Favors for Fitness Fanatics

Stores aren’t playing endless medleys of holiday Muzak just yet, but you can tell by the candy corn and pumpkins that the annual shopping season is nearly upon us.

Don’t let it get you down, especially if you have some fitness fanatics on your shopping list.

There’s all kinds of cool stuff that should make them happy. These aren’t the kinds of things to shop for online, however. Use the opportunity of running around seeking the perfect gift to keep you in terrific shape as well.

Ride like the wind

It’s only October, but bicycle commuters are already gathering winter accessories like squirrels accumulating acorns.

Todd Grant, regional manager of Westminster-based Bicycle Village, which has a store in Boulder, suggested cold-weather apparel and safety-related items. “A lot of people don’t treat themselves to long-fingered gloves,” Grant said. “Our weather can be cool in the morning and then warm up by the middle of day.” Gloves range from about $30 to $70. For someone who really suffers from cold hands, Grant recommended lobster claws, a split mitten that groups fingers in pairs rather than all by themselves.

Shorter days make visibility — both to see and be seen — an important safety issue, Grant said. “A popular stocking stuffer would be reflecting leg bands,” he said, which cost less than $10. Lighting systems, on the other hand, cost between $20 and $500.

Fenders also could ease the life of a bike commuter. “One inch of snowfall is all it takes to get sloppy,” Grant said. Fenders that will set you back about $50.

If you have some serious money to spend, Jon Jeunette can think of gifts ranging upward of $1,000 for the cyclist on your list. According to Jeunette, merchandise manager for Specialty Sports, Bicycle Village’s parent company, headquartered in Denver, if your cyclist pal is female you’re in luck because, “the No. 1 category is women’s products.”

Both road bikes — those with drop handlebars and narrow tires — and comfort bikes — those with “riser” handlebars for an upright riding position, wide suspension saddles and smooth wide tires are available in women’s models, Jeunette said.

If all else fails, Grant said, “get them a gift card and let them get what they want.”

Born to run

Runners train year round for Boulder’s multitude of road races — from the Bolder Boulder to the Boulder Backroads Marathon. The runner on your list will appreciate cold weather apparel, said Boulder Running Company Buyer Amanda Charles. Gloves and hats will typically be in the $20 range so those are some good options on the less-expensive side of the scale, while technical wicking tights could easily set you back $100, Charles said.

Even in winter hydration is important for runners. Charles said hydration packs range from about $20 to $70 depending on much fluid the person wants to carry.

An important gadget that makes a nice gift is a heart rate monitor, Charles said. “I encourage people to buy them for beginning runners because it allows them to exercise where they should. I’ve coached marathon-training classes, and they will work out way too hard. A heart rate monitor is a coach you can wear on your wrist.” A basic model goes for $89.95, a top-of-the-line about $400.

If all else fails there’s always a gift certificate.

“Sometimes runners tend to be particular in terms of what they like to run in,” Charles said.

“Either they are superstitious, or they know what actually works. They will gravitate toward the same products, so a gift certificate gives them the opportunity to buy what will make them the happiest.”

With 45,000 participants the Bolder Boulder is one of the largest road races in the world. It’s also a community event with 100,000 spectators lining the course and filling Folsom Field.

Director Cliff Bosley thinks anything Bolder Boulder makes a great gift for runners, couch potatoes and those in-between.

A Bolder Boulder store will open the day after Thanksgiving where you can get long-sleeve T-shirts, sweatshirts and fleece apparel ranging from $12 to about $32, Bosley said. Race entries cost $22 without a T-shirt, $31 with the T-shirt and $37 with the long-sleeve shirt.

Next year’s poster will be available, $25 unframed and $75 framed. The artist will do a poster signing about two weeks before Christmas.

Gift certificates for the 10-week training club will also be on sale. They are nice because, “In wintertime people aren’t thinking about fitness, but New Year’s is right around the corner so New Year’s resolutions are coming up,” Bosley said. “A training club gift certificate makes you think, “My club starts in March, so I have three months to get my base in before the training class.”

Clubs and classes

Curves, the home of the 30-minute aerobic and strength training circuit just for women, has eight locations in the Boulder Valley. A $99 gift certificate includes two-months of unlimited usage at any of the 6,000 locations worldwide, and waives the enrollment fee, said Kim Huss, owner of the club on Iris Avenue in Boulder.

Enrollment fees and monthly memberships at Flatiron Athletic Club are popular gifts ranging between $50 and $100, according to Jens Husted, co-owner of the Boulder-based club. But, Husted said, punch cards for personal training and Pilates are more popular.

“Personal training is really big,” Husted said. “A wife might buy her husband a 10-packet of personal training.” Depending on the trainer the cost is between $60 and $65 per hour.

Flatiron offers Pilates in both private sessions and classes. Private sessions are $50 each, and punch cards ranging from $50 to $160 are available for classes.

For genuine Pilates enthusiasts consider a gift certificate to the Pilates Center in Boulder. “Almost anything can be a gift,´ said Rachel Segel who co-owns the center with her sister Amy Alpers. Private lessons and classes run from $65 for an evaluation lesson to $350 for a 13-session combination package.

For something complete different, you might want to give the gift of Feldenkrais. According to Bonnie Grace, Feldenkrais is “a kind of movement reeducation program that looks at how our movement habits might be limiting us or causing us pain.” Grace is a licensed physical therapist who runs Boulder-based Graceful Movement and offers both individual sessions for $75 per hour a six-session class for $59.

Read all about it

Know a fitness wannabe? A book is a nice way to ease someone into taking better care of himself.

“There’s always a nutrition book or two that takes off at Christmas,´ said Arsen Kashkashian, head buyer for the Boulder Book Store. For example, the store sold 36 paperbacks and 55 hard covers of Loren Cordain’s “The Paleo Diet” last season.

Self-help books tend to be big sellers especially if they are tied into creativity, Kashkashian said.

The store has sold more than 3,000 copies of Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” over the past few years, he said.

Kashkashian said yoga and Pilates books are old favorites, but martial arts books tend to be more popular. He’s predicting one of the recently published Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu books will be a hit for the holidays.

A treat does the trick

After all that running around searching for the perfect fitness gift you’re probably thinking, isn’t there something for me? Massage is a great thing to give and receive, so go ahead and buy a few gift certificates — and save one for yourself.

The possibilities for massage abound in the Boulder Valley.

MassageSpecialists is a Boulder-based facility with 22 therapists who specialize in everything from traditional Swedish massage to polarity.

“We have a gift card that people can buy for any increment,´ said owner Dirk McCuistion. “Some people might buy their spouse a series of massages to make the holidays less stressful. We offer blocks of sessions that if you buy seven you get the eighth one free.” Prices range from $40 for 30 minutes to about $600 for eight-session blocks.

Massages at the North Boulder Physical Therapy Sports Rehabilitation clinic cost $45 per hour.

The clinic is best known for physical therapy, but offers other services for people who aren’t necessarily recovering from an injury, said Debra Layne, clinic owner and licensed physical therapist. The cost is reasonable, Layne said, “Because as people finish physical therapy they often need massage, but their insurance won’t cover it.”

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