How many times have you been ask “What do you want for Christmas?”.  Personally, I’m always a bit conflicted about that question.  I don’t want get too specific since what I suggest may be beyond what the person is willing or able to pay.  Plus, quite frankly, knowing what the gift is takes some of the magic of opening it come Christmas morning.   It seems the best approach to resolve this dilemma is to generate a list.  A list provides the gift giver a range of prices to select from and it maintains some of the wide eyed splendor when it’s finally opened.  So that’s what we’re going to do.  Generate a list of great walking equipment gifts for the exercise walker to forwarded on to your friends, family members or the “significant other” in your life.   That is unless you’re fortunate enough that he or she shares your interest in exercise walking, in which case you can use it as your guide in the gift selection process.

    Ipod or MP3 Player.  This is typically one of the most popular gifts of the season but as a walker you likely already have one.  But if it’s like mine, it doesn’t have much memory and it’s gotten banged up a bit over the years.  So if you need or want an upgrade or replacement, we suggest a flash memory devise with at least 4 gigabytes storage.  You can get flash memory up to 32GB if you have a ton of music to download. 

     A High Visibility Safety Vest.  During the winter months we often find ourselves walking in the dark.  An outer vest with reflective strips will help insure that you’re visible to traffic.  Can never go wrong with a gift of safety.  It says you really care. 

      Walking Socks.  Yes I know that this along with ties are the standing  jokes of Christmas gifts, but not the case for an exercise walker.  Socks are a serious business.  Get a pair or two of a blend of wool and acrylic or polypropylene. 

     Rain Poncho.  An inexpensive stocking stuffer.  Get a thin plastic hooded version, light and compact enough to fit in a pocket or fanny pack. 

     Fanny Pack.  Get one with a pocket for a water bottle plus a good sized pack for storage. 

     Pedometer.  This is a great walking equipment item to help keep track of your walking activity and progress, a real motivator.    There is a wide variety of brands and models, with a myriad of styles and features, so you can stay simple or get real fancy. 

      A Small Flashlight.  Again walking in the dark can be dangerous.  A small flashlight can help get you noticed by oncoming traffic.  A LED style would be best.  They don’t use much energy and recent versions do put out some significant light. 

         Heart Rate Monitor.  Indispensible for someone trying to maintain a certain levels of exercise intensity.  Usually found in a watch configuration. 

       Water Bottle.  You can get fancy or plain here as well.  But be sure to get one with at least a 24 ounce capacity and fitted with a strap in case you didn’t get the fanny pack. 

         Magazine Subscription.  Here are a couple of excellent ones.  Walk About Magazine and Walk!

So here it is, the Walking Equipment Gift List for 2009.  Send in on.  A reminder to the person who receives it…there is nothing like giving the gift of health to those you love and care about. The list probably won’t change much next year so be sure to bookmark this post and send it our again next December.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday to all.

If you have an additional gift ideas be sure to share them below

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