Holiday Fitness Gift Giving: The Dos and Don'ts

Hi! It’s the TruFit Holiday Gift Fairy, here to guide you in your quest to give your loved one the gift of fitness this holiday season.

As the one who fields many requests for gift certificates for personal training and questions like, “You train my wife, what fitness-related gift can I get her for this holiday?”, I have got some insight to share with all of you thoughtful gift givers… Insight into how it can go super well AND insight into how it can go reaaalllly wrong and backfire. 

This holiday finds us almost two years after we locked ourselves in our homes that first time. There’s been a lot of sitting, and sleeping/not sleeping, eating more cookies and imbibing in more caloric drinks, or maybe the opposite (a loss of appetite altogether, getting many fewer nutrients).

And let’s not forget the trauma we may have experienced that’s caused us to navigate through reality differently than before.

As we slowly crawl out of the collective COVID fog, I’m hearing a lot of soon-to-be new clients say they’re ready to regain their pre-Covid strength. YAY! We’re here for it!

You might be one of those people or you might love one of these people. And because we’re here for YOU, I hope this list of Dos and Don’ts helps you give the gift that keeps on giving (or learn to ask for it!).

DO:
Listen to your loved one’s language. Are they saying things like this?:
“I really think I’d like to work with a personal trainer.”

Cool! This may very well be the only time I’d suggest calling us to purchase a gift certificate for your loved one. You can do that by calling us (click here to set that up!) or by emailing us here!

The end.

Just kidding.

Read on.

DO:
Listen to your loved one’s language. Are they saying things like this?:
“I’m so tired of huffing and puffing up one flight of stairs.”
“I’d go to the gym but I don’t know what to do so I just do the treadmill.”
“I used to be able to do ten pushups and now can’t even do one.”
“I can’t get myself to work out, I need accountability.”
“My body feels so tight and achy all the time.”
“I’ve been having a hard time with balance and am scared of falling.”

Yes? Awesome job listening! Don’t buy those sessions yet.

DO:
Validate their feelings to make them feel heard.
Say something like, “That sucks, I’m sorry you’re feeling that way. Do you want to talk about it?”
If they say no, don’t push it.

If you think you’ve got suggestions to help your loved one, ask, “I have an idea, can I share it with you?”
If they say no, don’t push it. How much do you like unsolicited advice?

If they say yes, though, can I share some questions I’d ask my loved one? (See what I did there? For the purposes of this post, I’m going to assume you answered “Yes”, otherwise you wouldn’t still be reading so here is my advice):

DO:
Ask your loved one open-ended questions to get more information. Here’s one:
“What kind of movement or exercise sounds like something that might get you excited to work out?”
If they need need prompts you can suggest:
Dance classes?
Group exercise classes?
Yoga or Pilates?
LARPing?
One on one personal training?
Online classes you can do at home?
It-doesn’t-matter-as long-as-there’s-someone-to-hold-them-accountable-ing?

There are SO MANY ways to get moving. Hopefully asking some helpful questions can lead you to a great gift idea. (If you're in the Evanston area, we're happy to point you in a good direction and, alternatively, you can get awesome referrals for different places to get fit in this Facebook page dedicated to supporting small businesses). 

Ready for the DON’Ts? There aren't many but they’re important.

DON’T (for the love of all that is good) give the gift of fitness without talking to your loved one first if:

• Your loved one has started they HATE exercising
• Your loved one laments that they’ve gained weight over COVID and wants to lose weight
• YOU have noticed your loved one has gained weight. That is none of your concern

Friends: I’m not trying to overcomplicate this at all. I would just hate for a well-meaning gesture to have the opposite effect on your loved one.

Fitness is VERY personal, especially right now. As humans, we want the best for those we love. Getting someone a pair of earrings they’d never wear is one thing. Getting your loved one four sessions for personal training without knowing they’d like it can be quite another (like: demoralizing, embarrassing, confusing, etc).

Basically: Don’t base the need for a loved one to receive a gift like personal training on how things look on the outside or on what YOU think is best for them. You know what happens when you assume. And if you’ve made it to the end of this post, I know you’re not an ass :)

Best of luck on your gifting,
​Your TruFit Holiday Gift fairy