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Happy Starbucks Red Cup season!!!! It’s the beginning of the most wonderful {stressful, money deficient, tired, overfull} time of the year!!!

I am a TERRIBLE gift giver. I love giving gifts that mean something to someone, may it be personal and sentimental or something I know they REALLY want. However, figuring out WHAT the heck that is that would be meaningful is a whole other story. It takes me the entire year to figure out a “maybe?” gift for everyone, and even then, it’s a serious struggle. I can usually be like “OH YES!” for about 2 people. We have a lot more gifts to buy than two. You see my struggle??

Please tell me I am not alone in this.

SO in anticipation of this struggle for me and I assume (hope, pray) others, I present you with some help:

The 2018 After The Last Pound Holiday Gift Guide!!!

My own personal wish list combined with great gift suggestions for the health and fitness folks in your life, ideas for your own list, OR a way to treat yourself to a year well lived!!! It’s got a little bit of everything, so pin these to your “Wish List” board!

So, are you ready? Let’s dive in!

Kitchen

Cookware – Momma needs some new cookware. I have great Calphalon cookware from our wedding, and I certainly wont be getting rid of those, but I do want to add to my collection. I’d love a wok style skillet, or if we’re gonna go fancy fancy, a Sur la Table skillet! (The dream, folks) 

Meat Smasher – OK, ok, its called a meat CHOPPER, but meat smasher sounds more fun. Apparently, I have never owned a spatula worthy of breaking up meat while it cooks in my life, they’ve all been too flimsy. And don’t email me telling me not to break it up while it cooks or that I’m doing it wrong, this little chef is impatient! We recently lived at my parents house for a few weeks while they were off gallivanting the globe (not bitter at allllll!) and most of what is on my kitchen wish list is because of my moms cooking utensils, this included. I need this in my life, family, desperately!!! 

Ramekins – I am totally unorganized while I cook. I clean as I go, but in terms of prepping and organizing, I am lost. When I make tacos, I end up using most of the cereal bowls we have to separate the toppings, thus leaving extra dishes to do right away so we can have breakfast in the morning. PLUS, I want to make creme brulee and I simply CANNOT without ramekins! These ramekins are the Chrissy Teigen ones, and I have selected these due to a) price b) shes hysterical c) I LOVE HER COOKBOOKS. 

Mixing Bowls – I have these and I love them. They take up limited space, since they are nested, and are dishwasher safe. I’ve used them endlessly in the 7.5 years that I have had them and never had an issue, nor have I accidentally melted one, which is shocking to some, I’m sure. For my non-plastic friends, (here’s looking at you, SB!!) I suggest some nested glass ones, like these, which I also have, but don’t use as much because I’m certain I will break them. 

Cutting Boards – I love my cutting boards – like my mixing bowls, they take up almost NO room, and are color coded for the types of food you should cut on them, to ensure no cross-contamination of food and bacteria. I have a wooden one as well, but you just need to make sure with all cutting boards that you are scrubbing them good – get in the slice marks! And if they’re really banged up? Get a new one, or ask for some as a gift! 😉 

Food Scale – This is something that was suggested when I started losing weight, as it can be hard to judge portion sizes, even with the hand tricks (especially because I have tiny hands). In order to get the proper amount of food, a scale is better than measuring cups, etc. Especially if you can get one that helps track calories, etc., like this one that displays nutrition facts and tracks macros. 

Infuser Water Bottle – You should be drinking half your weight (in ounces) of water every day. Not a fan of water, or forget to keep drinking it all day? Infuse it! Throw in some fruit, some mint leaves, and voila! You have a tasty treat that is refreshing and helping you to more easily hit your daily ounces. Plus the one in the picture (and link) comes with a recipe book so you can keep your water changing so you don’t get bored! 

Smoothie Recipe Book – Listen. Smoothies are the easiest breakfast of all time. You can prep 2 weeks’ worth of smoothies in about 7 minutes, freeze them, and just throw them in the blender with a liquid the morning of! My problem? I’m not creative on what to put into them, so a recipe guide of all the different ones I could make to keep things interesting would be LIFE CHANGING. OK, not life changing, but certainly breakfast changing!! 

Instant Pot – If you don’t currently have one, OH MY GOSH GET ONE RIGHT NOW.  My mother in law got me one for Christmas last year and I kid you not when I say that I use it all the time. Pinterest has a plethora of recipes for you to make ANYTHING. Cake? Yep. All the soups? Yeah! Cheesecake? Oh yeah (and not the same as cake). Pulled pork? Oui, quickly. An entire roast chicken? Yes! Beef Stroganoff in 4 minutes? Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep.  Trust me, if you get nothing else for your kitchen….get this. 

Reusable Bags – I have several of these bags, made by my cousin, Allie! They’re awesome, we pack our kiddos snacks in these, and they hold EVERYTHING. Fruit? Yup. Sandwich? Yep. Veggies? Yep. Anything you’d use a Ziplock for, you can use these for. Have reusable straws? She has straw bags too! Have kids who love to help you cook? Aprons galore!!! 

Clothing

Leggings – I’ve told you before how much I love my Zella’s, and I am here to sing their praises again! They are just the best leggings I have ever owned, and they are virtually impossible to wear out, the seams just do not rip! Another tried and true favorite is Nike, they just know what they are doing when it comes to athletic wear – I mean, its in their blood, so they should, but they just never cease to amaze me! 

