These gifts are fit for workouts

By LISA LIDDANE
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Most women are so busy taking care of everyone else that sometimes they don't have time or are too tired to take better care of themselves.
If you've got the opportunity to give any women in your life a gift, consider something that can help them take a step forward on the road to fitness or stay on it.
Consider this: Regular exercise can help reduce a woman's risk of heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women nationwide.
It's important to tailor the choices to the individual. You don't want to get her fitness videos or gadgets if she's not the type to use them.
Think about the following: Is this woman a gregarious person or a type to do things solo? Is she sedentary or does she have a favorite type of physical activity or sport? What does she need?
Here are some gift ideas:
UClothes for working out.
UA gift certificate from a sporting goods store for athletic shoes.
UA gift certificate from an exercise-clothing shop.
UEquipment and gear for her chosen sport.
UA set of personal training sessions with a pro of her choice, including a fitness assessment.
UBeginner yoga lessons at a facility near her home or workplace.
UA gift certificate for post-workout massages at a day spa.
UAn active vacation package at a destination spa.
Sometimes, gifts of time are the most valuable.
A joint effort
Some women don't exercise because they don't enjoy doing it by themselves. If you live close enough to her, how about creating your own gift certificates?
Give her a certificate that states that she is entitled to a once-weekly walking, swimming or workout companion for 52 weeks. That partner is you.
During the time you spend together, you can encourage her to continue the activity to maintain the benefits during the rest of the week even when you're not around.
Other women -- especially new mothers and mothers who have several kids -- don't work out because their hands are full taking care of their children.
A gift of two-hour personal baby-sitting gift certificates from you so she can take time out just for herself, whether it's to swim, run, walk, ride a bike or lift weights, will be appreciated very much. I can vouch for that.
XLisa Liddane is a health and fitness writer for The Orange County Register and a group fitness instructor certified by the American Council on Exercise. Write to her at the Register, P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, Calif. 92711 or send e-mail to lliddane@ocregister.com.