Gift Guide 2023: 5 Life-Changing Gifts Recommended by Healthcare Professionals 

Don’t stress about gift giving this season –after all, your healthcare professional wouldn’t recommend it! But they do recommend these following gifts. 

Pro Tip: If you are stressed, here’s a free gift! 

by Julie Khanna 

The season can get wildly over-sensationalized with gimmicky gifts, trending products, or, worse– failed “guaranteed to make mom smile” gifts that get left to rot in the abyss. Yet the hype is almost inescapable. Holiday songs about what my true love gave to me, and shiny lights on loud advertisements everywhere, leave us with little reprieve from the pressure of delivering top-notch gifts. We spend hours per person analyzing what would make the best gift, typically only to be met with anticlimactic disappointment. The exception, of course, is hitting the golden jackpot of giving, a gift that gets used daily (the ultimate reminder of our wise purchase) or creating a memory that lasts a lifetime. If it’s not either of those circumstances, chances are your gift is going to an eventual grave. Gift giving begs the question: What if what your loved one really wants or needs isn’t waiting behind a screen or a glass storefront? 

That’s precisely why we set out to create the perfect gift guide to outlive the season, and these recommendations have some reasonable health benefits. 

Sometimes we find ourselves in unique seats in our loved ones’ lives, with perspectives not privy to just everyone. The holidays are a perfect time to give a gift you think they may benefit from or to encourage them to try something they may not have otherwise. Pro Tip: Finding something you can do together hits the point that the holidays (and the many days after) are better spent together. To ensure we chose gifts that had the potential to change lives, we asked these health and wellness professionals to chime in on what they thought might make the perfect gifts this season. 

Give them the finish line to work toward 

Giving an experience with a date can be a great motivator. It’s a tangible measurement that has a deadline in place. That goal gets even better when you have a group of people involved who can hold each other accountable. “Working towards a common goal as a family or group is a great way to increase camaraderie and have a little friendly competition while working toward a health goal,” says surgeon Dr. Andrew Shapiro. “And that’s why we highly recommend our family-friendly Advanced Surgical Physicians 5K Obstacle Course in February. It’s an event for all ages and fitness levels meant to feel encouraging, not intimidating.” The event is in February, which gives people almost ten weeks to prepare. We love the thought of parents taking children for after-school walks or weekend bike rides or couples checking in with one another about fitness goals leading up to the event. And who knows, this could be someone’s first 5K that turns into many, or the memories made that will last forever- either way, it’s the gift that could change a life! Pro Tip: Wrap the registration in a fun pair of new laces, team shirts or an armband so they have new gear while practicing for the big day! 

Link to register: https://victorysportsmgt.com/obstaclecourserace/

A certificate that could save a life 

Heart health knowledge can be used for preventative, proactive, or rescue measures. Unarguably one of the most practical gifts you can give, Heart Health & CPR classes are perfect for everyone, including budding babysitters, parents-to-be, jobseekers who want a skill that sets them apart, and literally anyone who is interested in prioritizing their health and the safety of those around them. “One of my roles in primary care isn’t just treating my patients; it’s emphasizing knowledge and preventative health. Truly, one of the fundamental steps in achieving optimal health is knowledge,” said Roshini Singh, a National Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner and the owner of the mobile practice 365 Wellness in Palm Beach County. “It’s part of our duty to teach health education to our patients and the community.” Roshini is hosting an event covering 10 important heart tips every person needs to know and CPR tutorial (including certification of completion) on February 3, 2024. Imagine giving a gift that saves a life or potentially one’s own! Pro Tip: Gift it with an Apple watch or another tracker to really encourage making those steps count. 

Email [email protected] for more information.

Peace (of mind) on Earth 

Asking for help managing our stress levels or even knowing help exists or where to find it can be overwhelming, vulnerable, or unjustly associated with negative stigmas. These are a few reasons people don’t seek what they need sooner. “Mindfulness and mentorship are two powerful coping and guidance tools that help people navigate life’s circumstances. One of the highest levels of success we can achieve is ownership over our thoughts and emotions,” says Akai J. Jackson, voted America’s Favorite Mindfulness Coach and owner of IXL Today. “Gifting IXL’s online Becoming Fearless course or journal, which can be remotely accessed privately, or a few sessions of his Young Men’s Mentorship Circle hosted in person and online every Tuesday, is a quiet way to introduce these resources to a loved one. Taking the course together is a positive bonding experience that will spark open dialogue and deeper conversations.” Giving the gift of tools to conquer life’s ups and downs is a game changer we highly recommend. Pro Tip: Gift the journal with a great new notebook and pen for additional note taking. 

Enroll in the course here or learn more about Young Men’s Mentorship Circle here.

The gift of inclusion, excitement and purpose

Imagine giving our older loved ones the gift of feeling able, celebrated, and included- an event just for them and the ones that love and support them. They’re the star of the show at the Wisdom Warrior Challenge (WWC), and the program will have them feeling like rockstars daily as they work toward this milestone event. “I created WWC in 2019 to dispel myths about aging and the limitations that follow this narrative. We have much more control over how we age, and making better choices for our physical and emotional health enhances the golden years,” says founder Linda Borgmeyer, who is also a speech-language pathologist. The challenge is a free “box” event with everything provided for hosts to have a successful all-inclusive track event with separate divisions for those using a device such as a walker, cane, or self-propelled wheelchair. It’s free to participants 50-100+ years old and designed to promote physical activity and engagement and debunk the myths about aging related to the ability to remain active. T-shirts, trophies, and swag bags are given to participants, and the community with the most points holds the Wisdom Cup until the next annual event. Giving the gift of purpose and inclusion doesn’t just change life; it changes life every day. Pro Tip: Gift participation at the event with a new pair of walking shoes so your loved one can begin training safely. 

Take the next steps now at www.wisdomwarriorchallenge.org/

A gift that keeps on giving 

Achieving optimal weight can have several benefits, like lowering the risk of diabetes and hypertension. Conversations about weight can be especially vulnerable, so we don’t recommend having them with anyone who hasn’t verbalized their concerns with you first. If someone close has confided their efforts haven’t gone as expected, gifting a few months of weight loss assistance might be what’s needed to help support them. “I have been working with patients on semaglutide and Tirzepatide for the past three years and have had great success. Much research shows that semaglutide regulates blood sugar, improves AIC, improves insulin resistance, suppresses appetite, reduces the risk of cardiac events, reduces blood pressure, and reduces inflammation. Tirzepatide was recently approved for weight loss. In addition to lowering your blood sugar, it also works on both hunger hormones by helping you eat less and feel full faster and longer,” said Erla M Brizeus-Pierre, MSN-APRN-FNP-C, who has a practice in Delray Beach, Florida. Helping someone achieve their weight goals is a gift that can change life in the short and long-term. Pro Tip: Give this with a daily affirmation book to remind them they are powerful, strong, and capable of accomplishing anything they want to! 

Learn more at: https://kewwprimarycare.com/