Christmas is upon us! With Christmas comes last minute gifting! Cough Cough what I have been doing all morning. I am trying to figure out what I can get my favorite people and it gave me this brilliant idea! So….confession time: sometimes when I am Christmas shopping I get side tracked and start looking for things for myself…I know. That’s lame. I don’t ever buy any of it, OKAY! The bright side is that my Internet exploring is going to help you! I have compiled a list of some of my favorite affordable gifts for the fitness-obsessed person in your life.

1. Every fitness fanatic needs a great way to keep track of her schedule so she can squeeze in workouts ever on her busiest of days! I have always been a fan of the Lily Pullitzer extra jumbo sized one, but there are more great options! I found this super cute website called bando.com with this great affordable (only 28.00) agenda for all of your Type A personality needs, and Im not going to lie, the styling is precious! Click the website and it will take you straight there!

2. I have always been a Tea lover, I don't drink any caffeine. It makes me feel off my game. Anyway, I have recently graduated from the every so decadent Kroger brand herbal cinnamon spice tea to a WHOLE NEW WORLD! I had no idea that tea could be so flavorful and wonderful and amazing! The happiness that comes from drinking a top notch cup of tea in the morning is not matched by many other things. In Ann Arbor I have visited both Teavana for the first time and Tea Haus. My little sister introduced me to Teavana a few months ago and the hubs took me to Tea Haus. If you have someone in your life that isn't much on caffeine, but loves to feel the special magic that is tea, try these out! I love the Cinnamon Vanilla Rooibos from Tea Haus and Youthberry Wild Orange Blossom from Teavana Anywhere from 5.00-10.00 for 2oz (which makes 10-15 cups of tea!)

3. Who doesn't like a motivational mantra to look at every morning? Who doesn't like to support small business during the holiday season (or all year around)? Who doesn't like rose gold? Well the answer to all of those questions is nobody. Everyone should just want to be a person who likes all of those things! Anyway, my very good friend, Kiley or better known as Kiley in Kentucky has a fantastic Etsy shop where you can order hand lettered gold foiled prints with your mantra or the ones she has in her shop ready to go! I have ordered several of these prints for people I love and they arrive quickly, are super personalized, and they are absolutely beautiful! If you want to order one of these prints (which I'm sure you do) and want it by Christmas do so by December 16th at 1:00 CST! You can order after that, but she won't guarantee that they will be there by Christmas! One of my favorites is: Hustle and Heart Will Set You Apart only 19.95!

4. Since moving to a new area, I have been overwhelmed by the amount of cool places there are to exercise. I have found very quickly that working out at different places is a great way to meet new people, and to get a great workout in all at the same time! With New Years around the corner and everyones overwhelming desire to be fitter in the new year, a great gift is what I am calling "gym money"! I have found that Groupon has great deals on Yoga, spin, kick boxing, ariel silks and personal training sessions for over 50% off! Find one that applies to a gym near you and give someone the ultimate gift (other than knowing Jesus of course) of health! Trying new things is a great way to stay motivated and to find out what kind of workouts work best for you!

5. This year, I have decided that injury prevention is very important and I found that stretching and being in tune with your body is a great way to do that. All of these things has lead me to yoga! I am not by any means a yoga master, but I can always tough my toes now, which is a small win in my book. It is very relaxing and a great way to declutter your mind when you go 100 MPH all the time. One thing that keeps me excited about going to the mat is my actual mat! Buying someone a cool/cute/fancy yoga mat can be a great way to give them the motivation they need! Here are a few of my favorites! Yoga Design Lab has a lot of great designs, the Combo Mat Tribeca Love is a beautiful design and is 78.00! ban.do also has a really cute a quirky one, After this we're getting pizza and its a little more affordable at 32.00.

6. The perfect water bottle. I know this sounds goofy, but I have had enough disasters with "spill proof" water bottles to write a book! You want a water bottle that is cool looking, keeps your water both cold or hot, and most importantly is pretty much indestructible. Well from everything I have read, this is it! The Hydro Flask! With a ton of different colors, sizes, and lid options you are bound to find one you like. These aren't the most inexpensive, but I think in this case you get what you pay for. They are stainless steel and vacuum insulated. Promises to keep things cold for up to 24 hours and hot for 6 hours! My personal favorite is the 32 oz wide mouth w/ straw lid in the color Mint. It comes in at 44.95.

7. Cool socks are the thing these days! Runners, powerlifters, football players, business men, and hipsters all wear cool socks! It makes you feel fancy and it is yet another way to express yourself. Well...why not buy cool socks that help homeless people? For every pair of socks bought at Sky Footwear, one pair is given to a homeless person. Sky footwear was founded by Keaton Hendricks who is the son of a couple who my parents are good friends with. I have never met him, but I think what he is doing is inspirational and reminds us not to sit back and let others do the work of making our world better. His company has over 13.5 thousand followers on Instagram @sky_footwear and I think buying from them would be a great way to do good this Christmas and make a fashion statement at the same time! These watermelon socks are my favorite and cost 12.00.

Happy Christmas-ing everyone! I hope that the gifts you buy bring people joy, but more importantly I hope that you remember what CHRISTmas is all about!

With love and many miles,

-B

Holiday Gift Guide from a Type A-Fitness Fanatic-who likes to do GOOD!