Holiday Gifts for the Fitness Buff

Whether you save or splurge, these holiday gifts for the fitness buff will help her train smart, feel strong and look sexy. From now on all bulges will be out of sight.

1. ABS

SAVE: Portable abdominal trainer
The Power Wheel abs trainer includes a surprising feature that your hard-to-please friends will appreciate: It targets the front and back of the body. Grasp the foam cushioned axle with hands to do such demanding crunch-free exercises as ab rollouts and pike-ups, and then secure heels in the unique foot straps to draw knees up and under body for leg rollouts, which boost eccentric strength in hamstrings, responsible for running speed and jumping power. Paired with an instructional DVD of progressive training plans, it’s an impressive frugal fitness find. $59.95 at www.performbetter.com and www.fitter1.com.

SPLURGE: Get svelte around the belt
Help a desk jockey cinch a waistline by targeting upper, middle, lower and side abdominals from a seated position in a comfy chair. All movement begins at the core so newbies need a base level of abdominal strength. Aussie Abs’ unique plunging action targets job-related jiggle by allowing the rib cage and pelvis to move toward each other and contract, engaging deep ab muscles. She’ll expect an easy-to-follow DVD, but will be surprised by its charming instructor. $89.99 exclusively through www.theshoppingchannel.com.

2. BALANCE TRAINER

SAVE: Rock a core workout
Wobble board exercises make a gym session look like comedy hour, but the results are serious. Beginner to pro athletes can get the bodyweight workout they need on a 16″ Wobble Board by Fitterfirst by adjusting three-levels of difficulty on this Canadian-made wooden, no-slip balance trainer that accommodates athletic sports drills and fitness or rehab training. Tilt, rock, swivel and teeter to find the point of challenge to force stabilization, quicken reaction time and strengthen ligaments and tendons. The wobble board easily integrates training with dumbbells, medicine balls and bands. $69.95 at www.fitter1.com or calling 1-800-348-8371.

SPLURGE: Curve-creating mini gym
Feeling the burn is so ‘80s. Leave Little Miss Jumping Jacks breathless and make every muscle twitch. The Workout 180’s unstable half-circle platform with three retractable built-in resistance bands will help her mix up cardio workouts and incorporate strength training with push-ups, planks, biceps curls, overhead shoulder press and squats in a space-saving design. Seventy upper and lower body exercises is enough to breakthrough any training plateau as well as keep buns and motivation high. The bonus instructional DVD and online fitness club ensure lasting results. $229 at Fitness Depot and Fitness Source stores across Canada or at www.fitter1.com.

3. FITNESS ASSISTANT

SAVE: Stop the clock on flab
For the casual walker/runner who exercises with friends seeking a healthy body weight, the latest iteration of the Nike Sportband brims with features that track distance, speed, pace and calories burned. Plug the face into a USB computer port wireless sync data. A techno caveat: It lacks music and spoken feedback, but for a no-frills fitness assistant it makes up for that with training tools at nikeruning.com. The gadget’s two-toned colour scheme in grey/pink or black/yellow makes style go the distance. $59.95 at Nike stores and via phone order by calling 1-800-663-6453.

SPLURGE: Pulse-provoking watch
Prettier and more lightweight than a pricey Garmin heart rate monitor, the playful green colour of the Polar FT40 activity assistant will make any crosstrainer’s heart beat faster. Basic features include: calories burned, total active time and a stopwatch. But the Energy Pointer, which calculates when training hits fat-burning mode, is a data diva’s dream. The wrist computer unit and adjustable “second-skin” chest strap transmitter are waterproof, which means she can swim with it! $209.99 at Sportchek stores across Canada and online at sportcheck.ca.

4. FITNESS FOOTWEAR

SAVE: A workout in a shoe
When your gal pal runs errands, she truly means walking, so cement your spot as her BFF and help her burn an additional 250 calories every day. The balance pods on the soles of Reebok’s EasyTone shoes create a safe instability in each step working gluteals 28 per cent harder and hamstrings and calves 11 per cent more intensely than regular sneakers. She’ll never call herself “quadzilla” again! Available in black or white and blue. $99 at Sportchek stores and online at sportcheck.ca.

SPLURGE: Bottom-toning boots
FitFlop sandals replaced the gym last summer for many a dumbbell doll, but if winter threatens to sideline your friend’s routine, step up her fit-fashion game in a pair of Inuks, superluxe shaping slip-ons. These new cute boots feature water and stain resistant shearling that adds a soft sexiness to the fluffy lining and cuffs, on top of the unique micro-wobbledboard midsole that pumps up her caboose and firms her inner thighs. Any bottom-blessed pretzel princess will heart them — even when parked in the shoe cubby at the yoga studio. Chocolate, black and camel. $220 at fitflop.com and Town Shoes across Canada.

5. CROSSTRAINING SHOES

SAVE: Best shoe for multi-sport moves
Send your friend on a fitness round-robin to discover her favourite workout moves in Under Armour Proto Speed III trainers; an economical choice allowing her to use a single pair of ventilated sneakers for a variety of activities. On the dance floor and the tennis court, to such weight training activities as squats, where a low heel is important to achieve a full range of motion, the minimalist design will appeal to a low-key newbie serious about getting in shape, whatever her fitness fancy. Colourways include black, silver with blue or pink accents; and white and graphite. $109.99. Shop www.underarmour.ca.

SPLURGE: Flashy crosstraining shoes
In the gym, you have to put in buckets of sweat equity and the iron-time to earn the right to wear exuberant kicks — they’re worn like a badge of honour. Reward your kickboxing-Zumba-dancing-hoop-gyrater with a pair of Nike Shox ZipSister+ II. The outsole is designed to support her multidirectional moods and foam columns absorb high-impact shock all in an ultra-light shoe with mesh uppers making these stunning sneakers pretty and tough — just like she is. Available in white and pink or black with silver and turquoise blue. $154.95 at Nike stores and by calling 1-800-663-6453.

Tags: abs, gear, style, technology