10 healthy essentials for your Christmas stocking
Something sweet
There’ll be plenty of sweet treats to enjoy over Christmas, so rather than stuffing another chocolate-shaped reindeer into your stocking this year, buy a jar of manuka honey instead. This honey is produced in New Zealand and has lots of special properties that make it a great gift. Firstly, it contains high levels of methylglyoxal, which makes this honey more antibacterial than most. Therefore, when a dollop of manuka honey is applied to your face you get a fantastic cleansing facemask. It is thought manuka honey has other benefits too when eaten, such as reducing high cholesterol.
Grown-up lunch
Nipping to the local deli or fast food restaurant during your lunch break can be an easy way to perk up your day, but dining out is not healthy for you or your bank account. Therefore, a healthy essential for your Christmas stocking this year has to be a grown-up’s lunch box. Fun, modern designed boxes have hit the markets in the past few years and you can now get a sturdy box with sandwich, noodle, salad and salad dressing compartments depending on which product you pick. Get the right box and you’ll be keener to eat the lunch you prepared at home.
Kit bag
When motivation is low and your couch is calling, nothing gives you a boost like a new piece of sports kit and this is why a kit bag is an excellent healthy essential for you Christmas stocking. There are lots of great kit bags out there, but some of the best have different compartments for your shoes and for your sports clothes. Try to pick a bag that is both stylish and durable. It will also need to be practical for the person who is going to receive this gift. For example, if they like to run home from the gym, buy them a rucksack not a holdall.
Silk pillowcase
Want to give someone eternal youth this Christmas? Although we can’t tell you where the elixir of life can be found, we can tell you that a silk pillowcase might help secure youthful looking skin for as long as possible. Regular pillowcases can age skin by drawing moisture away from your face and also leaving deep lines in your skin after a night’s sleep. Yet a silk pillow cover contains amino acids, similar to those found in moisturisers, which will keep skin hydrated in the night and will ensure you stay looking younger for longer.
Ice-pop moulds
After dinner most people want a sweet dessert, but munching on chocolate, ice-cream and cakes after your evening meal is a sure way to gain unnecessary weight. To satisfy your sweet tooth, buy some ice-pop moulds for your Christmas stocking. You could also make a healthy ice-pop recipe book and pop that into your Christmas stocking as well. To get you started, some good, refreshing and healthy flavorings include: papaya, pomegranate and watermelon.
Sleep oil
A lack of sleep is a major obstacle that needs to be overcome. Some people really struggle to get enough rest and if you know someone who finds getting to sleep difficult some sleep oil might be the perfect healthy essential for their Christmas stocking. Some companies make their own blends of sleep oil, but you can also create your own by blending essential oils known for their calming properties, such as lavender and evening primrose oil.
Enter an event
Sometimes people need that little extra push to do something. If you want to make this Christmas extra special, why not enter someone into an event? It might be a trek that the person you are buying for has talked about, or a race or bike event that they’ve always fancied. Whatever it is, surprise them by signing them up to an event they would love to do but would never enter of their own accord. It’ll be a unique gift that will give them motivation and drive throughout the year.
Food diary
Although a sensitive issue for some (be warned, this gift isn’t right for everyone so choose wisely), for the health conscious a food diary is a handy and revealing tool that can help people to understand their eating patterns and solve their food issues. So, if you want a healthy stocking filler a food diary might be for you. Buy a normal diary that has a decent amount of space dedicated to each day. You might buy a diary with a patterned cover, but if you can’t find one that’s suitable you could also get some material and cover the diary yourself. This way the food diary is personal and special.
Organic cosmetics
Some cosmetics contain some not too healthy ingredients and your body and hair absorb these harmful ingredients and find it difficult to get rid of them. Therefore, a great Christmas treat for those who want to glitter and glow over the festive period is some organic cosmetics. Many companies provide a whole range of products, but good choices are mineral powder foundations and a plush lipstick or lip gloss. When browsing for this Christmas stocking gift, check out the ingredients of the item as well as the company’s principles and philosophy.
Subscription
There’s not much space in those Christmas stockings, so if you want to give something that won’t take up too much room and will last the entire year, pop a subscription gift card in their stocking. Subscriptions to health magazines are always a great choice and you can’t beat that feeling when a good glossy mag thumps through the letterbox. For the more digital people in your life you could always sign them up to a healthy app. There is a huge amount of apps on offer, so explore and shop around to discover the app most suited to the person you are buying for. Read more on realbuzz.com...
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