Holiday Gift Ideas for Health and Wellness Success

**Jim Hill:** Welcome to Weight Loss And, where we delve into the world of weight loss. I'm Jim Hill.

**Holly Wyatt:** And I'm Holly Wyatt. We're both dedicated to helping you lose weight, keep it off, and live your best life while you're doing it.

**Jim Hill:** Indeed, we now realize successful weight loss combines the science and art of medicine, knowing what to do and why you will do it.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yes, the “And” allows us to talk about all the other stuff that makes your journey so much bigger, better, and exciting.

**Jim Hill:** Ready for the “And” factor?

**Holly Wyatt:** Let's dive in.

**Jim Hill:** Here we go. Welcome to Weight Loss And, the podcast where we explore the big questions about weight management and wellness. But Holly, today we're kicking off the holiday season with something a little different.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah.

**Jim Hill:** And hopefully a lot more fun. So forget the science for a moment. I can't believe I said that. But today we're here to talk about gifts.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yes, gifts. Who doesn't love gifts? The holidays are right around the corner and one of the top questions I get from people are what are some health-conscious but still fun gifts that I can give? So with that in mind, Jim and I put together a holiday gift guide act with thoughtful, energizing, feel-good ideas that can help you start 2025 on a healthy note.

**Jim Hill:** And Holly had one rule for this list. Each gift has to be something she had genuinely loved to get herself and that she had happily given to others. So if you're on Holly's list this year, maybe hit pause to avoid the spoilers.

Yeah. That's my rule, Jim. When I do any Christmas or holiday shopping, if I see something I want, it's like I get it for me and then I get two or three others and I figure out who to give it to.

So I always have that rule this time of year. So these are going to be gifts that you can give other people or nothing wrong with treating yourself. We've got everything from nutrition boosts to fitness gadgets to mindset shifters - gifts at every price point.

We've got stocking stuffers to a couple of big splurge-worthy items. And while Jim might not be known as the ultimate gift hunter.

**Jim Hill:** What?

**Holly Wyatt:** Yes. When I said put together a list, I could see your face. You were not, you were like, what? This is not me. But that's where I come in because I do love to find the perfect gift and I do love to go out there gift hunting. So together between the two of us, we've got you covered.

**Jim Hill:** Yeah, you really are good at that, I'll have to say. And right up front, just to be clear, no affiliations, no sponsorship, just honest picks, no strings attached. We don't get any kickbacks on these gifts.

**Holly Wyatt:** Right. We are not sponsored. So that is important. So no conflict of interest on this. I like that. So guys, settle in. We're going to dive into our favorite picks for 2024. Whether you're shopping for a loved one, or treating yourself, these gifts are designed to bring joy and health long past the holiday season. So I'm excited. Let's get started.

**Jim Hill:** Okay.

**Holly Wyatt:** All right. So what do we have, Jim? We have about 10 with some extras at the end, right?

**Jim Hill:** We do. I'll do the first one. Okay. Actually, this is a gift my wife suggested. I asked her for tips and she suggested the Oura Smart Ring. It's a health-tracking device. It's the ultimate in wearable health technology. It combines a sleek design with advanced health monitoring.

I love to monitor things. It tracks sleep quality, heart rate, and activity levels. It even provides a daily readiness score to help users understand how prepared they are to take on the day. This ring goes beyond just tracking steps and it offers insights that support improved sleep, recovery, and overall well-being.

**Holly Wyatt:** This was on my list too. So Trish and I had this on both of our lists.

**Jim Hill:** Does that mean I have to get her one for Christmas?

**Holly Wyatt:** Well, I think it's a hint if she doesn't already have one now, you know.

**Jim Hill:** Ah, okay.

**Holly Wyatt:** I always just buy one for myself right away, usually. So I'm going to buy one for myself, but tracking devices in general, right? There's Fitbit’s, there's all different kinds.

**Jim Hill:** So is one end and this, Holly, I think this is for the tech lovers.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah.

**Jim Hill:** I mean, this is great. But on the other end, you have a simple pedometer that could track your steps. So this is the beauty right now of what we call these wearable devices. You can get one for 10 bucks or you can get one for hundreds of bucks. And again, it's up to you. If you're a tech lover, man, this thing looks tremendous. It looks like it would be a lot of fun.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. So I'm getting one for myself because here's why. I have all kinds of tracking devices, but I like the idea of a ring that it's stylish. I mean, you know, you can't really see it like a, you know, I have some big clunky kind of watches that I wear, but I want to wear it to bed. And I don't like wearing a big watch type, you know, device to bed. I want to wear it to bed.

I really want to start monitoring my sleep a little bit more. So it's not as bulky. I think it's offering not only the activity monitoring that we love but also some details into health insights. So it's kind of putting it all in one place in a really small device. I think that's cool.

**Jim Hill:** I might try this one, Holly. This actually sounds like it might be fun. So give our listeners an indication of what you're going to pay for one of these things.

