by Lisa Tedder

Believe it or not, the Christmas season is fast approaching, and now is the time to shop before everything is snapped up. Here are a few ideas for an active, healthy new year for all your loved ones.

Social relationships are important for our mental well-being, but we can’t always be together. A digital picture frame allows friends and family to stay connected no matter how far away. Aura Carver ($150) from Amazon is easy to set up and use, and uploading photos and videos remotely works easily. The Aura app works with both android and iOS phones. This makes a great gift for grandparents.

Using hiking poles when walking provides a better workout, as well as better balance and stability on trails and prevents injuries. Look for adjustable poles to get the perfect size and choose ones that fold up compactly for travel. Gearhead Outfitters and Academy Sports carry hiking poles ranging from $39 to $129. 

Many studies have confirmed that wearing a weighted vest while walking or performing high-intensity resistance and impact training builds strength and increases bone density. Most individuals are good candidates for a weighted vest except those with severe osteoporosis or a history of vertebral or hip fractures. Look for a vest that has the ability to increase or decrease the weight and is easily adjustable. Vests can be found online or in stores at various places and price points.

Get the chef in your life a wooden cutting board. Wood is beautiful, gentler on knives, is naturally antibacterial and doesn’t scratch as much as plastic, which can harbor germs in the knicks left by knives. Plastic also dulls knives faster. A smaller board is easier to store, less bulky, fits in the sink better for cleanup and is great for small tasks like mincing herbs or garlic, but a larger one handles big jobs with ease. Wooden cutting boards can be found in a variety of places and range from $22 at Walmart and up at specialty stores or from a craftsman.

Not everyone can have a sauna in their home, but a sauna blanket can provide similar benefits. A sauna blanket looks like a sleeping bag and uses far-infrared light while providing benefits like relaxation, stress relief, relief for joint pain, improved sleep, detoxification and improved metabolism. Best of all, they fold up and are easy to store. They’re available at various price points from $130 to $700. Look for one that is easy to clean, suits your temperature range, has automatic shut-off and is sized to fit the user.  

Bird watching is an activity enjoyed by all ages and engages people with nature. A smart bird feeder is the perfect gift for the bird enthusiast on your list. These feeders have a wireless camera that gives you up close pictures of the birds, and some have bird recognition technology to help you identify the species. It is highly entertaining to watch the live interactions between the birds and to catch the occasional squirrel or raccoon raiding the feeder. Bird Buddy and Netvue are two quality brands, and prices start around $85. 

Get young kids up and moving with a manual wiggle car. The twisting or scooting motions required to propel the car strengthens the legs, abs and arms, improving balance and coordination while promoting physical activity. Good for ages 3 and up, wiggle cars can be found at stores like Walmart or online in a wide variety of styles and colors. Prices start around $35 and up.

Kayaking is an excellent way to exercise while being outside enjoying the benefits of nature. Even young children can enjoy kayaking if they are at least 18 pounds, can float comfortably on the water by themselves, are able to sit still in the kayak and can wear a personal flotation device. A child-sized kayak ranges in price from $100 up to $1,400 for fancier models at various sporting goods stores, Walmart and Amazon.

One of the best gifts my children received from their grandparents was a recording of grandmother reading bedtime stories. We did not live near one another, but this was a way my children connected to her and felt her love. It is easy to make a video recording of a grandparent reading their favorite book, and it can be watched over and over.  

Sometimes stocking stuffers are the best gifts of all. Fill your stockings with lip balm with sunscreen to protect lips in all kinds of weather; buffs (a versatile, tube of stretchy fabric) that protect against the sun, wind and cold and come in many fun colors and prints; Owala cups are spill-proof insulated cups featuring a FreeSip lid which allows users to sip through a straw or an open spout, found locally at Academy Sports; Matador waterproof pill canisters are truly waterproof and conveniently sized for travel, $20 at Gearhead; a wet dry bag is a reusable, waterproof bag designed to keep wet things like a swimsuit from dry things in your gym bag or suitcase. They can be found in many stores and online, $8 and up; Under Armour Contain Micro Case is a small, zippered case that can hold an ID card, credit card, ear buds or keys and can attach to your gym bag or suitcase, so no more searching in the depths of your bag for small items, various colors, $20.