Whether you’re buying a Christmas gift for a friend that loves fitness and working out, or one that wants to get into it, but isn’t too sure about what they need to get started, there are loads of options.
From smartwatches and headphones to walking pads, these are the best gifts for your fitness-loving pals.
This article has been updated since its original publication.
Christmas gift ideas for fitness fiends and gym lovers
BlendJet 2 Portable Blender
The BlendJet 2 is a self-cleaning, USB rechargeable portable blender that has the power of a corded blender, but without having to stand at your kitchen bench and wake up everyone in the house every time you want a smoothie.
It’s perfect for the gift recipient that loves a good workout because they can take it with them to exercise and drink straight from the bottle. Bonus: It’s self cleaning, so no more sticking your hands in a blender.
Vital+ SaunaPod and Ice Bath
If your fitness-loving friend already has everything they need for their home gym and you’re really stuck for ideas, why not get them a gift that’s so niche not even they will have thought of it. Vital+ make ice baths for post-workout cool downs, as well as SaunaPods, which are a portable mini sauna room that works just as well as the real thing.
Vital+ is currently running a sale on its Wellness Bundle, which includes a SaunaPod, ice bath, a thermometer and a water-absorbent floor mat, all for $572 (down from $822).
If your friend doesn’t have enough room for both, you can get the SaunaPod by itself for $398 (down from $582), or get the ice bath for $147 (down from $210).
Check out the Vital+ range here.
Walking Pad
An increase in sedentary lifestyles has had people looking for ways to increase their incidental exercise, and if you know someone who is struggling to find the time to fit in a work out, a walking pad is a great fitness gift. Simply put it under a desk (or anywhere you’d like to work out) and start walking.
You can buy a walking pad here:
Wireless Headphones
Nobody likes listening to the weird house music remixes that get played over the gym’s speakers. So to deal with — arguably — the worst part about going to the gym, a pair of wireless headphones is the gift that keeps on giving. We love these ones from Sennheiser, thanks to their excellent sound quality, long battery life and ability to block out most noises.
You can shop the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wireless Headphones here:
Garmin smartwatch
This first one’s a no-brainer. If your friend is getting into fitness and hasn’t invested in a smartwatch yet, now’s definitely the time. The Good Guys is running its Black Friday sales until the end of December, so pick up a discount while you still can.
These smartwatches are a great way to keep track of your exercise routine and help improve your performance. Depending on which one you pick up, like the Fenix 6 or Forerunner, these Garmin smartwatches are also able to track your heart rate and blood oxygen saturation levels. Others, like the Vivoactive 4, will also provide feedback on your hydration levels, respiration and sleep.
Here are a few highlight Garmin deals:
- Garmin Epix (Gen 2) – now $849 (down from $1,699)
- Garmin Fenix 7S Solar – now $849 (down from $1,349)
- Garmin Fenix 7 Sapphire Solar – now $1,049 (down from $1,549)
- Garmin Venu Sq 2 – now $349 (down from $429)
- Garmin Vivoactive 4 Watch – now $348 (down from $599)
- Garmin Vivoactive 4S Watch – now $348 (down from $599)
Ring Fit Adventure
If either your giftee owns a Nintendo Switch, you can’t look past Ring Fit Adventure. It’s a video game that lets you embark on an epic adventure using real-life exercise moves. By sliding one Joy-Con into the provided Ring-Con and the other into its leg strap accessory, the game will register your movements as you squat, flex and leap your way through various challenges. Ring Fit Adventure is a fun game, no matter your fitness level, and a solid gift idea for gamers and non-gamers alike.
You can buy Ring Fit Adventure here:
Portable Mini Exercise Bike
If you work in a sedentary job, you’ll know that keeping active is especially difficult. With hybrid workplaces becoming increasingly common, your steps are sure to be down without the daily walk to the office. Having a portable mini exercise bike beneath your desk can be a great way to take a breather from your stressful workload. Just set a timer for five minutes and peddle away.
Buy a portable exercise bike here:
Fingerprint Padlock
This is the smart gadget you never knew you needed. If you know someone who wants to safeguard their belongings in the gym locker room, this fingerprint padlock is a great gift option. Rather than bothering to remember what their locker combination is, all they need to do is press their finger against the padlock’s screen and open sesame. No more wasted time struggling to enter your locker’s combination.
Where to buy a Fingerprint Padlock:
JBL Clip 4 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Work out wherever you go with this JBL portable Bluetooth speaker. Simply clip this carabiner onto your bike or backpack and listen to all your favourite tunes while out and about.
You can buuy the JBL Clip 4 here:
Water Bottle With Time Markings
Here’s your friendly reminder to drink some water today.
While it’s good to sweat yourself silly during a workout, it’s just as important to stay hydrated. To help your fit friend can keep track of their intake, gift them this 1L water bottle. It features time markings from 8am through to 7pm. That way, they’ll always be able to keep track of how much they’ve sipped throughout their day.
Buy a time-marked water bottle here:
RENPHO Shiatsu Neck and Back Massager
After a long day of running or whatever exercising people do, muscles tend to hurt. To help alleviate the discomfort, treat your friend or family member to a heated shiatsu back and neck massager for a little bit of muscular relief. Their partners will certainly be pleased if it means not being guilted into giving them back rubs after every workout. This is the kind of exercise gift that keeps on giving long after the gym session is over.
Shop the Renpho back and neck massager here:
Garmin Edge 530 Bike GPS
If you know someone who’s mad about cycling, they’ll love this handy device. The Garmin Edge 530 Bike GPS can be attached to their handlebars to measure time, distance and speed while riding, along with dynamic performance insights to help boost your training. It comes preloaded with the Garmin Cycle Map, which will give them turn-by-turn directions and navigation alerts for popular routes, along with alerts if they ever head off track.
Shop the Garmin Edge 530 Bike GPS here:
Norflex Spin Bike
No fitness gift guide is complete without also including a spin bike, which will definitely not sit in the corner of the room collecting dust. If you know someone who has a home gym setup, this gift could be the key piece that they’ve been missing.
Spin bikes are great for people without too much time on their hands. You can just jump on, pump out a 10-minute bike ride, have a shower and then move on with your day, all within the comfort of your house. It’s also great if you tend to be a couch dweller and are game-enough to work out and watch Netflix in the same instance. This one also happens to come with an exercise ball handy in case you need to do some stretches afterwards.
Shop the Norflex spin bike here:
RENPHO Shiatsu Foot Massager
After a long day of any sort of movement, exercise or Christmas shopping, most feet are in need of some serious rest and relaxation. Make your friend the best and most bougie version of themselves with a foot massager. The most useless useful product ever designed, the shiatsu foot massager will heat and knead your human hooves into nirvana and, honestly, everyone deserves one.
Shop the Renpho Shiatsu Foot Massager here:
Lead image credit: iStock/Liudmila Chernetska