15 BEST gifts for fitness lovers: treats for runners, swimmers and cyclists
A round-up of the 15 best tech gifts you can buy the fitness freak in your life
Whether it’s for a birthday, a Valentine’s treat or just to say thank you, a gift for the fitness lover in your life is the perfect way to keep them motivated.
Over the past few years, the innovation around health-and-fitness gadgets has exploded, but with so many products on the market, how do you know which one to choose? Well, wonder no more, as here are our picks for the best pieces of fitness tech.
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got an unlimited budget or just want to spend a few quid, we’ve got an exhaustive list of all the best tech available to help everyone get fitter.
Read on for our fitness tech gift guide
Fitbit Blaze
This, in our opinion, is probably the most stylish of the Fitbit range – and certainly one of the most useful. As well as recording all the standard parameters – including steps, heart rate, sleep and floors climbed – it also has a multi-sport function designed to track specifics related to different types of workout, and automatically recognises when you’re exercising as opposed to just walking.
Read our full Fitbit Blaze review here
Jabra Sport Pulse Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Headphones with Built-in Heart Rate Monitor
These super-smart headphones not only cut the cord, but also the heart-rate monitor strap. Just tap the left ear bud to hear your current heart rate while you exercise. And if that wasn’t enough, it’ll also give you your exercise time, pace and distance. Another quick tap will also let you take calls and control the music on your smartphone.
Read our full Jabra Sport headphones review here
Gymwatch
Designed to be worn while using free weights, machines in the gym or when doing body weight exercise – the Gymwatch is essentially a stand-in for when your gym buddy bails again. It also offers instant audio feedback to help you adjust your posture, grip and pace.
Sportiiii – £201
If you’re into cycling, then you’ll know that checking your stats in the middle of a ride is not only a hassle, but also pretty dangerous. With this nifty piece of tech, though, you can track your heart rate, speed, cadence and power safely. A simple heads-up display clips to your glasses showing you data in real-time.
Fitbit Aria Wi-fi Smart Scale
No fitness gadget obsessive should make do with an old-fashioned pair of bathroom scales. Instead, get them some wireless smart scales. They don’t just tell you your weight, but will also track weight changes, as well as monitoring BMI and body-fat percentage.
Xtreme Bright LED Bike Light and Bike Taillight
Cyclists who find themselves riding in the dark will definitely appreciate this gift, which includes both a powerful 250-lumen headlight and a rear taillight. Powered by three AAA batteries, the headlight can be removed from its handlebar grip to become a flashlight. It’s also waterproof, so they won’t have to worry about riding through puddles.
Garmin Forerunner 620 GPS Running Watch with Colour Touchscreen Display
This is the daddy of running watches. It’ll help you plan a training schedule, track how well you perform, and give you advice on how much faster you’re capable of going. It’s basically a world-class training coach… but strapped to your wrist.
Read our full Garmin Forerunner 620 review here
GoPro HERO4 Session Camera
The lightest and smallest GoPro yet. The Hero Session shoots HD-quality video and has an 8-megapixel camera allowing cyclists, skiers and other sports enthusiasts the ability to capture amazing footage on the go.
Read our full GoPro HERO4 Session Camera review here
Umoro One
This bottle is a great gift for any gym addict. It functions like any other bottle, but with the push of a button can release up to 1.5 scoops of their favourite whey protein mix. It’s ideal for use in the gym and that post-workout drink without having to carry around multiple bottles and sachets.
Beddit Smart Sleep Tracker
One of the most important parts of any workout is the amount of rest you get in between. And that’s where Beddit comes in. The world’s first ambient sleep tracker, it tracks snoring, breathing movement, heart rate and environment. A tracker is placed under your bed sheets and synced up to a mobile app, so any bed can become a “smart bed”.
Bowflex 4-41Kg SelectTech Smart Dumbbells
Get pumped the smart way with these adjustable dumbbells. Not only can they be switched from 4-41kg easily, but they also have an in-built accelerometer to let you know whether you’re doing your reps properly. A smartphone app also counts your reps and gives step-by-step video coaching.
Finis Neptune V2 MP3 Player
The Finis Neptune is a 4GB MP3 player designed specifically for swimmers. It uses “Bone Conduction Technology”, allowing sound waves to ‘travel safely straight into the skull’. The ear can then make sense of these sound waves in a way that’s not possible for most other MP3 players while underwater – so you’ll never swim in silence again.
Zeal Optics Goggles Z3 GPS
These are for the skier or snowboarder who has everything. Zeal Optic’s latest goggles have built-in GPS and a heads-up display, meaning you can see, in real-time, how fast you’re going, how high you are and where you are on the mountain.
Spree Sports SmartCap
Retire the ratty baseball cap and throw on this hi-tech hat. It not only monitors heart rate, but also body temperature – making it one of the most accurate calorie-burn calculators available.
NordicTrack C200 Folding Treadmill
When it’s too hot or too cold outside, NordicTrack’s C990 will help you get your miles in. This hi-tech treadmill has a 7″ touchscreen that shows your speed, distance, time, heart rate, incline and calories burned. Plus, through the iFit app and Google Maps, you can run “virtually” anywhere in the world.