It’s Christmas time, when we think of others and how we can show our love through tokens of appreciation. Before going broke buying presents, however, save a little bit for yourself to spend on something that could do a world of good in your life by providing a bevy of health benefits. From getting off medications to finding a surefire way to cope with stress, these gifts promise more than momentary satisfaction, they may just inspire a completely new lifestyle.

1. Hire a Personal Trainer

Sometimes, the choice to workout comes down to accountability. When exercising with a friend isn’t cutting it, hiring a trainer can be a great choice. They know what moves to do, how many need to be done to be effective, and how to do them so you don’t get hurt. They also take care of formulating a fitness plan with your goals in mind. Missing a 6 a.m. workout is a lot less likely if you know there’s someone waiting for you at the gym ready to charge your credit card whether you show up or not. Just be sure to make sure they’re accredited and look into what kind – not all certifications are created equal. Can’t make it to the gym? Sites like Wello will do video-chat training sessions to serve clients anywhere, anytime.

2. Get a Nutritionist

Do you have fitness down, but need help with the food part of being healthy? A consult with a nutritionist may be your answer. A diet book has no concern for what foods you like and dislike, certain allergies, and current fitness levels. A dietitian will. They’ll give you a proper eating plan to follow and do all the math and science stuff, like calorie counting, for you. Before picking one, make sure you have a certain rapport with them so that you’ll feel at ease, know they give clear directions that you can easily understand, and explain why certain foods are and aren’t necessary. They don’t even have to be local. Dietitians like Mary Hartley, RD do Skype consults.
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Two popular mobile health brands have partnered to create a completely new and unique “do-it-yourself” health monitoring system. MyNetDiary just announced its integration with Withings Devices. Together these two applications are giving users an experience like no other. “This integration with Withings makes it even easier for people to keep track of their diet, weight changes and health,” says Sergey Oreshko, CEO of MyNetDiary.

MyNetDiary is a popular calorie counter that was launched in 2007. Today more than two million members use the application to track calories and lose weight safely. Withings has been a worldwide force in bringing health care into the people’s hands. Withings introduced the Wi-Fi Body Scale in 2009. The scale was the first ever internet connected body scale. Now the two are combining to offer weight loss and diet help along with a Wi-Fi scale and blood pressure monitor.

This integration will now allow users to automatically send data from both the blood pressure monitor and the scale to their MyNetDiary account and receive support in monitoring their diet and health.

Oreshko explains how the two devices will combine to be a highly effective tool.
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With so many diet and weight-loss tools available online, it seems to make sense that wireless scales would come to market. These online scales advertise benefits of improved or even faster weight loss, and while I don’t think a scale will ever have the power to remove those unwanted pounds, there are several benefits specific to the Withings scale that are definitely worth highlighting.

Charting your weight online is a great resource, as it provides you a reference from week to week and month to month. I especially like this, as it may help bring light to time periods where you may have gained weight. What happened during that time period? Was it the holidays? Were you on vacation? Were you going through a tough time? This reflection will help you understand your eating and activity habits to enact changes if need be.
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