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Give The Gift Of

Health

Fitness gift ideas that work.

Nick Moretti | Special to the Jewish News

A

s we prepare for damage
control after a holiday
season of indulgence,
the gift-giving season offers the
opportunity for the giver to pres-
ent a gift of fitness to a loved
one.
Fitness is a two-part process:
increasing lean muscle mass
and losing body fat. Here are
some ideas for fitness gifts this
Chanukah — and this list is going
to assume that the recipient will
not be offended by the gift!

IMPROVED STRENGTH
It may not be flashy, but the first
things I recommend are a couple
of books. If you don’t know why
you’re using weights or the effect
of food on your body, “diet and
exercise” will be meaningless.
Here are two great books to edu-
cate the trainee:
■ Body by Science by Doug
McGuff and John Little offers
exhaustive evidence based on
credible studies and personal
experience that slow, controlled
resistance exercise (weight train-
ing) is the best thing you can do
for your body; and no other activ-
ity can do what it does (stimulate
muscle growth over time). The
book offers a simple five-exercise

program for beginners, seniors
and non-athletes that is easy to
follow at home or at a gym.
■ The New High Intensity
Training: The Best Muscle-
Building System You’ve Never
Tried by Ellington Darden is for
more advanced strength training.
Darden’s methods use the same
methodology as McGuff and
Little but with more of a body-
building goal in mind. However,
anyone stimulating muscle
growth with resistance exercise
can be considered a bodybuilder,
so go for it!
Next, the trainee will need
some equipment, and a simple
set of dumbbells is an excellent
gift. No matter the age or condi-
tion of the trainees, if he can
hold a dumbbell, he can perform
resistance exercises. Seniors
especially can benefit from a nice
set of dumbbells, which can go
as low as 1 lb. to as heavy as you
like and come in many differ-
ent styles. A set of dumbbells in
pairs from very light to 12 lbs. is
perfect for a beginner; if the gift
is for someone who has trouble
holding weights, a pair of wrist/
ankle weights can be worn to
add resistance instead of heavier
weights. A simple bench com-

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36 December 29 • 2016