The Christmas season is often, an eagerly anticipated time of the year. For most who celebrate, Christmas means getting together with distant family, lots of elaborate cooking, and long searches for the perfect gifts. While Christmas is generally thought of as a happy and joyful time, unfortunately for some, that’s not the case at all. Holiday anxiety can arise for any number of reasons, but many people find themselves dealing with stress as they’re shopping for gifts. Sometimes, it just feels impossible to find the perfect present for that special person on your list, and the longer you search without a find, the higher your anxiety level is bound to be. Others often face anxiety over family; sometimes, being around your parents again for a few days is harder than it sounds. Especially if you’re in a holiday situation with lots of guests in the same house, it’s guaranteed that one of you will feel cramped at some point or another.
Another reason for Christmas stress is something that often leads to a major lifestyle change once the holidays are over. Holiday weight gain is a frequent occurrence, because almost everyone loves to indulge at Christmas. It makes perfect sense: Christmas is a break from every-day life, so you’re not going to the gym. You’re not sticking to your meal plan, and you’re definitely indulging in some punch or eggnog. Christmas weight gain can also be attributed to stress. When faced with a stressful mood, many people wind up overeating. Snacking on junk food can also be therapeutic; just look at how many people try to justify eating chocolate because it has a tiny link with lowering your risk for heart disease?
If any of the above situations sound like you at Christmas, don’t worry. This article is designed to help you combat Christmas stress and holiday weight gain. No, we’re not going to talk about working out, or a sensible diet plan to follow when faced with even more stuffing: we’re going to talk about healthy Christmas gifts. As you’ll see below, healthy gifts don’t have to be boring, uninspired, or disappointing. In fact, if you can start setting the precedent for giving a healthy gift, some of your future holiday stress may alleviate. Imagine if you were no longer surrounded by cookies, chocolate, candy, and gingerbread—you’d probably have an easier time not chowing down on all of that stuff, right?
Healthy Snacks
Yes, it is possible to find healthy snacks that are still appealing. Here, we’ll look at a few options that would be especially good for giving as gifts. You may even be tempted to pick up a few for yourself!
Healthy Snacks-In-A-Box by Snack Naturally
This dizzying array from Snack Naturally features 45 individually wrapped snacks, making it ideal for someone on the go. The Healthy Snacks-In-A-Box offer both savory and sweet snacks, and each order comes with two of each item. It’s important to keep in mind that these are still snacks, despite being healthier than normal snacks, and eating too many of them will still likely cause a little bit of weight gain. Just remember to keep an eye on the nutrition label of whichever snack you choose, and remember not to overindulge.
Healthy Snacks Gift Box by Food Hot Issue
This snack box from Food Hot Issue features all-natural, healthy snacks. Unlike the Snack Naturally package, this snack package offers one serving of each snack per pack. However, the Food Hot Issue box can boast a few awesome statistics. All of the snacks offered in this box, regardless of the brand, have 0g trans fat, no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners, and no artificial flavors or colors. Plus, most snacks are USDA Organic Certified, non-GMO, BPA free, gluten-free and contain essential vitamins and minerals. While this snack box is a little smaller than the previous, the promises that Food Hot Issue makes about the nutritional content of each snack definitely makes this box worth checking out. If you were a lover of potato chips beforehand, or just a lover of snacks in general, you won’t be disappointed with the Healthy Snacks Gift Box.
Gifts That Make You Move
Remember how exciting it was to unwrap a toy when you were little? If you were anything like most kids, you probably had a hard time paying attention to the rest of Christmas morning after that; you were probably too busy thinking about when you’d have the chance to play with your new gift. Want a secret to inspiring the same feeling in adults? Get them something to get them up and moving. While kids and adults alike still receive toys for Christmas, if you want to stay healthy, the best kind of toys to give and get are sports or fitness related, or maybe even a bicycle or a scooter.
Penny Graphic Complete Skateboard
The Complete skateboard from Penny is practically a cult classic item, with hundreds and hundreds of satisfied customers. This skateboard features a retro, 70s-inspired design, and is incredibly easy to use, even for someone brand-new to skating. Soft wheels do their best to smooth out sidewalk cracks, and shoes or bare feet easily grip the plastic board. The Penny Complete is lightweight, coming in at just under 4.5lbs, and the length is suitable for use by older children as well as adults. This would be a perfect gift for the cousin who used to skate, or for your niece who’s just starting to learn. And with over 36 board color combinations, you’ll be able to find the perfect Penny for everyone in your family. Skateboarding is great exercise, with some physicians comparing it to heavy cardio or spinning. Even if you’re not attempting any tricks on your board, just pushing it down the street on a flat level can burn up to 12 calories a minute! Since skateboarding isn’t traditionally seen as a fitness activity, this would also be a great gift for someone who’s wanted to work out, but hates the gym. The Penny makes getting in shape easy and fun.