**Holly Wyatt:** So it depends on which version, you know, how they've come out. And I like it. I think they're like, I don't quote me. I think it's like version four. So that's good because they kind of debugs.

**Jim Hill:** Yeah.

**Holly Wyatt:** I think it's better and better and better. So if you want like, it's just like an iPhone, you want the, you know, version number four, I think it's going to run you about 500 bucks, 499. That's like the newest one. It's on Amazon. I think also Target may be having them but definitely can get it on Amazon. But if you want to go for one of the…

**Jim Hill:** Yeah, you can go, you can go anywhere from $10 to $500. So you can decide.

**Holly Wyatt:** Well, no, but I mean the ring, Jeff. But you can get the ring for like 299.

**Jim Hill:** Oh, okay. Gotcha. Gotcha.

**Holly Wyatt:** That's not the most up-to-date version, right? Like the iPhone, right? You're getting, getting a lower version.

**Jim Hill:** But there are other tracking devices. And again, we're really high on a tracking device. Track at least your steps. If you want to track other things, that's great. You've got a whole range of price points for these things. So find something that fits with your budget and what you like to do.

**Holly Wyatt:** But the cool thing about the ring is it's tracking and then it's got all these health ideas. I'm excited about the ring and I can just wear it to bed.

**Jim Hill:** I like the ring. I guess I'll have to get two, one for me and one for Trish.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. And it comes in different colors. So you can pick that. Now here's the tricky part, Jim, because I've already been looking into this because I do want to buy this for a couple of people. So if you all are on my list, stop listening really, because everything I'm probably going to get for Christmas, I'm going to talk about.

So really, my sister, stop listening, my niece, stop listening. But the tricky part with this is you have to get the right size. So what they do is they will send out a size kit, basically, first. So you really want to get the right size. I mean, you don't want to spend $500 on something and it not really be on the finger you want it on and really fit and all of that.

I mean, that's, you know, important. So they do have this size kit that comes out first, figure out the exact size, exact finger, all that, then you can get the ring itself. So if you wanted to give this as a gift, one way to think about it is give the sizing kit and then let them size it and get the ring.

**Jim Hill:** It's a great idea. Which finger do you wear it on?

**Holly Wyatt:** I think you get to choose, but maybe I not. I maybe have to read the, I don't have this yet. I'm going to get it.

**Jim Hill:** All right. But this is a good one. So I'm glad we started off with this one. If your budget allows and if you like tech stuff, wow, you got to get one of these.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. And it was on both our lists. So how can we not start?

**Jim Hill:** All right. What's next, Holly?

**Holly Wyatt:** Number two is also what I'm getting myself. And I think this is a really, really good one. Standing desks have been popular for a while. People may or may not have a standing desk. This is kind of the next thing that everybody is getting. And it's a walking pad. It's not a treadmill. It's a walking pad.

So you can move even while you're at work watching TV or doing anything that might be a sedentary activity. And we did a podcast, Jim, on kind of sitting. Do you remember that?

**Jim Hill:** Yeah, I remember that.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. And I think the, the data for that kind of came out that sitting is the new smoking that we really, if we can decrease the amount of time we're sitting and that standing's better, but even better than just standing is if you could walk even really, really slowly. And so number two on my list is a walking pad.

And I wanted to give a brand because if you go out to Amazon, they're all over the map. And so I called Chris Powell. You know, Jim, our friend, Chris Powell.

**Jim Hill:** Oh, yeah, we love Chris.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. He just recently got a walking pad. I saw on social media that he's been using this. And the brand he got and he just, you know, he looked at Amazon reviews, but he loves it. I did call him and say, has it worked out?

And he said, absolutely. It's Sperax, S P E R A X. It's about 170 bucks. So, you know, it's in a range that a lot of people maybe can afford. It's compact. It can go under the desk.

It lets you stay active while working. You can do it where it has like a handle to hold on to, or you can just do it without a handle. Well, you'd put it under the desk. So if you wanted to do it in front of a TV or somewhere else, you could have a handle. But if you just wanted to put it under a desk his tip, guys, is to walk really slow. Don't speed it up max.

Just really, really slowly, but it adds up over the day. So I think it's a great idea for maintaining movement, typically during long periods of time when you might be sitting for whatever reason.

**Jim Hill:** That's a good one. I like this one. And again, if that's something that fits you, reasonable price and a great way to do that little bit of extra activity. And remember in our podcast, what we said every little bit helps. Doing this alone didn't going to make you fit. You got to go out and do some exercise, but this can help. It can really counter some of the negative impacts of sitting.

**Holly Wyatt:** Who would this gift specifically be good for? I mean, I know that's what some of the listeners are probably wondering.

**Jim Hill:** Well, I think it's like people like me that sit at a desk at work or at home. And it's something you can do. You don't have to find extra time in your schedule. You do it while you're doing your work.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. So I think remote workers or people that you know are working from home. I think it could be good. Students.

