How to Give the Gift of Health

Gifts related to health and wellness are usually well-intentioned, but they aren’t always well-received. The gift of exercise equipment, a gym membership, or a diet book can often be misconstrued to be an insult to the recipient’s lifestyle or appearance. In short—it can make you look insensitive.
Thankfully, that doesn’t have to be the case. The truth is, these gifts are thoughtful and useful and may be just what your loved one is looking for. So how do you give such gifts without offending anyone?
Well. We can’t guarantee anything, but we do have a few tips. Read on to learn how to give health-related gifts in a way that won’t be taken as an insult.

Talk about it ahead of time

If you can, talk about the gift ahead of time to make it seem more natural and thoughtful. You could say something like, “wow, we really need a nicer scale in this bathroom; I’ve seen ones that can even calculate body fat!” Or, “have you seen those new fitness tracker watches? I’ve been thinking of getting one. They look so cool!”
By bringing up the possible gift in normal conversation, it’ll seem like you bought the gift because it was something you had talked about and showed excitement over, rather than you thought the recipient really “needed” it.

Point out the features

Instead of letting that gym membership speak for itself (which could be a really bad thing), point out the great features of the gym—its convenient location, its great child care, or its free group classes.
Don’t just give them some free weights and an at-home workout DVD. Instead, point out how this is your favorite DVD and you thought it would be perfect for her! You know how busy she is and this makes it easy to get in a quick workout.
If you make it more about the benefits and not about the weight loss, they will be less likely to take offense to your gift.

Make it for both of you

This works especially well for a partner or roommate, or someone you see often. Buy a health-conscious gift that benefits both of you. Get a gym membership for two, a blender with some protein shake mix, or a cookbook with healthy recipes. This way, the gift won’t be taken personally, since you are admitting that you need it, too. (If you go this route, make sure you get the person a separate, “just for them” gift as well. You don’t want them to feel cheated out of a personal present!)

Package it

Soften your approach by packaging health-conscious gifts with other things. You might create a “spa basket” including pampering items like lotions and scrubs, as well as a fat burning supplement or beauty vitamin. You could create a kitchen or food-based package, complete with their favorite snacks, a fun kitchen gadget, and dietary supplements that block the absorption of up to 48 percent of carbs and sugars, or a system for managing gut health. If you make the health-conscious or weight-conscious product part of the gift, rather than the main focus, it will blend in more as a part of a whole, rather than a statement of its own.

The gift of health is one of the most thoughtful, supportive things you can give to a loved one during the holidays, but you want to make sure it is received correctly. Ultimately, you have to decide what will help your gift be received in the right spirit. Be courteous, be loving, plan ahead, and your gift will undoubtedly be a hit!