Obesity is becoming a larger problem not only among adults but children as well. Our lifestyles do not always allow us to have the time and/or energy to fit regular exercise to our daily routine. Eating habits have consistent with what is easy and convenient, not what is healthy. People are bombarded by a plethora of information on exercise and fitness from numerous sources. Many people do not have the time to gather all of the information in order to establish a solid workout routine to improve their fitness. This is a problem because an individual’s overall fitness can affect their health.

So what do I mean by overall fitness? In my opinion, overall fitness consists of three elements: activity, diet, and motivation. Activity is essentially how active you are. Do you exercise regularly, play sports, entertainment, or take part in some sort of activity that could be designated as exercise? Weight lifting, cycling, biking, swimming, running, playing basketball, or taking a yoga class would all fall under activity in overall fitness. Although, it is not limited to these activities mentioned. The more active you are, the better your overall fitness will be.

The second component is diet. People tend to sometimes claim ignorance on this aspect. Many people tell me, “I just don’t know how to eat healthy.” Eating healthy in large part is simply common sense. I think the average person knows that grilled chicken and vegetables is healthier than eating a hamburger and fries. We sometimes say we don’t know when we really do. Calorie consumption and portion control are also two important factors in the diet of an individual. Nutrition facts on the items we buy will help with these two elements. Many times the serving portions are smaller than most of us are probably used to. The key is not to totally deprive yourself of everything because then you set yourself up for failure. You can eat desserts, french fries, and pizza but the key is doing it in moderation.

The last component of overall fitness is motivation. This is probably the most important component of the three. Why you ask? Well think about it, if you are not motivated to exercise and eat right, then how are you going to improve your fitness? The two most difficult aspects to motivation are getting started and staying consistent. Many people will keep putting off exercising or changing their diet. The key is to just start it. You don’t have to do it on the first day of the week or month. You can start right now.

The second aspect of motivation is staying consistent. Now that you have chosen to start exercising and eating right, it’s time to maintain it. Incorporate eating healthy and exercising into your daily routine. Make it part of your day just like working or going to school is. If you set a routine, you will be more likely to follow it.

All of these aspects of your overall fitness of course can be broken down even further. It’s important to focus on each one of these and try to improve each of them. If you can do that, you’re well on your way to improving your overall fitness.

First, understanding the benefits of regular exercise yourself will allow you to share a gift with someone in the true spirit of love and concern for them. If the recipient can understand you are looking out for their best interest and want them to live a longer and healthier life, the gift will be well received. A corollary to this first point is to give a fitness gift to someone who already understands the importance of healthy activity in their life.

Second, select a gift that can also be used when the person is not “exercising.” A nice sports watch, for example, can be worn as a regular digital watch on a regular basis, then kick into timing laps or keeping pace when the person is working out. Heart rate monitors can be worn without the chest transmitter strap, similarly providing regular sports watch functionality until the user needs that heart rate measurement.

People love high-tech gadgets. Especially men. So the third point is to find something that uses new or innovative technology. In the health and fitness world, there are several products that fit this bill. Timex makes some incredible speed and distance units that use GPS technology to give constant readouts on speed, distance, pace, and more. Newer units also come with heart rate monitors and can send all that data to a separate recorder unit that can download training data to your PC.

Perhaps no one puts high-tech into a wrist unit better than Finnish company Suunto. Their wristop computers are the ultimate in multi-function training devices. They range from simple functions like time, date, and stopwatch to the more advanced altitude, temperature, and EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). Suunto even makes units that will keep your golf score, and measure the speed of your swing.

Finally, choose something simple that can be a constant reminder to get more regular physical activity than the recipient is currently getting. A pedometer is a great tool for motivation, as it constantly reminds you to take more steps per day. Pedometers count steps, distance, calories, time and much more (depending on the model). A person can clip one on their waistband and go all day-whether deliberately “exercising” or not-and keep track of their effort.

Whatever health and fitness gift you decide to give this holiday season, be assured you are helping the recipient live a better and healthier life. That’s truly the “gift that keeps on giving.”