**Jim Hill:** Yep.

**Holly Wyatt:** I think that do a lot of sitting. I think the other thing with these walking paths, is it's kind of space-saving. It's not as big as a treadmill. You can put it away. You can put it under a desk. So that's something to think about when people who don't have a space for a big treadmill, this actually could work.

**Jim Hill:** Okay, let's go to the third one. The third one is the Hatch Restore 2. And I actually have one of these because some thoughtful person gave me this as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago.

**Holly Wyatt:** Who would that be?

**Jim Hill:** That would be the wonderful gift giver, Dr. Wyatt. So she gave me one of these and I use it. I use it as my clock alarm clock beside the bed. And what it does, is an alarm clock, a sound machine, and a meditation app all at once. You can go to sleep with the music, calming music, etc. It's a really cool sort of thing. It's, I think on Amazon, it's about $129. So it's not a lot and it's a real way to encourage more restful sleep and less stressful mornings.

**Holly Wyatt:** So I totally forgot that I gave you one of these to be honest.

**Jim Hill:** You did.

**Holly Wyatt:** But I have one of these and I think they keep getting better. So, you know, new versions, new versions coming out. I love this because if you want it to make it into your morning routine, we talk about morning routines, morning rituals. It can be part of that. It can also be part of your evening routine or evening rituals. If you're trying to maybe in 2025, someone's going to be trying to really work on their sleep hygiene. This is perfect.

**Jim Hill:** This is a good one. And again, we've talked over and over about the importance of getting sleep. If you're not sleeping well, it's very hard to manage your weight.

**Holly Wyatt:** Right. This could be like mindful stuff in the morning. You're wanting to do meditation and mindful stuff. It can help you with that. It can help you with sleep in the evening. So either, either way, it's a great gift.

**Jim Hill:** Okay. Number four, Holly.

**Holly Wyatt:** All right. So I put several things in number four. I call this the holiday waist slimmers, kitchen gadgets to shrink the fat cells. So you have to be careful when you give kitchen gadgets. It has to be someone who would really appreciate having a kitchen gadget. Before I was always thinking about what would I like to get that would help me with food prep or help me eat healthier nutrition-type things. So I have three on the list and a couple of ones that maybe people know about. But if someone doesn't have an air fryer, I think that's a have-to.

**Jim Hill:** Everybody needs one of those.

**Holly Wyatt:** You don't even know you need it until you get it and you try it out. That's the key, though. So if you don't think you need it, just try it out. They're amazing to me. You can cook some really good things in an air fryer and really cut the calories and cut the fat. So I always have that on my list. If it's someone who doesn't have one, I give that out as a prize all the time in State of Slim and people really love it.

The second one on the list for a kitchen gadget to shrink the fat cells is a Nutribullet and there's travel size now. And it's not even so much the brand, but there's these…

**Jim Hill:** I've never heard of this.

**Holly Wyatt:** Okay, this is to make shakes when you travel.

**Jim Hill:** Yeah?

**Holly Wyatt:** So it's a small version of like a blender, basically.

**Jim Hill:** Wow.

**Holly Wyatt:** But it's just geared to really do protein powder and water. It's not it's not geared to cut something really hard. But when I travel, I don't like protein powder just in water and shaking it. I don't like that flavor nearly as much, but I can put this in my bag. It's perfect for on-the-go smoothies and protein shakes. So it's really specifically for that, but you can travel with it. So a travel size of this and several different companies have them now. So I think that's a great gift for someone who's traveling, wants to stay on track, and uses protein shakes a lot. That would be a perfect gift. And then the last one, it’s one that I want. So of course, I'm going to put it on there and Jim, tell Trish, if you all haven't got my gift yet, this would be…

**Jim Hill:** Ah.

**Holly Wyatt:** This is what I really, really want.

**Jim Hill:** I love that people make it easy for me. So I…

**Holly Wyatt:** Yes.

**Jim Hill:** I've got this written down.

**Holly Wyatt:** I believe tell people what you want, right?

**Jim Hill:** Yeah. Oh, yeah.

**Holly Wyatt:** You get what you want. People may not get it, but I think this is great. I looked and they now have these omelette and frittata makers. Now you're saying, well, do I need another gadget? Do I need another just to make omelets and frittatas? I can do that on the stove. I can do that in the oven. And the answer I thought to myself is, yes, I do.

Because you know why, Jim? I eat egg whites for breakfast. I eat egg whites for dinner. It's a go-to meal for me because it's high protein, low calorie. It fills me up. I can have a big volume. I love it. And I thought, why don't I have something that makes it really easy to make? People have waffle irons. I don't eat waffles that much, but I eat a ton of omelets and frittatas.

And I think other people do too, because it helps with that protein, is a healthy thing to eat. So why not have a kitchen gadget that would help me make it? And I saw one that is both an omelet and frittata maker. I think I want to try that.