Tops – I love Etsy for fun, funky, creative workout tops. They are well fitted and make my workout more fun when I have something sassy on my shirt! My two favorites currently in my closet? “Everything hurts and I’m dying” and “T-Rex hates push-ups”. How can you go wrong?!

Bras – Again, the power of Target never ceases to amaze me. They have everything you might ever want, at solidly awesome prices. Varying support for all your needs and they come in excellently fun colors! 

Outerwear –  Helllllloooooooooooooooo winter! It’s time to cover up those adorably sassy tank tops with comfortable outerwear! You may start your run or workout freezing cold, unwilling (or unable) to take off that comfy outer layer, so choose something you can move in! And if it has thumb holes? ALL THE BETTER! 

Athletics

Yoga Membership – I really enjoy yoga, but I have to say, I have never really made time for going to classes. I’ll do the occasional drop in hot yoga class with friends, or with my in-laws when I visit them in Arizona, but I’ve never signed UP for a yoga membership. Maybe I’m self-conscious? (Hint: YES, there’s no maybe about it). I like doing it in my house better – and so do several of my friends. Enter Yoga Download, a streaming yoga class, ready for you to take anywhere! They have audio only classes, slideshow classes, videos, and a build-your-own. It starts at $1/month, so you really cant go wrong, PLUS they have free 20 minute classes. If you want to do yoga and don’t have the schedule time to fit in classes, there’s no excuses to miss this. 

Fitness Planner – Sounds silly to have a planner these days, when we all have phones, right? Wrong. It’s time to step away from the digital, friends, and write things down again! Why? Because you’re more likely to remember something (and therefore follow through on it) that you’ve written down. I like this specific planner because it encompasses your whole self, body and mind. You can give yourself  a daily affirmation or remember something you are grateful for, schedule your activities, remember your essentials (food, water, sunlight, fun, sleep!), PLUS track/plan your food and rate your day. Think about looking back on this after a year, heck, even a month, and being able to see where not so awesome mental health days may have lined up with not so great food or exercise days, or days you didn’t get much sleep! Tracking your fitness and life is a great step forward in bettering your mental health. 

ClassPass – Have a friend who is super into working out, but never stays at one place too long? Get them a Class Pass membership! They have access to book studio fitness classes all over their area, PLUS the system suggests classes for them that they might like, WITHOUT joining just one gym. In the Seattle area alone, there’s 234 studios available, everyone will find something they love. 

GOOD headphones – Good headphones are hard to find. You hear ads all the time for some of the more famous or popular brands, but I am not about to tell you to go buy some Beats by Dre. (Although my husband has a set and they’re nice) My favorite “full” (see: over both ears, connected) are actually Sennheiser 4.5HD. I have them for work, and they travel magnificently. They fold up in a carry case, they’re soft enough that I can wear them on long flights without worry, and they’re noise cancelling to drown out noise on planes AND in my open office space. For earbuds, I prefer SkullCandy. They’re soft, they come with multiple sized “in your ear” parts (brownie points if that has a name) so that you have a great fit for YOU, and they’re inexpensive. I prefer earbuds when I run, and these are my go to. I certainly won’t shame you for using the ones that come with your phone, but to me those are hard and tough, and I can’t wear them as long. 

Self-Care

Hair Dryer – I got my hair dryer in…junior high? High school? It folds up and has are tractable cord…which has long since stopped retracting. I am in desperate need of a new one, and have been researching to find the one I want the most! After research, and the acknowledgement that my thin, perma-straight hair doesn’t need much, this one is the clear winner. Its lightweight, cost effective, and has enough settings to work on many hair styles. 

New Mattress and/or Pillows – Spurge for yourself. You are in your bed for about a third of your life, so why on earth should you not ENJOY your sleep? You should get anew mattress around every 7 years, as it wears out and loses the support that you once had with it. Ever wake up sore? How old is your mattress? And your pillow? You should change it every three to six MONTHS. Now, I don’t live by that rule (chronic laziness) but I get it – my pillows start fluffy and supportive and then….suddenly I’m folding it in half for support. Have a memory foam pillow? It will last longer – a year and a half to 3 years, depending on the brand and quality.  Nectar is a newer mattress brand and has taken off -its one of the top rated mattresses of 2018! It has a full year return policy and lifetime warranty. Its also one of the top “least smelly” memory foam mattresses! If you’ve ever had a memory foam mattress or pillow, they usually need a day or three to air out before you use them to get the weird chemical smell off of it – Nectar is one mattress that has almost NO smell! PLUS its free shipping and not as expensive as some of the “main” brands in a general mattress store. I have found that I need need NEED a memory foam pillow or else my neck goes out of whack. They’re supportive, comfortable, and don’t lose their shape! This was a game changer for my husband and I for SURE.

And there you have it folks! Our 2018 Holiday Gift Guide is COMPLETE! I know you have found at least one gift for everyone on your list…including yourself! Don’t forget to love on yourself a bit this season, everyone seems to be busy and stressed in this season. Remember the reason for the season, be thankful, grateful, and take some time to slow down and appreciate life! The colors of the lights, the crispness of the air, sometimes snow in many regions – enjoy the beauty, and pause to give thanks!! 

Happy Shopping!