Top Gifts for Fitness Runners

Fitness runners take great pride in their hobby. Most will tell you that the act of running is not only for their health, but also helps them mentally as well. If you have a fitness runner on your holiday gift list, there are countless gifts to make their running experiences more enjoyable.

Pedometers are small devices that usually clip to the runner's belt and will tell how far the runner has gone during a workout or over the course of a day. These devices are extremely useful when attempting to meet fitness goals. A good choice is the Sound Step Talking Pedometer with FM Radio. This pedometer retails for around $24. It has a digital display and actually announces aloud the distances traveled. Earbud headphones connected to an FM radio provide entertainment for your runner or they can listen to seven pre-recorded melodies that are loaded on the pedometer. Some pedometers have things like timers, clocks, and other features, so be sure to pick one with features that your runner will both use and enjoy.

Many runners like to keep track of their heart rates for various reasons. First, intensity training is a very popular thing among fitness runners. Intensity training is where the person exercising speeds up the heart rate at different intervals. Also, heart monitors are a good indicator of someone's fitness level especially at a resting rate. A great choice is the Polar Heart Rate Monitor Watch. Polar's heart rate monitors come in various models; the F4 model will run you about $80. This particular model measures heart rate, exercise time, average heart rate, and is also water resistant to 100 feet. Best of all, the F4 performs two elements: Zone Pointer and Polar OwnCal; both of which are helpful to fitness runners. The Zone Pointer is both a visible and audible feature that shows when the runner reaches their target heart rate. Polar OwnCal shows a runner's calorie expenditure during a run or over the course of multiple workouts. Polar's heart monitors are available in a wide variety of colors like Red Velvet, Pink Coral, Black, Blue, and Sand Pearl.

A lot of fitness clothing does not have pockets for a runner's keys or cell phone. Also, while it is recommended that runner's hydrate during a run (not just before and after), most find it inconvenient to carry a water bottle. Ultimate Direction has solved this problem with their Access Hydration Pouch. The pouch is basically a fanny pack that has a sleeve to hold a water bottle as well as a zipper pouch for keys or other small items. For just $20, it may seem like a simple gift, but a well-needed one for many fitness runners. The pouch comes in orange, black, fuchsia, or periwinkle blue.

While it makes sense that runners may have achy feet, few do anything about it. There are remedies for the problem though. An inexpensive choice is the HoMedics Foot Pro Ultra Luxury Foot Massager. For $30, the machine vibrates all the soreness out of a runner's tootsies. The massager has an angled platform, so it is comfortable to rest your feet on and the infa-red heat is soothing at either of the two vibrating speeds.

For the environmentally conscious runner, a good buy is a bottle of water from New Wave Enviro. A bottle of water?! Seem simple, right? Well, this isn't your ordinary bottle. New Wave Enviro makes plastic bottles from corn. The bio-degradable bottles are not only better for the environment, but they are also re-usable. Better yet, the bottles have built-in filters so your runner can re-fill it at any water fountain without the fear of impurity. The bottles retail for about $8.

If you find a runner on your holiday list this season, but are unable to find any of these products at your local retailer, be sure to check out www.amazon.com.