**Jim Hill:** Wow. That sounds great. So do you have a brand for this one?

**Holly Wyatt:** I think on Amazon, there are several. I did not get a specific brand. I know you want it because you're trying to look, you're probably trying to order it right now. I can see you doing something. What are you doing?

**Jim Hill:** Just pay attention to the podcast, Holly.

**Holly Wyatt:** All right, Jim, let's move to number five.

**Jim Hill:** Okay, number five is easyplant thankful trio - greenery for a season of gratitude. I can't believe you have me doing this.

**Holly Wyatt:** So I put this one on there if you need my help.

**Jim Hill:** So it's a set of three self-watering plants. There are self-watering plants. I love that that brings calm and color to any space with amenable maintenance. I may need this. This is perfect as a long-lasting meaningful alternative to traditional holiday treats. This trio symbolizes gratitude and growth. This is for plant lovers.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah.

**Jim Hill:** If you're a busy professional like me, you get a plant and you forget to water it, this sounds like a really good gift.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. So I give this gift for almost all holidays, birthday. This is one of my go-to’s because you order it and it goes directly to their house. It's perfect. Instead of a gift basket, this to me is an alternative.

And like I said, I do it for multiple holidays. But what I love about this brand, the brand is easyplant. So do easyplant, go to their website, easyplant website. And they have themes. So like for right now, they have this easyplant thankful trio where you actually get three plants and it's all about the season of gratitude. They always have a theme on Valentine's Day. They have a theme so you actually can send plants kind of around the holiday theme just like you would do a gift basket. I have these plants all different sizes.

You don't have to get a themed one. You can order just one plant of all different sizes, self-watering. You water them once a month and they stay watered the whole time. I have them in my office. I have them in my house. I've given them, Jim, we need to get some for your office. I'm surprised I haven't given you one for your office. I think I did.

**Jim Hill:** I have one plant in my office that I've actually kept alive for like a year now, which is amazing.

**Holly Wyatt:** All right, I'm going to get you one for your office. I get these all the time because they just do really well. The other key is they ship. I didn't think I ordered this huge one. I'm like, it is not going to ship well. Like is not going to be beautiful. Got the box, got out. Perfect. Done it so many times. I feel very confident. Easyplant.

I would use that company because I know for sure it works. All different kinds of prices like to get the three plants. I mean, how cool is that? Here's a trio of thankfulness, it's about gratitude this time of year.

I'm sure as we move a little bit closer to the holidays, they're going to have some other themes that are going to go around more the Christmas or Hanukkah-type holiday. So go there. You can get easyplant thankful trio, is only 119. I thought that’s really reasonable.

**Jim Hill:** That's reasonable.

**Holly Wyatt:** Send in the mail, Jim. This is one you have people who live across the country, send in the mail.

**Jim Hill:** That's a great idea.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah.

**Jim Hill:** All right. Number six, Holly.

**Holly Wyatt:** All right. This is something for the right person. You've got to match these gifts to the right person, but these are affirmation cards. And these are cards that you can do daily for inspiration. It helps with a positive mindset.

We talk about mindset a lot in this program. And so there are a bunch of different types of affirmation decks that would have different themes. But the idea is you get a deck of these cards and the company I like to get these cards have all these different themes. So you can pick a theme like you could pick the theme of self-love.

It'd be a deck of cards that have affirmation, you know, positive statements about self-love or about gratitude, is Mindful. So shop dot mindful dot org, the company's called Mindful. They have a ton of different mindful affirmation cards. Each card will feature an uplifting affirmation to inspire positivity, mindfulness, and gratitude. They provide gentle reminders to help center your thoughts and start each day with an empowering mindset. So if you can really pick the right deck for somebody so there's a relationship one, if they're going through something, you could pick the right deck. I think this is a really great gift and perfect for anyone who's prioritizing mental wellness, and personal growth and is looking to add a bit of daily encouragement into their routine. And it costs around 25 bucks, depending on the deck.

**Jim Hill:** So very affordable gift for the right person.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. And like I said, there are lots of affirmation decks out there. I really like the company Mindful. I really think they're a good company. Once again, no kickbacks. I have nothing but the company except I've just ordered from them a lot and feel confident in their product.

**Jim Hill:** Okay, Holly. Number seven is think about giving someone an online course for mind and wellness. There are a lot of these online courses that offer help in mental wellness. And it's a chance to improve your mindset or as we like to say your mind state. And they can help you develop tools for developing a balanced mind state. The nice thing is with an online course, you can access them anytime.

So it's perfect for people with busy schedules. And we've got a couple to suggest there are a lot of them out there. There's one on mindful meditation. And again, it's available at the mindful store. One of the places Holly loves. And this includes some guided meditation practices that can reduce stress and help build resilience. This costs about forty-nine ninety-nine. Another one is the power of awareness by Sounds True. And this covers essential mindfulness techniques. So it allows you to improve your awareness and emotional balance. And that's about $197. So this is perfect for a gift for that self-care enthusiast who's seeking personal growth to improve their mind state.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. So once again, this is a gift I love to get. So if there's something that I love to get, I put it on the list. I don't know if that's good or bad. And there are so many different courses out there. So it's basically you're giving an online course and they can be different lengths of time. They can be delivered in different ways. Sometimes you get like one lesson a week, but go out there and find something that you think would fit the person you want to buy the gift for.

