance traveled, calories burned, and even sleep patterns can be very beneficial. One of my favorite sayings is, ‘measure what matters’ and EVERYTHING that has to do with health and fitness matters. However, in my personal experience, there are two shortcomings to keep in mind. First, there can be a huge variance in the numbers as the devices are not 100% accurate; second, do not get overwhelmed by all the data (paralysis by analysis).
Health, Fitness, and Nutrition Classes
Whether your gift recipient has a beach body to die for or is just getting started, there are a bazillion classes available. Although there may be local, in-person options, online classes and programs are also available. I have been a member of The Club – Total Body Fitness in Newport for several years and they have a wide variety classes; I also recommend UR’ Fitness in Spirit Lake (although I haven’t been there…yet).
In my 50+ years of coaching elite athletes, one of the ‘secrets’ to their success is thoughtful preparation—especially in food choices and meal prep. This is especially important for those who must take at least one of their daily meals to work or school. Look into a set of high-quality, BPA-free meal prep containers to make it convenient for your loved ones to plan and portion their meals. Pre-prepared, healthy meals can prevent impulsive, less nutritious food choices.
Subscription to a Health and Wellness Magazine
I started buying health and fitness—actually bodybuilding and strength training—magazines more than 50 years ago. They have always been a huge motivating factor. Keep your loved ones motivated and informed by gifting them a subscription to a health and wellness magazine. There are many options to choose from for general health and fitness as well as specific areas. If your loved one loves to read, I would also include books as a great gift idea. Over the past 50 years, I have read more than 3,000 books relating to health, fitness, psychology, nutrition, entrepreneurship, etc. One of my favorite authors for health and fitness is Michael Matthews.
Reusable Water Bottle with Infuser
One of the best ways to improve your loved one’s health and fitness (mental and physical) is to ensure they are well hydrated. Encourage hydration by giving a stylish and practical reusable water bottle with an infuser.
Meditation/Sleep App Subscription
Two of the most prevalent obstacles in achieving one’s health and fitness goals are lack of quality sleep and high stress levels. These apps often provide a range of practices to reduce stress, improve focus, enhance overall mental resilience, and enrich sleep quality.
Personal Trainer/Nutrition Coach
I coached my first athlete more than 40 years ago and have helped thousands achieve their goals. Gifting your loved one a session(s) with a personal trainer and/or nutrition coach can save them years of frustration. Similar to the classes above, there are many in-person and online options available. Who knows, maybe they have a 2-for-1 special, and you both can attend! As mentioned above, please check out the local options at The Club and UR’ Fitness.
I would like to add that when choosing a PT or coach, that you consider three things. First, what are their credentials? Are their credentials from recognized governing bodies or established credentialing organizations? How current are their credentials? Are they specialized in just one area, or do they hold education/credentials in several areas?
Second, what experience do they have? Experience should be in practicing their profession (client success stories, testimonials, online reviews, etc) and their relevant background (previous competitive success in the area you’re hiring them for). If your loved one’s goal is to up their game from high school varsity sports to getting a college scholarship, then you would want to find somebody who has experience in those areas. On the other hand, if your loved one is showing signs of early-onset dementia, is your prospective coach going to be a good fit?
And finally, how comfortable will your loved one be with them? One of the first things personal trainers and nutrition coaches do with a client is to conduct an initial assessment. There’s nothing wrong with you conducting your own assessment before hiring them.
These healthy gift ideas are not only thoughtful but also practical in supporting the well-being of your loved ones and can serve as valuable tools to kickstart a healthier and happier new year.
Oh, by the way, I bet you noticed I only included seven ideas. The first seven are ideas which I may or may not have tried or purchased. They are general recommendations as are some of the affiliate links, which I may or may not receive a commission. I cannot be held responsible if you choose a product or service and it does not produce the expected results. The top three—my personal favorites—are as follows.
For almost 40 years I relied on a ‘good’ scale and bodyfat calipers to track my body composition and that of my athletes. Please note that I am not referring to ‘just bodyweight’ as I am much more interested in the actual fluctuations in body fat, lean body mass, water weight, etc.
