Last-minute fitness gifts can keep giving all year long

(BPT) - A good gift keeps on giving long after you’ve recycled the wrapping paper and put away the decorations. A great gift keeps giving in ways that change people’s lives for the better. This holiday season, give the people you love something that will contribute to their lives day after day, month after month. Instead of fruitcake, give the gift of fitness. It lasts even longer, and makes people much happier. Here are three gift ideas that will support health and wellness all year long.

Garmin Vivofit

We all know somebody who makes a solemn resolution every New Year’s Day to get fit in the new year, but never quite seems to make that resolution stick past February. (Maybe that somebody is you.) What that person needs is a way to make fitness a happy habit rather than a burdensome obligation. That’s exactly the principle behind wearable fitness trackers. Quietly and consistently, these magical gadgets motivate people to take small, achievable steps to live a healthier life.

According to the popular review site The Wirecutter, the Garmin Vivofit is the best fitness tracker you can give this holiday season. This little device straps to your wrist like a watch, counting your steps and measuring your heart rate. It gently motivates you to get more physical exercise by displaying a daily step goal - and a softly glowing red light when you’ve been loafing for too long. The Vivofit is waterproof, lasts a whole year without needing a new battery, and syncs data with your computer or a handy smartphone app.

TDK Life on Record TREK speakers

Nothing contributes more meaningfully to fitness and well-being than music. The right song can calm you when you’re stressed, motivate you when you’re feeling sluggish, and make physical activity more joyful. For the active music lover in your life, give the gift of rich, beautiful sound with a TREK portable wireless, weatherproof speaker from TDK Life on Record.

Building on TDK’s history of expertise in sound technology, a TREK speaker will let your loved ones enjoy the music they love wherever they go, from the yoga studio to the hiking trail. TREK speakers are weatherproof, seamlessly easy to pair with any Bluetooth-enabled device, and produce amazingly balanced and vibrant sound. They come in sizes for a range of budgets and purposes. Best Buy carries all of them, often at attractive discounts. Now that the music lovers in your life carry their tunes with them everywhere, give them a gift that will let them enjoy the music that motivates them, wherever their adventures may lead.

Manduka Pro Yoga and Pilates Mat

Health and wellness come in many forms, and yoga can help people achieve most of them - strength, balance, coordination, and, most of all, the inner serenity that makes life’s daily stresses melt away. For the yogi on your list - or, better yet, for the uptight grinch who desperately needs some inner peace - give a gift that motivates a yoga practice and sustains it all year long.

The Manduka Pro yoga mat is built for serious yogis, many of whom are (serenely) fanatical about this particular model. But the Manduka’s textured non-slip surface, its soft and dense cushioning material, and its lifetime guarantee will be appreciated by beginners even more than by gurus. It’s a serious gift to give someone in your life who wants, or needs, a dose of om.