The two places that I go and look at that have multiple online classes about all different types of wellness are Mindful Organization or the company Mindful and then Sounds True is also a great company that has a lot of online courses. And this is perfect, I think, for the right person. And it's thoughtful too, especially if you go and you say, I think this would be a really good fit. And once again, it's easy to give it.

It's online. So it's a very easy thing to sign them up for and all different range of costs. And I think it gives people a lot of flexibility. They can learn at their own pace. I think it's a thoughtful gift and it lasts a long time. It's a very enduring gift.

**Jim Hill:** Okay. Number eight, Holly.

**Holly Wyatt:** All right. This is what I love to do when I'm clever and I find the perfect thing. And so I'm going to challenge some of you to think about doing this. This can help you and it's going to help the person that you're giving it to, too, especially if you live in the same place. But to give what I'm calling a local experience gift, something around wellness.

So perfect for friends and families. What you do is to go out and find some experience. It could be about relaxation or self-care or physical activity. I like to look at, like, yoga places that have unique classes or different gyms that have unique classes and see if I can buy an experience for someone. And maybe it's a one-time thing or maybe it's a pack of two or three. Let me give you an example.

Maybe people aren't following me. So I looked up one of our yoga places here in Birmingham and I was like, what kind of classes could I give someone? What kind of experiences could I give someone? They had aerial yoga where you hung in these sheets and did yoga and from the, you know, hanging from the ceiling.

And then they had these floating meditation classes. Experiences. And what I think would be so cool is you get one for yourself and for somebody else, you go do it together. You experience something new together. So it gives you a chance to kind of unwind, recharge, enjoy something memorable, and do it together. So you could also do physical activity things just depending on the person. And yet it might be a little bit uncomfortable and especially if you're going to go with them, then that even, you know, helps you and helps them. Or if they don't live in the same city, you could still try to find them some kind of experience. I love the idea of an experience.

**Jim Hill:** Okay. I like that. I hadn't thought about that, but that could be fun. You can get on the internet and play around with what's available in your area and see if there's something that appeals to you.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. I think places to look or yoga studios, a lot of times they have a lot of different types of classes. And I think it really is this very unique gift that you can give. And it can be anywhere. It can be 30 bucks if you're just buying one class or you could buy a series of classes or, you know, more expensive. So there's really a range of prices there. But I think it really says, you know, I'm thinking about you. I'm going out and really trying to find something that fits you and can kind of get you out of your comfort zone, which we know is a good thing for a lot of people.

**Jim Hill:** Let's go to number nine, Holly. And number nine is a morning ritual gift basket. We like morning rituals here on Weight Loss And, and so a gift basket that can consist of maybe two or three items that sort of help morning rituals. And some of the ideas that could be in this gift basket are an inspirational candle. My wife loves candles, so that might be a good one for her.

The Republic of Tea, unique tea flavors that you could put together. A mindfulness journal. I know Holly loves to keep a mindfulness journal and write in it each morning.

So that's something good. Essential oil roller. A calming blend like lavender, peppermint, or citrus in a rollerball application. Again, morning affirmation cards.

We've talked about those. Or a handcrafted mug or tumbler. And it's perfect for someone as they're sipping their morning tea or coffee. So the idea is to look at two or three of these things and put it together as a morning ritual gift basket.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. This idea, Jim, is basically pick a theme and can you put several items together in a gift basket or a gift box? I do a box because I can never find the right basket. I get a box and then I'm like, I'm going to put items together that have a general theme.

And the theme that you were talking about is the morning ritual. And that's why candles and tea, coffee, mugs, affirmation cards, you might even give them a whole deck. You could sometimes open a deck and give specific cards to that person to really personalize it.

But the idea, instead of giving you another traditional candy gift box that we see so often, this is a way to still give a gift box or a gift basket, but make it really unique and geared toward wellness. So those things that you said, you don't have to put them all in. They're just ideas that would go into one. But Jim, I noticed on your list, you had a lot of little things that would go into a great box around activity. So you could have an activity-focused gift box or basket. So because you talked about bands and a running belt, yoga mat. I give a yoga mat in a box.

**Jim Hill:** You can get a very cheap dumbbell set so people can have dumbbells around. They're folding treadmills, things like a pickleball paddle if you think people might like to do that. So again, I like the idea of a gift basket around activity. A pair of athletic shoes, I mean, simple things that might be a little bit of an incentive for people to get out and move more.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. I don't know if the folding treadmill is going to go in the gift box. I mean, but Jim, the other stuff, right? A pair of shoes with hand warmers and a hat with a light so they can walk it at night with then some pickleball. You know, I mean, depending on the person, you could put together a really nice basket that kind of centers around active stuff, just like this other basket centered around the morning ritual. And then the cool thing about that is it's any price, right? Depending on how much, how many different items you want to put in there.

