Gifts to keep you, yours happy, healthy this holiday season

Sometimes it takes a new perspective to see all the gifts available for your favorite health enthusiast. And if you look in the right places, everything from a high-quality stocking stuffer to innovative new products can be found close to home.

If you want to stay healthy well into old age, protect your back, said Boulder’s Better Back store manager Suzanne Boyle. ?In fact, the No. 2 sick day call-ins are for your back,? she said.

Men and women may get a kick out of stretching their vertebrae while hanging upside down on an inversion table.

Women might enjoy tossing their traditional purse in favor of a Healthy Back Bag. The bag distributes weight away from the back and shoulders. The bags come in a variety of colors, fabrics and sizes. They cost anywhere from $44.95 to $179.95.

Suppose your potential gift recipient has a sedentary job and little time to exercise. He or she could place a Portable Mini Cycle under the desk and multitask. The machine has adjustable resistance and can be used to tone either legs or arms. An imbedded computer tells readers their speed, workout time, distance and calories burned. Both Sharper Image and Brookstone in Broomfield’s FlatIron Crossing mall sell the device for $99.95.

If your giftee wants something compact but prefers not to use it while working, he or she might like a Sharper Image foldaway Elliptical Strider with cushioned handlebars. Company hype says the device will tones calves, thighs, hips, glutes, stomach, chest and arms. An embedded computer displays elapsed time, steps taken, estimated calories burned and steps taken per minute.

No matter what time of the year it is, a trip to the spa is a longtime favorite to ease aching muscles. Essentiels Spa in Boulder offers treatment packages for both men and women. And an Essentiels gift certificate might be just the treat to ease holiday stress.

For $200, men can be King for the Day with a visit to the hydrotherapy tub followed by a self-heating seaweed application along the upper torso, then a 50-minute full-body massage. Or, patrons can savor the oxygenating men’s facial and linger over a spa lunch. This entire process lasts approximately six hours.

Athletes can indulge in neuromuscular therapy or a sports massage. The former is a full-body, deep-pressure massage to reduce pain and swelling. A sports massage is a cross between Swedish massage and the neuromuscular therapy to assist in recovering from injuries. Costs vary depending on session length.

Spa clients may continue enjoying their newfound mental health and relaxation by purchasing Illume seasonally scented candles in pumpkin, cranberry, angel food, ground cinnamon and chocolate orange. The delicious set sells for $38.

To wash up after a long day of activity, bath time can be fun for kids with Essentiels Spas’ Bathology unscented glycerin soaps. The $12 products come in spheres and squares with ?prizes? inside, such as a rubber duck.

Boulder’s Everybody Ltd. offers a Sports Blend massage lotion designed for sports devotees as well as those interested in weight management issues. The product is said to prevent stretch marks while soothing sore muscles. A four-ounce bottle sells for $4.50, whereas a 32-ounce bottle goes for $28.

If your competitor wishes to monitor his or her workouts’ effectiveness, consider buying a Tanita digital foot scale. Users stand on electrical pads and enter their height, activity level, age, weight and gender. A weak electrical current is sent through their feet to determine their muscle-to-fat ratio. The machine also tells users if they have gained or lost weight since their last reading and the approximate number of calories they must consume to remain at their current weight. Jenny Craig in Boulder sells these to members and non-members alike for $79.95.

Jenny Craig also offers a $40, 10-minute metabolism evaluation for members and non-members. Curious parties sit in a chair and watch a brief BodyGem infomercial while they breathe through a snorkel-like apparatus. It measures their resting burn rate –that is, it tells them exactly how many calories they burn per day without exercising. This helps fitness buffs either decrease their calorie intake or increase their exercise levels accordingly.

Timex offers men and women a water resistant watch, which doubles as a lap timer and heart rate monitor. It even tells exercisers how many calories they have burned. The watch, available at Boulder’s Mountain Sports, comes in black with a silver or blue face.

All that exercising can wear on one’s feet. However, Vitamin Cottage offers unisex Acu Life sandals with beads on the soles and Velcro straps. The box says the $14 shoes ?improve circulation, relieve tension, stimulate vital organs and revitalize body and spirit.?

Starting in January, seniors can join in all this fitness fanaticism with workouts geared just for them. Synergy Health & Fitness club in Boulder will be offering senior programs for one-hour, three days per week.

A three-month package will cost $75. People age 65 and older learn stretching, yoga and light conditioning. The facility contains no elevators or stairs, making the programs wheelchair accessible. Participants can choose to do their workouts standing, sitting or lying down.

?It’s as much about social activity as it is about physical activity,? said Emily Jones, owner and general manager.

The whole family can benefit from a Sharper Image Ionic Breeze Car Plug-In Ionizer. The $39.95 stocking stuffer traps airborne particles and reduces odors while it circulates air in near silence.

With so many great choices available, it might be hard to avoid buying too much. But why fight it? After all, the holidays only come but once a year. Contact Sheryl Bass at (303) 440-4950 or e-mail research@bcbr.com.

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