Regardless of your age and gender, fitness is an important part of life as it helps to keep your body strong and in shape. Fitness also helps to improve physical health, mental health as well as promote stronger muscles and bones which will help to reduce and prevent the chances of long term injury. Home exercises are more popular than ever now, especially with the pandemic going on, here are some affordable fitness gifts (Decathlon is a good website that is reasonably priced and ships to many countries) that you can gift to someone or even use them yourself to help improve exercising and even make it more enjoyable.
1. Dumbbells
Regardless of gender, weight training is beneficial for everyone. It helps to strengthen body, your muscles as well your bones which you will thank yourself for when you get older. Dumbbells are a good way to start as they come in various weights from as little as 1kg (2 pounds) to 20kg (44 pounds). Hexagon shaped dumbbells are recommended if you like to do push ups with dumbbells. Due to the straight edges, it will stay still and it’s stable on the ground compared to the standard round dumbbells.
2. Adjustable Weights
While dumbbells are great, they typically come in a fixed weight. If you know someone or is someone that wants to incorporate various weights into your training, it is recommended to get adjustable weights. They’re available on various online shopping platforms and typically don’t cost very much either.
3. Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are great not just for stretching but muscle strengthening as well. You can incorporate them into many exercises such as squats, the glute bridge, shoulder squeeze or even planks with arm raise. Resistance bands also work whether you’re doing home exercises or busting it at the gym.
4. Yoga Mat
A good, thick and high quality yoga mat may be on the more pricey side but it truly is one of the best investments you can have in the long run. Yoga mat doesn’t have to be used for strictly yoga or stretching, you can use it for many exercises such as resistance and endurance training. A yoga mat is especially crucial for certain exercises such as planks (especially elbow planks), push ups, superman, or exercises that require you to lie down on your side, it truly helps with the discomfort of your elbow bone or the side of your hip bone on the floor for long periods of time.
5. Skipping Rope
While rope skipping can be a challenging skill to develop, it is very useful and beneficial. Athletes often use it as a warm up or as one of their cardio exercises. Skipping ropes are small and light, therefore don’t take up a lot of space and if you were to put them in your bag, it’s not going to be heavy and a hassle to carry around. Their size also makes it convenient to bring them anywhere.
6. Yoga Block
Yoga blocks, as the name suggests, isn’t strictly used for those who practice yoga. Yoga blocks are typically made out of cork, foam or wood and are used as a support system or tool. Yoga blocks support a range of motion such as stretching and flexibility and also help you to build strength overtime. Yoga blocks can also help you to correct and improve your body posture as it helps with alignment.