So it could be, you know, $50 all the way up to $200, $300, just depending on how much stuff you wanted to put in. And I think it's a really thoughtful gift that really matches the person. It puts together little things in a really creative way that says I'm thinking about you, which is really what it is about.

**Jim Hill:** I like the idea of grouping these things together as gift baskets or gift boxes where you can do a lot of little things. I think it's a great idea.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. And to me, it's like, I'm thinking about you. I put some effort into this. It's made for you, you know? And that to me is what really I love to get a gift. Or I like, oh, I can tell they put some thought into this. All right. Was that, oh, that was number nine, right?

**Jim Hill:** That was number nine.

**Holly Wyatt:** Oh my goodness. Okay. Well, number 10, then it's going to have to be our stocking stuffers.

**Jim Hill:** Everybody needs good ideas for stocking stuffers.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. So we'll just have our number 10 be our stocking stuffers. So little things you can put in a stocking. These will also go in a gift box, right? Because they're little if you wanted to. So one of my favorites this year that I'm giving out is the Unico Protein Packets. So I use a lot of protein powder.

A lot of my friends use protein powder. We're constantly cooking or making different things with it, muffins or shakes. And I really like this Unico brand because they have a lot of unique flavors.

So things like birthday cake and salted caramel and chocolate, molten cake, different flavors that I can try out. And what I really love now is they have a sample box, Jim. A box that I think has six flavors, six individual packets come in one, and you can try them all out without having to buy a big tub.

I hate it when I buy a big tub of protein and then I don't like it. I mean, I may not want a big tub of birthday cake, but I might occasionally want to try out the birthday cake flavor, etc. So you could buy a sample pack of six and then just take an individual, pack it out, and put it in a stocking or put it in a gift box. Or you could give them the whole sample pack if it's somebody that you know uses a lot of protein. So I think that's a great gift and you can get them on Amazon.

If you go to Amazon, just make sure you do Unico and then do sample packet, sample packet. What else? What else do we have on this for stocking stuffers? What's that next one?

**Jim Hill:** The meal prep containers?

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah.

**Jim Hill:** So again, we talk about the importance of planning ahead for good nutrition and prepping your meals. And these are simple little things that help you keep your meals organized and fresh. They're durable compartmental glass containers. We actually have those at home, Holly, and those are very, very helpful. I find we use them all the time. They're microwave and dishwasher-safe, and it really makes food prep more convenient.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. So if you know someone who is food prepping all the time or wants to start food prepping, or has said in 2025, I'm going to start food prepping, I think this would be a great gift. I like the brand Fit, F-I-T. So FIT meal prep containers. You can get them on Amazon.

They're around $30 for a four-pack. There are lots of different meal prep containers out there. So you could look on Amazon and get anything you wanted. But if you want a specific brand, I think that's a good one. They seem to work well and make it very convenient and easy, which is something we're always talking about. How can we make it as easy as possible?

**Jim Hill:** Absolutely.

**Holly Wyatt:** All right. ****Number three on my stocking stuffer list, something I give out all the time too, and I use all the time, are shower steamers. Have you ever used these, Jim?

**Jim Hill:** I don't even know what it is. Tell me.

**Holly Wyatt:** So, you know, a lot of people do like bath salts if you're taking a bath, right, to make the bath special. But what do you do when you're taking a shower? I take a lot of showers. My guess is, Jim, you take a lot of showers.

**Jim Hill:** Yes.

**Holly Wyatt:** So these are like a bath bomb, but they're for the shower, and you put them in the shower, and they make it smell wonderful. You put it right in the bottom of the shower. Shower steamers, sometimes they're called shower bombs, but they really smell good. They make it steamy. It makes it, you know, it can be eucalyptus. It could be lavender.

It could be peppermint. Kind of creates this refreshing and relaxing atmosphere where you can unwind at the end of the long day. So instead of a bubble bath or a salt bath, this is an alternative if you do showers, and you can get a set of six for 10 bucks. So it's really just this little thing that can help with that mind state, relaxation, self-care.

**Jim Hill:** Interesting.

**Holly Wyatt:** I'm going to get you some of those, Jim, so you can try them out.

**Jim Hill:** All right.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah, you don't seem thrilled, but you never know.

**Jim Hill:** I can be surprised.

**Holly Wyatt:** Okay. But the perfect thing to put in a stocking, right?

**Jim Hill:** Yeah, it makes sense. Okay, the next one, I actually like this one. It's like an LED hat, a winter hat with a built-in LED light. So if you're walking like right now, it gets dark at like noon or something so early that, you know, you end up, if you go for a walk in the evening, it's dark. So a hat with a built-in light, I love this. And it's only around $15. So you could look at LED hats on Amazon.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. And just in case you're wondering, they do have animal print. So I got one that's animal print and Bodie and my new, my new pug puppy, that I don't know if I've announced on the show, but I just got a new pug puppy. And yes, we're going to be going out in the dark. So I need this hat with a light so we can walk. And it comes in all different kinds of prints and all kinds of things. So I think this is a cool thing to stick in it.

