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Great gifts for fit people this Christmas

Coach Jon

This Christmas season, I would like to share with you what fit people buy for each other. In fact, if somebody got me some of these gifts I would be very happy! Here are my top 5 gifts (under S$70) that can be of use to anybody you know who cares about their health and fitness here in Singapore.

1. Foam Roller (SGD 60)

The foam roller can be used to give yourself some self-massage.
The foam roller can be used to give yourself some self-massage.

This is a way to give yourself some massage.

With the bad posture and tension most of us have in our backs and hips, using a roller to lie on while moving slowly is a great and affordable way to get some self-massage.

Most of us don't have time to go for regular soft tissue massage which resets our muscles to their correct lengths and tension.

While a roller is not better than a trained specialist, it is cheaper, and you can do it at home. The best option is the one you can do consistently.

Fat gripz are designed to wrap around a regular barbell or dumbbell or even chin-up bar in your gym.
Fat gripz are designed to wrap around a regular barbell or dumbbell or even chin-up bar in your gym.

2. Fat Gripz (About $70)

Fat gripz are actually designed by one of my coaching colleagues in the USA. They are designed to wrap around a regular barbell or dumbbell or even chin-up bar in your gym.

Training with fat bars is excellent for your elbow and shoulder health, and it also leads to greater strength gains in your upper body because your body has to turn on more muscles to stabilize the fat bar.

Unfortunately, most people don't have access to fat grip dumbbells and barbells in their gyms. So the next best option is these grips. When I am away from my gym in Singapore which has all the fat bars and dumbbells, I have a set that I carry when I travel so I can train in any gym overseas.

3. Radiation reducing cases for your phone (About $60)

Constant wi-fi and cell phone exposure can be harmful to long term health. (Just try lifting a heavy weight with a phone in your pocket -- you will likely be able to lift less!) Get one of these to protect yourself. It gets more important given how much Singaporeans use their phones.

4. Sea Salt ($5)

You can tell if a salt is good through its color.
You can tell if a salt is good through its color.

Regular salt is highly refined and its minerals (such as magnesium and natural forms of Iodine) are removed. Also, aluminium compounds and bleaching agents are also used.

Sea salt on the other hand, is stronger in flavour and you need less of it. It is also sun dried, keeps all its natural ingredients, and simply tastes better.

You can tell if a salt is good by its color. Good salt has color! It may be pink, grey or brownish, but that just means it was not bleached. I like Celtic sea salt and red sea salt.

5. A Journal ($5)

Yes, a book with lines in it. And no words! You will be required to write in it, just like in school. The reasons for this are well documented in research. Writing down goals, and ideas forces your brain to arrange them logically. And this results in way more action on those ideas than if you just let them wander in your head.

Writing down things you are thankful for will reduce stress and improve sleep and relationships. And writing down your food and training logs is sure to guarantee progress.

"You cant manage, what you can't measure" -- so keep track of stuff and be ready for great progress in 2012.

For the best personal training and fitness bootcamp in Singapore, visit www.coachjon.com