Great gift ideas for healthy holidays

December 22, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Los Angeles Times

If the thought of a health-related gift inspires the same feeling of dreariness as receiving a mail-order fruitcake or a six-pack of tube socks, it’s time to broaden your horizons. Health doesn’t have to be ho-hum: Think items to help you stay in shape, accessories inspired by biology, stories about the frontiers of medicine and much more. Read on for some suggestions from the Los Angeles Times Health staff.

Activity tracker

Fitbit Ultra, $99.95

Devices that track physical activity have trickled into the marketplace since the debut of the Bodybugg system made famous on the show “The Biggest Loser.” If you’re considering one as a gift, don’t overlook the Fitbit Ultra.

Fitbit Ultra is a wireless gadget about the size of a money clip that attaches to clothing or can be placed in a pocket. Weighing in at 0.4 ounce, it provides instant feedback by tracking calories spent walking, running, dancing or in everyday activities. With a 3-D motion sensor, it can calculate the intensity and duration of exercise. Fitbit Ultra also has a stair counter and stopwatch, and it provides cumulative statistics. Users can even monitor characteristics of sleep, such as when they doze off and how often they wake during the night.

Fitbit announced a free iPhone application in October that allows users to log food and activities and track their progress toward fitness and calorie goals. The Fitbit Ultra is sleek and has a readable display and a battery that will last the average user five to seven days.

The device can be purchased online or in many stores. Fitbit can be synced with the Fitbit nutrition and activity website, and there are no monthly user fees.

If you’re watching your weight and haven’t tried a wireless activity tracker, you’re missing out on a tool that motivates and informs.

—Shari Roan

Brain games

Lumosity subscriptions, $29.95 and up

Why not give the gift of neurons? Research tells us that for brains as for muscles, it’s either “use it or lose it” — those who are intellectually engaged are less likely to show signs of dementia.

One of the most affordable, engaging and demonstrably effective sources of brain-training games is Lumosity, produced by the San Francisco-based Lumos Labs. Lumosity’s online games exercise a variety of cognitive skills, including working memory, spatial perception, attention, speed and mental agility. They have great graphics and give subscribers excellent feedback to ensure progress. Plus, these games really are undergirded by strong research. Gift subscriptions to Lumosity range from $29.95 for a two-month plan to $79.95 for a full year’s access. Visit www.lumosity.com.

—Melissa Healy

Germs you can wear

Infectious Awareables silk scarves, $35 (above Herpes 2 scarf)

Disease-causing bacteria and viruses are icky, but these scarves (and neckties and bow ties and boxers) are kind of beautiful. Each item “discreetly” works the name of the germ it depicts into the border, and if you’re interested in plagues and scourges, there’s background information about each one at the company website.

Some may find the premise tasteless given the suffering caused by infectious agents, but the Encino-based company behind these garments explains that its aim is to raise awareness helped along by a bit of humor. Infectious Awareables donates a portion of its proceeds to disease-fighting causes such as AIDS Project L.A. and Rotary International’s polio eradication campaign. My mom has a scarf I sent her and wears it with delight. You can check out the selection at www.iawareables.com.

—Rosie Mestel

Yoga helper

Skidless Towel by Lululemon, $65

Some people who exercise sweat more than others. We won’t name names, but ... OK, it’s us. We sweat like a farm animal. In some instances it can be annoying, in some it’s embarrassing, and every once in a while — such as during yoga class — it can be downright dangerous.

That’s why we’re grateful for the microfiber Skidless Towel from Lululemon. One side looks like a regular towel. The other side has little silicone dots that grip your mat and allow you to assume any warrior pose without your towel sliding away — and you along with it, invading the space of the person behind you who shoots you a dirty look. Not that that’s ever happened to us.

The towel, which measures 68 by 24 inches, is pricier than anything you’ll find at a discount linen store, but it’s worth it for the peace of mind alone. Namaste.

—Jeannine Stein

DNA reading

“My Beautiful Genome” by Lone Frank, $15.95

Taking a series of genetic tests to examine her risk for various diseases, Copenhagen-based science journalist Lone Frank tries to understand how likely it is that she’ll develop the breast cancer that killed her mother and to gain insight into the bouts with depression that she shares with various relatives. Along the way, she entertainingly explains the basics of genetics and probes how scientists study DNA to better understand human history, disease and even the human soul — “the intersection between the shell of a physical being and the person we recognize as human,” as she puts it.

She visits, interviews and occasionally pokes fun at luminaries such as DNA co-discoverer James Watson. She also deftly weaves her story into a broader examination of genes, genetic screening and their place in society. Are consumers really ready to learn, for instance, that they’re highly likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease or cancer? Should genetic information be available to employers or published on the Internet? And how much do gene studies really tell us about ourselves, anyway?

In Frank’s case, learning about her DNA provides considerable comfort. “It is far more satisfying to be able to interpret myself as both a biological and a social being,” she writes. “My genome is not a straitjacket but a soft sweater to fill and shape, to snuggle up and stretch out in.”

Give this memoir to a friend and you may hear requests for a pricier gift — genetic testing — next year.

—Eryn Brown

DIY Pilates

CorePlus Reformer, Gaiam, $29.98

Pilates workouts, which focus on lengthening and strengthening muscles, have proved irresistible for people looking to tone up rather than bulk up. For those who don’t want to hire a personal trainer, commit to a group class schedule or get hooked up to heavy machinery, there’s the CorePlus Reformer.

The device, from health product vendor Gaiam and Pilates maven Mari Winsor, features four handles at the ends of four resistance-cord loops bound in the center to form an X shape. It can be used to tone legs, arms and abs, all from the comfort of your living room. An accompanying 45-minute DVD demonstrates different workouts to target the upper body, lower body or core, depending on your time and ability.

F or self-motivated beginners who are short on time, it might be an ideal indoor winter workout.

—Amina Khan