gift guide for fitness-loving moms — A Mom Explores | Family Travel Tips, Destination Guides with Kids, Family Vacation Ideas, and more!

If you ask most moms of young kids who are "working on their fitness," there is very little time or money to spend on their health habit. Of course as moms we make due with what we have, but it often means skimping on equipment we could use or washing and rewearing the same workout clothes multiple times a week.

If you have a woman in your life who also happens to be a mom, and if she loves all things health and fitness (or wants to), here are a few items she may not spend the money on herself that would make the perfect gift.

Workout Clothes

Muscle tanks and graphic tees are very "of the moment" and fun. As a bonus, these can be worn with her favorite yoga pants and sneakers around the house or out running errands. Below are some of my favorite workout clothes, but Amazon also has an awesome selection of workout tees and tanks!

Dry Shampoo

But not just any dry shampoo. Living Proof is my all time favorite because of the volume it gives to my lifeless oily locks. After a quick workout or a walk outside with my kids, I'm battling hat hard and sweat, and don't always have time to shower immediately, so I turn to my trusty dry shampoo to look presentable for school drop off. Living Proof is a bit more than I like to spend on a product I use almost every day, so I usually stick to the drugstore brand. However, this is something I would love to find in my stocking or under the tree!

Workout Equipment

Most moms I know get their workouts done either in their living rooms before the kids get up, or while their kids are playing at their feet. There's nothing worse than bringing up a workout on YouTube when you're crunched for time already, and discovering that you don't have the necessary equipment. You scramble around the house trying to find an adequate substitute, wasting precious minutes you had set aside to exercise.

Find out what types of workouts the mom in your life is currently into and do some scouting to see if she's missing any workout equipment. A few ideas that I'd like to see in my home gym:

jump rope / agility ladder / balance trainer / 10 lb dumbbells / kettlebells / resistance band

FitBit Tracker and Bands

One of my favorite motivators to get off the couch and move with the kids is my Fitbit Alta. I often think I'm super active because I chase three little kids around the house, have a dog that needs regular walks, and do the majority of the chores around the house, but I was shocked to find when I started wearing my FitBit that I wasn't moving nearly as much as I thought I was. This is an awesome gift for the fitness lover in your life, and there are different price point and features depending on their needs or wants. I also love that you can find some fun bands and accessories to dress up their FitBit a little bit when they where it to work or when they're out and about. Check out this, this, this, and this.

Water Bottle

For some reason, no matter how many water bottles I amass, I always feel like I could use more. One for each room of the house, one for the car, one for my purse, etc. Treat your fitness lover to a super cute, high quality water bottle for Christmas.

Meal Prep Containers

We have gotten in the habit of preparing our meals, and cutting up fruits and vegetables at the beginning of each week. The hardest part is finding enough containers to store everything in the refrigerator. Check out these meal prep containers to make preparing healthy meals 10 times easier, plus they could be used for packing kids' lunches!

Cookbook

I'll be honest... I mainly use Pinterest as my cookbook, but there's something so handy about having a physical book of recipes in your hand. Here is one of my favorite options for anyone to try some cleaner eating recipes.

Nutrition System

Maybe the mom in your life has been trying everything after having kids to get back into shape, and nothing seems to be working. This could be a sign that her body is craving nutrition that she's not necessarily getting from food. Plus, between taking care of little ones, managing the household duties, and any work she has outside the home, many moms need their nutrition to be convenient. Treat her to an investment in her health! Head here to fill out the form for more information.

MuTu Exercise Program

If the fitness-loving mom in your life is suffering with separated abdominal muscles, a condition known as diastasis recti, she might love the MuTu System! "MuTu System is for women who want their bodies to look, feel and function better after having a baby. Whether you had your baby 6 weeks ago or 6 years ago or more. A proven, truly effective, tried and tested solution for ‘mummy tummy’, diastasis recti, pelvic floor weakness and core that isn’t as functional or strong as you’d like it to be."