The A Lady Goes West ultimate gift guide for 2018

Hope you had a great weekend, my friends! It’s the season of gifting, so a gift guide for 2018 is coming your way.

And while I think the best gifts you can truly give someone are quality time and kindness, I know that this is the time of year when we buy a lot of presents, and sometimes you need some help figuring out what to get for your friends and family. 

I wanted to put together a master list of so many great things in the health and wellness world that would make excellent gifts and share it with you. And while I don’t have everything on this list, I have a lot of it or have friends who do, and so these are tried and true recommendations for ladies who love fitness, health and wellness.

Take a gander at the list below, and if you see some things you’d like to get this year as a gift from someone else, pass this post along to your significant other or friend with a little hint and nudge.

The A Lady Goes West ultimate gift guide for 2018

Here we go …

Self-care

• Himalayan salt lamp — great for use in your bedroom or in a nursery to clear the air, boost blood flow, improve sleep and give a soft, pleasing light
• Essential oil diffuser — on my Christmas list and has so many uses for health, stress relief and more
• Organic cotton bedding — I made this change last year because we spend a lot of our lives in our beds and need to use quality bedding — you absorb the fibers in the sheets through your skin, so the fibers should be sourced from quality materials
• Organic slumber mask — a must-have to help you get into a nice deep sleep in the darkness, I currently have a cheapie one and want to upgrade 
• Massage gift certificate — everybody loves massages and they provide many health benefits, especially for fit gals with sore muscles and tense shoulders
• Cryotherapy gift certificate — I just tried it a couple months ago and can’t wait to go back for the healing properties and energy boost
• Mani/pedi gift certificate — no explanation needed
• Blowout gift certificate— same, once you get a professional blowout, you never want to go back to doing your own hair again

Fitness fashion/gear

• APL sneakers — this brand of sneakers took over Instagram this year and apparently they are very comfy, I don’t have any but may try them one day
• Lululemon headband — these babies stay put and look cute and make great stocking stuffers
• Outdoor Voices workout outfit — this brand of workout clothing is famous for matching sets of leggings with sports-bra-like tops in pastel colors, they even have a tech line to wick sweat, and I totally want to get some, I love these leggings and the color-blocking patterns, but almost everything is cute — a major San Francisco staple
• S’well water bottle — these bottles keep water cold or hot and are good for the environment too, I’ve been rocking one as my go-to gym water-bottle for two years
• Apple AirPods earphones — because nobody wants to work out with an earphone cord connected to their iPhone, you know what I mean? And while I was a little turned off by these at first when seeing them on people, I think they are totally acceptable now
• Fitbit — how else can you count your daily steps and make sure you aren’t a couch potato? I love the simple Alta model, because it has all the essentials and is reasonably priced and I’ve been using mine for more than a year
• Foam roller — everyone should have their own foam roller at home to use in your free time, and this is the ultimate foam rolling device
• Yoga mat — Lululemon makes a pretty decent mat, and it can be used for all sorts of working out, not just yoga
• Bright workout leggings — this is a reasonably priced brand of fun leggings, which also has a flattering fit, and I have some in red
• Studio gift cards — class credits to yoga studios, barre studios and cycling studios are always a welcome gift

Beauty/skincare

• Beautycounter products — I absolutely love to receive non-toxic and safe cosmetic and make-up products as gifts, and I think a lot of health-minded ladies would feel the same way. Beautycounter products are effective, made without including more than 1,500 harmful ingredients that you could find in conventional U.S. products, and they feel great on the skin. A few things to choose from as gifts …
  • Skincare regimen collections like the Rejuvenating for fine lines and fighting aging or Countermatch for many skin types, which include face wash, lotion and more
  • Starter set of make-up like the Flawless in Five
  • Charcoal balancing face mask, one of my favorite BC products
  • Overnight resurfacing peel, which is a real game-changer for skin, and I use three times a week
  • Lipstick, which is high-rated and stays on the lips with just the right amount of color

Fashion

• Vineyard Vines sweatshirt — this is one of those items that you may not buy for yourself, but you’d love to receive, if you have even a tiny bit of a preppy side at heart. I used a gift card to get one over the summer, and I’m finally wearing it now that it’s colder. It is a staple item in the closet and a classic pullover that I can keep for forever — a great gift idea
• Herschel belt bag — say what you will about the fanny pack, but it’s back in a big way, and you can’t beat its convenience. I have this one, but I love the patterns of this style too
• Shoulder tote bag — having used a diaper bag backpack for over a year (which I love), I’ve been eyeing a few shoulder totes to have to use when I don’t need my whole diaper bag — this brand is pretty popular and the style is unique, but I also like the simpleness of this one
• Super soft cardigan — I’ve heard amazing things about the quality and softness of this brand of loungewear, and this shawl one is so cute
• Initial necklace — this is the best purchase I made last year, and I wear mine every single day, and I LOVE it
• Metallic sneakers — these just seem fun, and I feel like everyone can find a time to wear them

Food/kitchen

• Vital Proteins collagen — this brand of collagen is in the pantry of a lot of wellness influencers for a reason, it’s high-quality and taking it regularly can support improved digestion, joint health, skin and more, and there’s a brand new mocha creamer with collagen that I’m loving lately — I’ve been using this brand of collagen for two years
• Four Sigmatic mushroom coffee and teas — medicinal mushrooms, like the ones used in Four Sigmatic products, are all the rage in the health world, and these coffees and teas are supposed to taste delicious as well as be beneficial for stress relief and mental focus too — I have a box that I will be breaking into soon when I’m no longer nursing (medicinal mushrooms are contraindicated for pregnant or nursing moms as they haven’t been heavily studied, BTW)
• A box of festive Quest bars — what? Have you never gifted someone a box of bars? True story: Dave almost always includes a Quest bar in my gift, and I love that. The holiday flavors are to die for
• Handheld frother — making matcha lattes at home is a breeze with a handheld frother for your coconut milk, and I totally need to get one
• Instant Pot — I don’t have one of these, but the people I know who do have one sing its praises for cooking chicken in like 30 minutes and hard boiling the perfect eggs too
• Vitamix — if you’re a smoothie lover, then you should probably be making your smoothies in one of these top-of-the-line mixers
• Cast iron pan — it’s best to move away from the nonstick pans these days, as they put out a lot of toxins in your food, and the right choice is cast iron, so a multi-use pan like this would make any healthy cooking gal happy
• Healthy restaurant gift cards — fit gals love food, and they love to buy it with gift cards, so True Food Kitchen, Pressed Juicery, Urban Remedy, Whole Foods, Tender Greens are all great options

And that should do it for now! Some of my favorite products and things on my wish list as well. Happy shopping and happy holidays, my friends. Have a wonderful day!

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Questions of the day

What’s on your Christmas list this year?

What’s your favorite thing to buy for someone?

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What’s the best thing you have planned for December?