It’s easy to fall into a couple of traps when you’re buying gifts for people. First of all, we always tend to go for the easy option (read: boring) – bottle of wine or box of chocolates. Which brings us on to the second trap – the presents we buy tend to be a bit unhealthy.
Now don’t get us wrong, we’re not complete killjoys – we love treating ourselves and our loved ones to a bit of indulgence. But do you know that feeling after a big celebration, usually in January or after a big birthday, when you decide to take more control of your health and well-being… only to find yourself completely surrounded by boxes and boxes of biscuits, chocolates, sweets etc etc? Putting your commitment to the test before you’ve even got started!
Instead, let’s make things a little easier to start off on the right foot, and take a look at some healthy gift ideas:
Healthy gifts for children
Let’s start with children, because they can be tricky to buy for – especially if you are trying to buy something that is healthy. You want to avoid anything to do with screens, and you want to avoid falling into the trap of getting something they absolutely loved a few months ago – they have almost definitely moved on by now!
Here’s a great way to get them outdoors and active – a Ninja Warriors Gift experience at one of 17 venues across the UK, and it’s the perfect family experience.
Healthy gifts for grandparents
There are a few stereotypes about the more senior generations that are unfair. And then there are some that exist because they are still true… For example, why do they boil their vegetables until virtually every nutrient and flavour, is lost?!
It’s important to drag some aspects of their lives into the 21st century, and a great way to do that is a smoothie box gift. It’s a fun way to make sure they are getting proper nutrition – nothing says vitality and vibrance like a smoothie bursting with flavour and vitamins. Plus, it will be a great treat for the grandkids when they visit. The easiest way is to do it with one of our e-gift cards, and then (maybe?) hop online with them to help order depending on how tech-savvy they are.
Healthy gifts for teachers
This is always a tricky one, isn’t it? Someone that you may not know that well, but absolutely deserves something nice as acknowledgement of all the hard work they do. And there’s the strong possibility that a lot of other people have bought chocolates, surely…?
To avoid falling into that trap, what about a Snacky Seeds variety pack? Full of brain-boosting omega 3s, perfect for sprinkling on packed lunches but unlikely to be pilfered by the kids.
Healthy gifts for her
Apologies for the change in tone here, but we think this is important. There has, thankfully, been a huge shift in focus when it comes to being healthy over the last few years – we are much more aware of the impact our mental health has on our physical health, and vice versa.
Did you know that women are three times more likely to experience common mental health problems than men? The mental load that we put ourselves under in our day-to-day lives is unsustainable if we don’t take steps to manage it. It affects our sleep, our physical health and it can quickly become a vicious circle.
A subscription to a mindfulness app like Calm is a way of not just helping your loved one to find moments of peace in a stressful world, but to show them that you understand how tough things can be and that they’re not alone. This is a gift that can make a huge difference, all year round.
Healthy gifts for him
Men can be difficult to buy for, so it’s important to think about their lives for a bit for inspiration. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Do they commute to work?
- Do they regularly exercise?
(Should they…?) - Do they like time to switch off from daily life?
If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, then some decent headphones will always be appreciated. They’ll escape with some music, a podcast or an audiobook and feel much better as a result.
Healthy gifts for Secret Santa (under £10)
Finally, we have Secret Santa – often the most difficult present to buy as you probably don’t know the recipient very well. If you work in an office together though, you may have something in common – hot drinks.
So how about a healthy tea selection pack? Tea has been used for centuries as natural remedies – a delicious boost to our health and let’s be honest – who doesn’t love a nice cup of tea??