When preparing for a major powerlifting competition like nationals or the world championships, I need to know where I stand and if I am making progress or losing it toward my goal. Right before my 2021 USPA Drug-tested Nationals victories and world record setting performance I purchased my first digital body composition scale and love it.
Although similar to the fitness trackers mentioned earlier, none of the scales are 100% accurate, but the main point is that they provide a ‘baseline’ or starting reference point whereby you can gauge your progress. The model I use is an INEVIFIT Eros model. I highly recommend it for you AND your loved ones.
Grip and Hand Strength/Recovery Tools
Why is grip strength so important for health, fitness, and longevity? According to the Guardian, “Outside of the gym, hand strength has been shown to have a strong relationship with our general wellbeing. Weak grip has been linked to poor cognitive function, osteoporosis, obesity, fall risk, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes.”
During the past 50 years I have competed in more than 20 sports and outdoor activities and almost all of them—especially powerlifting, rock climbing, rodeo, hunting, CrossFit, and bowling—rely on grip strength and hand health.
There are many options available for grip strength training and hand health, but the brand I have used for almost 35 years is Iron Mind. In the early ‘90s, I attended a U.S. Weightlifting Federation coaching certification program and met Dr. Randall Strossen, the founder of Iron Mind. Although I am not affiliated with Iron Mind, I wouldn’t recommend them if I couldn’t honestly accredit them with having a huge ‘hand’ (pun intended…LOL) in my competitive success over the years.
Although I have many of Iron Mind’s products, the two I recommend for hand health and grip strength are their Strong and Healthy Hands Kit and one of their Captains of Crush Gripper sets (I suggest starting with the set of 3 containing the Sport, Trainer, and No. 1 grippers).
Home Fitness Equipment
Your loved ones—as well as yourself—may have valid reasons for not being able to attend a gym, health club or fitness center. And hopefully we never have to experience another pandemic which forced people to stay home for an extended length of time. In those circumstances I highly recommend having a few multi-functional pieces of home gym equipment. We have a well-equipped home gym that includes all of my following recommendations, which are portable, as we often take some or all of them with us when we travel.
There are many exercise options for adjustable kettlebells and/or dumbbells. A set of resistance bands can also be used for numerous exercises. A sandbag has many functional uses. I highly recommend the kind which has multiple inner bags in order to use progressive resistance. For cardio, I have to go with a good ol’ jump rope (for more advanced trainees I recommend a ‘heavy’ or ‘speed’ rope). And lastly, a good book on bodyweight exercises may be the best option. [Note: Michael Matthews as I referenced previously is highly recommended.]
Finally, I am going to add a very ‘honorable mention.’ Even more so than the previously mentioned fitness trackers, health and diet supplements are extremely controversial. In the future I will discuss my thoughts, current research, and experiences with them as both a multiple world champion athlete and as a certified ‘sports and exercise nutritionist’ (Precision Nutrition Level I).
Although I am currently researching the idea of starting my own supplement company, if I could choose ONE company to affiliate with, which is overall the BEST company out there, it would be Wilderness Athlete. In addition to high quality, great customer service, functional products, tremendous information (I get daily texts on workouts, products, etc), and fantastic deals, I actually met the founder (Mark Paulsen) and his family at a Train to Hunt event in Arizona more than ten years ago and they are amazing! [Note: If you’re a hunter or outdoorsy type of person looking for some great information on upping your fitness game, check out Train to Hunt…I know the founder and the team behind it and they are phenomenal.]
So, before I go, you may wonder what supplements I would recommend for you and your loved one’s stockings (yes, they make great stocking stuffers)? Since I am not a registered dietitian, recommending specific products on an individual basis is beyond my scope of practice…however, the supplements I take to ensure peak mental and physical performance are whey protein powder, creatine, BCAAs, nootropics (for focus and brain health), sleep aids, joint support, multi-vitamin/mineral, Vitamins C and D, Omega 3 fish oil, turmeric, greens, a thermogenic compound, collagen peptides, and a fiber product. Although I do not use exclusively Wilderness Athlete products, they carry all of these AND they have a great line of canine supplements.
Well, there you have it…or should I say them. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know. Have a great day and enjoy the holidays!