Wii Fit U with Wii Balance Board Accessory and Fit Meter
For the relative or friend you have who just won’t get off the couch, it seems like you’d have few options when it comes time to give them a healthy gift. Luckily, the Wii Fit U may just help you change that. This is perfect for anyone you know addicted to video games, because it’s a fitness system and program powered by a video game console. The balance board can be used for a variety of included workout and gym class programs, and it’s also integrated into a few games, so even when you’re using the workout mode, you’re still getting fit! The Fit Meter accessory that comes with the Wii Fit U tracks your daily activity, syncing up with the Wii Fit U to log all of your data. The Fit Meter is a great addition, and will no doubt help jump-start a weight loss journey. In fact with this device, you may even start the New Year a few pounds lighter! This is definitely one of the best healthy Christmas gifts available, and you may even start a new fitness trend in your family. The Wii Fit U would be a great gift for a whole household looking to get fit, as each family member could store their user data and check their progress against each other. In addition to being a great fitness tool, the Wii Fit U has succeeded and become a customer favorite for this simple reason: it’s fun.
Kitchen Upgrade
As anyone trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle can tell you, sometimes cooking isn’t always the easiest thing to do when staying on track. If you’re like the typical American, you probably work long hours and come home exhausted in the evenings. On those evenings, it feels so much easier to throw a frozen pizza in the oven and grab a can of soda from the fridge than it does to cook a nutritious meal, even if you have all of the ingredients on hand. Healthy cooking takes time, and thought. Unfortunately, sometimes the business of the holiday season can contribute to unhealthy eating, too. In addition to the stress we discussed earlier, having more to do around Christmas often means having less time to complete everything. This is where kitchen gadgets come in. These gadgets are lifesavers for time and health, and whoever is on the receiving end of these gifts will no doubt be incredibly grateful.
Magic Bullet NutriBullet Pro 900 Series Blender/Mixer System
The Magic Bullet blender from Nutribullet is definitely one of the aforementioned ‘lifesaver’ items. In less than ten seconds, the Magic Bullet will blend anything from chia seeds to vegetables, creating healthy juices and smoothies for you to take on the go. The extremely quick blending time of the Magic Bullet makes breakfast during the workweek incredibly easy—just toss some fruit in, blend, and go! You don’t even need to change the cup, as the Magic Bullet blending cups can also be used as tumblers. Additionally, the Magic Bullet comes with a hardcover recipe book, great for finding your perfect blend. Juice and smoothies are great for cleanses, so even if you still overindulge during the holidays, getting back to normal in January will be quicker than ever.
Prepara Oil Mister
Sometimes, the easiest changes to make are also the easiest. In the case of this oil mister from Prepara, that’s definitely true. While it seems like an insignificant amount, using an oil mister instead of pouring oil on food can save hundreds of calories per year. This mister from Prepara is made of glass, is dishwasher-safe, and can be boiled to sterilize. It makes an excellent decorative kitchen item, as well as a healthy one! This would be a great healthy stocking stuffer, and a wonderful addition to any chef’s kitchen. In addition to the white, other colors are available, and it would be a great idea to purchase a few, then fill them with different infused oils and package them up before gifting to a relative.
Healthy Gifts Under The Tree
The excitement of Christmas morning is coming in just a few months. Even if you didn’t have any gift ideas before reading this article, it’s likely that you’re thinking about Christmas shopping now! With such an array of healthy Christmas gifts, you’re sure to find something perfect for every loved one. When shopping for the perfect gift, try to keep an individual’s tastes and preferences in mind. The healthy snacks, healthy toys, and healthy kitchen gadgets would please a lot of people, but maybe not everyone. If you’re really stumped on what to gift, make a list of that relative’s qualities. Think about things like the kinds of presents they’ve asked for, what their home looks like, and what kind of vacations they like to take. If your nephew doesn’t know how to use a stove, shares an apartment with four roommates, and wants to go camping every weekend, you wouldn’t get him the Prepara oil mister, but you’d probably think about a mountain bike.
Christmas shopping and staying healthy around the holidays are both incredibly daunting, especially in today’s always busy and always plugged-in world. Fortunately, by deciding to give only healthy Christmas gifts, you’re saving yourself quite a bit of time and stress. The gift of health is priceless, and it’s a gift that everyone on earth could benefit from. Even though healthy Christmas gifts might have a bit of a boring stigma attached, they’re incredibly useful, practical, and most importantly, fun! The skateboard and Wii Fit U were both included to show you that healthy doesn’t have to mean boring, and that there’s a healthy gift for even the most stubborn couch potato. Just remember to keep calm and breathe when shopping for gifts, and don’t indulge in too many sweets, and you’re sure to make it through the holiday season with your sanity—and your waistline—intact.
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