**Jim Hill:** Oh, I like that one, Holly.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. Stick in a stocking or put it in a gift box, either one.

**Jim Hill:** So maybe let's end with a couple of splurge gifts.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah.

**Jim Hill:** This money’s no object, we've got some gifts for you.

**Holly Wyatt:** I would say money’s no object, and these are kind of cutting edge. They're still in development. If you go for these gifts, you kind of have to be willing to know they may not be perfect yet. But if you're the person that likes to be ahead of the curve, you know, those ones that like the technology early and they're okay to accept a little bit of problems with it, potentially. These are interesting ideas. I like both of them. I have one of them, and I really want the second one, Jim, but it's pricey.

**Jim Hill:** Not going to come for me this year.

**Holly Wyatt:** All right. The first one is something that I have. It's called Enophones. So E-N-O-P-H-O-N-E-S. And these are an advanced EEG-enabled headphone that monitors your brain waves. Now, I had to get these because the science geek in me loved it. Had to see what my brain is doing when I'm meditating or when I'm thinking about something else or sleeping. And it literally traces your brain like an EEG would. And you can see whether you have alpha waves, beta waves, gamma waves, all of that. You can play different music and it will track your own brain waves and give you a report back so you can see. And then the idea is to train your brain. So it comes with an app that would give you different soundscapes and different activities to see what your brain does and to try to train your brain to get it into more of a relaxed mental state or more focused. There are times when you want it to be focused.

So it's perfect for anyone who wants to really enhance mental fitness but also likes the science geeky part of it. They work well. I still think they have some bugs to get out. They're kind of newer in this. My understanding is I think Apple may have bought them as kind of a new platform to try out. So they work, mine work, but it's not as seamless as I would like it to be.

I think they need a little bit of work, especially on the app. But I love seeing if I'm an alpha, beta, and then say, you know, if I play certain music, what happens? I love the science part of it, I guess.

**Jim Hill:** Well, how has that helped, Holly? What did you see change?

**Holly Wyatt:** I don't know if it's helped, Jim. I just, it's awareness now. And I can tell when I've even been able to get in gamma, which is like the super kind of focused mind state. So awareness. I don't know that I've been able to use it to change yet, but I love that awareness in trying it out with different things.

**Jim Hill:** All right. And here's the last one. And this is if you really want to splurge, get a sound bed. This is a sound therapy bed that combines low-frequency sound waves and gentle vibrations to promote deep relaxation, muscle recovery, and improved sleep quality.

The sound bed uses immersive sound technology to resonate with the body, relaxing tension, enhancing mental clarity, and providing a unique, deeply restorative experience. Oh my gosh. And you can have one of these, Holly, for only $4,000.

**Holly Wyatt:** Well, okay. I looked it up this morning. They're down to 2,000, Jim.

**Jim Hill:** Oh my gosh. Rush out.

**Holly Wyatt:** They're down to 2,000. Now the brand that I want, and there are different sound beds, but the really cool one is Opus, O-P-U-S. And you have to sign up for it. You put down a deposit, and then when one's ready, they send it to you. So this is like the newest kind of thing. I'm really sensitive to sound. Some people are, some people aren't. But I feel sound and it really resonates with me and can put me in a very relaxed state. So this is this bed that you can lay in. It plays certain sounds, vibrations, energy, Jim. Jim, y'all can't see Jim, but Jim's rolling his eyes here because this is a little woo-woo for him.

**Jim Hill:** Color me skeptical on this one, but hey, I wait to be persuaded differently.

**Holly Wyatt:** Hey, deep relaxation, muscle recovery, improved sleep quality, but I'm super sensitive to it. But I want one so bad. And I loved it when I looked this morning and they were down to $2,000, Jim. Oh, so tempted. So tempted.

**Jim Hill:** Go for it, Holly, a gift to yourself.

**Holly Wyatt:** I know, but you know, I got this puppy and this puppy's costing me some money, so I may need to wait.

**Jim Hill:** All right. Well, hopefully, we've hit on some good ideas. There are actually a lot of things in here I like, Holly. Some I still don't understand, but a lot of them I like. And I think it's a great suggestion to give those gifts with a little bit of thoughtfulness to people who really value their wellness.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah, I think that's the key is to think about and match them up. You know, some of these gifts wouldn't be good for certain individuals. That's right. But they would be great for others and that's where you got to think through this. Should we do a couple of vulnerability questions? Do we have time for a couple of vulnerabilities?

