Christmas gift ideas can be a challenge for many people, so we’ve come up with ten ideas to suit various budgets

For many people involved in exercise programs, monitoring progress is an important component of personal motivation, so we start with gadgets that measure things

1. A Pedometer is a device you can use to check the number of steps you make during a training session – they start at around $20

2. A heart rate monitor is a personal monitoring device that allows a subject to measure their heart rate in real time or record their heart rate.

Walkers can use heart rate to adjust the intensity of their walk - speeding up or slowing down to stay in their chosen heart rate zone.

You can get a combined heart rate monitor and pedomitor watch from around $60

3. Dumbbells
Dumbbell exercises are done to develop certain muscle groups and provide definition of the entire body. It doesn’t largely burn fat but strengthens the parts that are worked on such as arms, shoulders, legs, buttocks, tummy and hamstrings.

Buying a complete set of dumbbells is a relatively inexpensive way of building a sound home gym, and will allow you to organize your living space efficiently as compared to some bulkier machines available on the market.

4. Medicine balls build your critically vital core muscles which are comprised of your abs, obliques, and lower back.

These muscles are vital because arm and leg strength originate from here. Whether it’s swinging a bat, kicking a ball, or jumping for a rebound, the power transmitted through your arms and legs is only as great as the power generated from your core muscles.

5 Healthy Recipe Book
Total fitness does not just include a great workout regime. A great gift for a fitness guru would be a recipe book containing healthy cooking ideas.

Healthy cook books can be handmade by compiling a variety of healthy recipes from many sources.

6. MP3 Players or iPods
Listening to music makes any cardio or weight training workout more enjoyable.

An iPod or MP3 player make great gifts for fitness fanatics. Being able to run to their favorite tunes will inspire them to work harder and longer.

There are also arm bands available specially designed to hold iPods and MP3 players during activity.

7. Vegetable Juicer
Juicing helps you absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables and allows you to consume an optimal amount of vegetables in an efficient manner.

Most of us have impaired digestion as a result of making less-than-optimal food choices over many years. Juicing will help to “pre-digest” them for you, so you will receive most of the nutrition

8. Personal Training Sessions
Fighting the extra kilos we gain over Christmas and summer holidays can be a challenge. You could inspire your loved ones by gifting the extra incentive offer by personal training sessions

9. Group Training Sessions
If you feel intimidated by individual training, then joining others as part of the group training sessions can give you the encouragement and motivation that you are looking for.

5- or 10-week pass to a circuit classes, boot camps and/or boxercise classes from $150

10. Gym Membership
A month’s gym membership to get them started down the right path.

With a gym membership, you’ll get access to a variety of cardio machines and weight training equipment.