Date Published: 10 December 2008
Budget-friendly healthy gift ideas from the AMA
Finding the perfect holiday gifts on a slimmed-down budget can be a challenge even for the most savvy shopper. To help make your money go further with gifts that have a healthy impact, the American Medical Association (AMA) suggests budget-friendly gifts that will help keep family and friends healthy all year long.
"Many Americans are tightening their financial belts this holiday season, but that doesn't mean you can't find great, healthy gifts that don't break the bank," said AMA President-elect, J. James Rohack, MD. "Give the gift of health this year with low-cost gifts to help family and friends get and stay healthy."
Books are a great gift, and the AMA Bookstore offers books on a variety of health topics. The new "AMA Complete Guide to Health and Wellness" helps readers build a foundation for good health. The AMA also has several cookbooks featuring hundreds of healthy recipes so that delicious, healthy meals can be prepared at home. Healthy cookbooks can be paired with a basket of nutritious food or a gift card to a local grocery store. The AMA books range in price from $14.00 - $25.00 and can be purchased through the AMA Bookstore or Amazon.com.
Other healthy gift ideas include:
* Pedometers - The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
recommends 10,000 steps a day. A pedometer is a great way to track how many
steps you take per day and can help encourage you to maintain a walking program.
Pedometers can be purchased at a variety of stores and online locations with
cost beginning at $6.00.
* Exercise DVDs - Exercise DVDs can be a good way to get fit at home,
and most require nothing more than a soft surface (carpet or exercise mat) and
a DVD player. Fitness DVDs can be purchased from a variety of stores and online
outlets with cost beginning at $10.00.
* Athletic apparel - Sometimes just seeing your running shoes by the
front door can motivate you to get moving. Athletic apparel is a great gift
for the fitness enthusiast in your life and is available at many price points.
For example running shoes can cost $50.00 or more while a set of hand weights
can cost as little as $14.00.
* Gift certificates to healthy restaurants - Look for local restaurants
that emphasize healthy ingredients and portion control and give friends and
family gift certificates to those restaurants in the monetary amount that best
fits your budget.
"In addition to giving healthy gifts, you can start some new healthy traditions this year like taking a family walk, sledding or a building a snowman to burn off the extra calories from holiday meals," said Dr. Rohack. "Getting and staying healthy doesn't have to be expensive, and the reward of better health is priceless."
Source: American Medical Association (AMA).
