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(Holiday Gifting)

The Ultimate Gift Guide For The Friend With A Million New Year’s Resolutions

We all have that pal.

by Natalia Lusinski

Dec. 16, 2022

@bala

wellness gift guide

We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

That time of year is here — when one’s mind starts thinking about the New Year and the changes they’ll be making. And we all have that pal who starts early in compiling a laundry list of resolutions a mile long. Maybe want to work out more or simply move their bodies more frequently, or maybe they’d like to clean up their eating habits (more greens, less sugar), or perhaps they want to start journaling or meditating every morning. When it comes to gifting said goal-oriented friend this holiday season, the key might be in helping them get a jumpstart on their 2023 planning.

If a friend has anxiety, you may want to get them some Therapy Dough that they can shape and squeeze when they’re stressed. (Plus, each canister of dough is infused with soothing essential oils — lavender, orange, and eucalyptus.) Or maybe your health-centric friend wants to exercise more, so you gift them a ClassPass gift card, which allows them to pick and choose which workouts to try, whether it’s yoga, cycling, Pilates, etc.

Or maybe your friend wants to start bike riding — but doesn’t have a bike. The VanMoof S5 is perfect — and also electric. In addition to having lights in front and back, it even has built-in LED light rings on the handlebars and lets you track your biking distance with its app.

Ahead, check out more about gift ideas above, as well as more options for wellness-, fitness-, and nutrition-focused finds that are great for those who want to prioritize their mental and physical health in 2023.

For The Friend Who Wants To Exercise More

The VanMoof S5 is perfect for the bike lovers or local commuters in your life — and it’s also electric!

Gift Card

A ClassPass gift card (the amount is up to you!) is perfect for your fitness-focused friend. That way, they can pick and choose what workouts they’d like to do — and gives them access to buzzy boutique studios in their area — such as yoga, cycling, Pilates, and more.

Bala Bangles

Bala Bangles are the ideal gift for your fitness-y friend — they can wear them while walking, running, or doing housework, for example. They come in 1- and 2-pound versions ($55 and $65, respectively) and all kinds of colors, from Blush to Sage.

All Gender Rocket X Running Shoe

All Gender Rocket X Running Shoe

For your fitness-loving friend, HOKAs are the running shoes they didn’t even know they needed. (HOKA also makes hiking and trail running shoes, if that’s more your friend’s thing.)

For The Friend Who Wants To Prioritize Mental Health

Therapy Dough

Cammie and Kip Weeks/Uncommon Goods

This is not the Play-Doh you enjoyed as a kid. This Therapy Dough is even better, as it’s designed to calm the mind and is infused with essential oils. So not only will massaging the dough be therapeutic, but the aromatherapy provides added benefits, as well.

Wellness Journal

Wellness Journal

This wellness journal is full of prompts to help you track how you’re feeling day-to-day. Inside, you’ll find a “wellness map,” as well as space for intentions, goals, and more.

Knitted Weighted Blanket

Knitted Weighted Blanket

Weighted blankets can help alleviate anxiety and this one by YNM comes in various weights, from 10 pounds up to 25 pounds. It also comes in a wide array of fun and soothing colors, like Lilac and Cooling Menthe Green.

Gift Card

Perhaps your friend has been meaning to try out therapy, which is where BetterHelp comes in. They can speak to a therapist in various ways, such as via phone, video, or email. Gift card prices vary.

For The Friend Who Wants To Focus On Self-Care

Shower Steamer Bundle

Shower Steamer Bundle

For some shower aromatherapy, these shower steamers are from zero-waste self-care brand Parrotfish and come in three scents: Eucalyptus tea tree, Chamomile blossom, and Pomelo posy. So if your friend can’t get to the spa, this is the next best thing!

Bath Salts

If your friend is more of a bath person (or is trying to be), these bath salts will help them relax since they’re also infused with various mood-boosting essential oils, like ylang-ylang and blood orange.

Infrared Sauna Blanket

Infrared Sauna Blanket

Don’t have time to get to a sauna? Try one at home. People like Kourtney Kardashian and Nina Agdal are fans of this infrared sauna blanket, too, that works with science-backed heat therapy. It evenly distributes heat throughout your body, and some of the benefits include reducing recovery time, post-workout, upping your immune system, and helping you sleep.

Mindfulness Bracelet

Think Presently

Mindfulness Bracelet

If you have a friend with anxiety, Think Presently’s Mindfulness Bracelets can help them get back in the present moment. (Plus, the bracelets come in different styles, are pretty to look at, and are available in a few different sayings, like “I let go of what I can’t control”.)

For The Friend Who Wants To Clean Up Their Eating Habits

Clean Eating Plan

Clean Eating Plan

Sakara’s Clean Eating Plan will help that friend who wants to eat healthier — but isn’t sure where to begin. Plant- and protein-rich meals are delivered right to their door, so their only job is to enjoy them. Prices vary, but a 5-day plan starts at $440.

Giftcard

When it comes to nutrition and building better eating habits, a little guidance goes a long way. Gift your wellness-minded friend a gift card to Intro app, which connects users to hundreds of experts across a range of industries — like dietitian McKel Kooienga — to help advise them on their goal journeys.

Healing through Nutrition: The Essential Guide to 50 Plant-Based Nutritional Sources

For The Friend Who Wants To Sleep Better

Nightcap Mushroom Chocolates

Alice Mushrooms

Nightcap Mushroom Chocolates

These mushroom chocolates will soon be your friend’s new favorite bedtime snack. (And you may want to get some for yourself, too.) With organic reishi mushrooms, chamomile, L-theanine, magnesium, and zinc, they’re full of good-for-you, sleep-promoting ingredients.

Samsung Galaxy Watch5

Samsung Galaxy Watch5

Not only does this watch track your fitness habits, but also your sleep — and even creates a five-week program to help improve your sleep.

ŌURA ring

If your friend’s been searching for an easy way to track their sleep and overall health, an ŌURA ring is just the thing! It’s not only stylish, and comes in different colors, but will also monitor their activity levels, heart rate, stress, and more.

Hatch Restore

For the friend who wants to sleep better, Hatch Restore can help. It has white (and pink) noise, as well as other background sounds, as well as guided sleep stories. And, in the morning, it gradually lights up to mimic the sunrise.