11 Innovative Gifts For Fitness Fanatics

istock
istock / istock
facebooktwitterreddit

When shopping for the mover and shaker on your list this year, skip the tired sports socks and spandex and opt for something a bit more cutting-edge. These 11 innovative gifts in every price bracket will impress even the most seasoned gym rat (or yogi, or sportsman, or runner—you get the gist).

1. Sportline HydraCoach Intelligent Water Bottle; $23.59

Never go thirsty again. This smart water bottle calculates your personal hydration needs and tracks your fluid consumption throughout the day to ensure that you are always properly hydrated.

Find It: Amazon.com

2. Keyport; $29

Nothing slows you down during your workout quite like a bulky, heavy key ring (what are all those keys for anyway?). Consolidate your keys into one small, pocketknife-like contraption that slips easily into your pocket or armband. Just send photos of your keys to Keyport and they'll do the rest. Add a mini-light, bottle opener, pen, or flash drive to your Keyport for an additional fee.

Find It: MyKeyport.com

3. Tablet Case with Adjustable Stand; $39.95

Don’t relegate your at-home fitness routine to the living room. Use a sleek case with a built-in stand to prop up your tablet and follow along with your Pilates or yoga videos anywhere, from your bedroom to the gym to the park.

Find It: Speckproducts.com

4. Pear Mobile Training System; $99.95

Complete with a wireless heart rate monitor, headphones, earpieces, and a nylon gear bag, this handy kit is perfect for the fitness-tracking newbie. In addition to monitoring your body’s activity, the Pear Training Intelligence system also offers you personal, real-time coaching through the earphones in order to ensure you are training at the optimal intensity.

Find It: Pearsports.com 

5. AfterShokz Bluez 2 Headset; $99.95

AfterShokz uses something called "bone conduction technology" to enable you to tune in to your music or call without tuning out the world around you. Bone conduction technology sends stereo sound directly to your inner ears through mini vibrations that travel through your cheekbones, bypassing the eardrums completely. WIth nothing in or over your ears, you'll be more alert to your surroundings, making running and cycling outside much safer. The AfterShokz Bluez 2 headset is also wireless, sweat-proof, and holds a charge for six hours of music play. If bluetooth isn't a priority, wired versions are available at a lower cost (starting at $39.95).

Find It: AfterShokz.com

6. SMS Audio BioSport In-Ear Wired Ear Bud with Heart Monitor; $149.95

If earbuds are more your jam, SMS Audio’s BioSport in-ear headphones not only offer studio mastered sound quality, but have a built-in heart monitor powered by Intel. While you listen to your tunes, these headphones are listening to you in order to track your body’s activity level.

Find It: smsaudio.com

7. Spotify Premium Subscription; $9.99/month

Give your fitness fanatic something to listen to on his or her spiffy new headphones with a subscription to Spotify's Premium service. With Spotify Premium, you not only have full access to the millions of songs in Spotify's library on both your desktop and mobile device (a free subscription doesn't allow for mobile listening), but you can also download music to listen to offline and enjoy ad-free listening. Choose from e-card packages of one, three, six, or 12 months ($9.99-$119.88).

Find It: Spotify.com

8. Fitbit Aria Smart Scale; $129.95

We know scales can be tricky gifts, but bear with us here. The Fitbit Aria tracks not just your weight, but also your body fat percentage and BMI, offering a more in-depth analysis of your health. Like Fitbit's other fitness-tracking devices, the Aria wirelessly syncs your stats to your private Fitbit account—accessible on desktop and mobile—so you can track your progress in real time. The Aria's insights, displayed in easy-to-read charts and graphs, allow you to focus on your long-term trends rather than short-term blips (which are all too common during the holiday season).

Find It: Fitbit.com 

9. Basis Peak – Ultimate Fitness and Sleep Tracker; $199.99 

Way more than just a watch or pedometer, Basis’ new Peak model is poised to give wearers a whole new level of insight into their daily activities. The sleek wearable will be able to tell users their heart rate without requiring a cumbersome chest strap, monitors perspiration and skin temperature, and even records how many calories are burned during exercise. Better yet, wearing the Peak at night will give sleepers a new level of understanding into how rich and restful their sleep is, which should enable them to create better slumbering habits.

Find It: mybasis.com

10. GoPro Hero; $129.99

Your adrenaline-powered friend can capture all his daring feats with this rugged, waterproof, point-of-view camera. With its simplified experience, the Hero is the perfect entry-level camera for the GoPro novice.

Find It: GoPro.com

11. Kinect with Xbox 360; $249.99

Splurge on a fitness gift the whole family can enjoy. Because really, what’s better than burning calories by playing video games? With an array of products that range from virtual personal trainers to active games such as Kinect Sports Ultimate and Dance Central 3, the Kinect with Xbox 360 has something for everyone. And with Playfit, you can now track your progress over time and compete against your friends.

Find It: Xbox.com

Intel® RealSense™ technology features gesture control, 3D scanning depth camera, and video conferencing. Technology will be fit enough to keep up with you. Learn more here: intel.com