**Jim Hill:** Sure, go for it.

**Holly Wyatt:** Let's do that. So I want to ask you this and then you can ask me this because I already know my answer. Have you ever given a wellness gift or really any gift, Jim? We can go to any gift that didn't go over as planned. And what did you learn from that experience?

**Jim Hill:** Oh my gosh. You know, you said it upfront. I am not a good gift giver and I recognize that about myself. The good gift givers, Holly, you're a wonderful gift giver. My oldest son, Alex is a wonderful gift giver because he thinks about the person and matches gifts to persons. I don't remember sort of the one that didn't go over as planned, but one that did that was surprising was when I got my wife a toolkit. She loved it. So you have to think about exactly the right gift for the right person. And I recognize I don't spend as much time as I should on that. So I am not a good gift giver, but I will try to do better. And these ideas have really helped me for this Christmas. So I've already got some ideas here.

**Holly Wyatt:** You're welcome, Jim. You're welcome. That's a great story. Some people, they've got a toolbox, Jim, that would be terrible.

**Jim Hill:** That's right. Don't get this for your wife unless you know that it's going to go over well.

**Holly Wyatt:** Right. But one of the best gifts I ever got was from my ex-husband. It was a treadmill. Now, some people would have been offended by a treadmill. I was like, this is the best thing. I loved it. But I have definitely given some gifts that didn't go over as planned. And one of the big ones, and I didn't put it on this list because it's iffy, but I've given this out many, many times, is a travel scale. So the little scales you put in your suitcase to weigh yourself, because we believe in weighing when you're on vacation, weighing when you travel. And people always say I don't have a scale. I don't have a scale or there's not a scale I can find when I travel. So there's these little scales that are great. They're very accurate. And I gave those out as gifts. And I'm not sure everybody appreciated that gift very much. So that didn't quite go as planned.

**Jim Hill:** Yeah. You have to be really careful, especially like giving people like weight loss class or something. Yeah. Those are pretty sensitive. You have to make sure that people are receptive to those.

**Holly Wyatt:** Yeah. I agree. And then the other thing that I gave, and I thought this was the best gift, and I loved it because I loved it. Right? If I love it then, and I just misjudged is Sensate. Sensate is kind of the mini version of a sound bed. It's this little device that you can lay on your chest and it vibrates, and it activates the vagus nerve.

It's through sound therapy, but it's a mini version really of a sound bed. So you're on your chest, so you feel it. And it can increase parasympathetic, the nervous system. And when you have anxiety, it's calming and you combine it with music. And when I would did that, I immediately felt that I could sleep better. And it just had amazing effects on me. Gave them out. They're not cheap. They're several hundred dollars. It's a nice gift. I could see I gave it out to a couple of people and they were just like, kind of maybe like you, Jim. Roll your eyes and say, what are you giving me this woo-woo sound stuff? So you got to be careful.

**Jim Hill:** Okay, Holly. We've gone through a lot of items. If you had to choose one from our holiday gift guide, what would you choose?

**Holly Wyatt:** Well, if I could afford the sound, the opus sound bed, that is absolutely what I would get. But that's a little out of my price range. So I'm definitely going to get the walking pad. I am excited about that because it takes, I have a walking desk. I have a, not a walking desk, but a standing desk. And I want to add that walking pad and see if I can decrease my sedentary time. What about you? What would you choose?

**Jim Hill:** I might do an Oura ring. I might try that one.

**Holly Wyatt:** I like that one too. I may have to get a couple of these, but we'll see. So I hope this was helpful. I hope people maybe found something.

**Jim Hill:** Well, we had fun with it. And again, I think we've listed a lot of different gifts at different price points. And hopefully, it's useful and hopefully, there's something in there you can try, particularly the gift baskets, which may be a few little simple, inexpensive things that go together around the theme. So hopefully this will help. Have fun. Have fun buying gifts and getting gifts.

And hopefully, it'll make you think a little more about pursuing your wellness path. Make it fun in the process. Make it fun. All right. Well, this has been a fun session. Holly, thanks. I'm amazed at all the good ideas for gifts that I came up with. Holly was the gift giver and did most of the work on this one. And I just went along for the ride, but it was fun.

**Holly Wyatt:** You added some.

**Jim Hill:** I added a little bit, but have fun, have fun gift-giving. See you next time on Weight Loss And.

**Holly Wyatt:** Bye everybody.

**Jim Hill:** And that's a wrap for today's episode of Weight Loss And. We hope you enjoy diving into the world of weight loss with us.

**Holly Wyatt:** If you want to stay connected and continue exploring the “Ands” of weight loss, be sure to follow our podcast on your favorite platform.

**Jim Hill:** We'd also love to hear from you. Share your thoughts, questions, or topic suggestions by reaching out at [weightlossand.com](http://weightlossand.com/). Your feedback helps us tailor future episodes to your needs.

**Holly Wyatt:** And remember, the journey doesn't end here. Keep applying the knowledge and strategies you've learned and embrace the power of the “And” in your own weight loss journey.