Nov. 16. By Cliff Mehrtens. Giving the gift of good health this holiday season – like many things during COVID-19 – will be slightly different.

Many gyms, fitness centers and health clubs have closed, or are open at a reduced capacity because of the virus. And, let’s face it, the more we distance, the more we control the pandemic. Many fitness-minded folks are working out at home or outdoors nearby.

With that in mind, here are some options to show how much you support their healthy lifestyle.

Smart bathroom scale

Scales have evolved from simply measuring how much you weigh. They can give you a clear picture of your health and fitness by tracking your body fat, bone density, heart rate (measured through your feet!), water percentage and more. Most smart scales are compatible with fitness trackers, so you can correlate more information in your fitness plan. Here are eight options starting at $39.99.

TytoHome

TytoHome is a lightweight and portable medical exam kit. By using TytoHome, patients can connect online with a Novant Health provider who can virtually examine the heart, lungs, skin, inner ears, throat and abdomen from wherever they are – potentially eliminating a rush to the emergency room or the doctor’s office.

Your health care provider uses this information and other details you provide to make a diagnosis and offer a treatment plan and prescription, if needed. This could be especially handy for parents of young children prone to ear infections and other common afflictions.

The TytoHome device normally costs $299, but is being offered at a reduced rate. TytoHome can be paid for with a flexible spending account and is available at NovantHealth.org/TytoHome.

Cookbooks

Healthy living means healthy eating. With many restaurants closed or at limited capacity because of COVID-19, more of us have turned to cooking.

The Skinnytaste Cookbook: Light on Calories, Big on Flavor includes 150 recipes that are low-calorie without sacrificing taste. They’re all-natural recipes with easy-to-find ingredients.

The Dude Diet Dinnertime offers hungry dudes and their families 125 healthy recipes for dishes that usually aren’t considered so, including wings, nachos, burgers and pizza.

The Nourished Kitchen  focuses on traditional recipes to improve your health by eliminating processed foods. It’s a tasty examination of looking back at how we ate throughout history.

Fitness tracker

These gadgets seem to be everywhere among athletes and fitness enthusiasts. They can track everything from your heart rate and daily steps to the calories you’ve burned and the quality of your sleep. If you’re bothered by something on your wrist, there are clip-on versions available, too. Here are 12 options  starting at $68.95.

Resistance bands

Most people who try to work a little strength training into their week don’t have the space and money to invest in the equipment you’d find at a gym. These bands are great for training during COVID-19. They are lightweight and easy to carry. You can use them on their own or add them to normal exercises for variety to your workout. Here are 25 options,  starting at $11.

 Jump ropes

Jumping rope is a great way to break up your exercise routine of a treadmill, gym or running outdoors. And, the jump rope can go anywhere you do, which limits the reasons you can create to skip a workout. You double Dutched as a kid; now, burn calories as an adult. Here are 10 options that begin at $7.

Headphones

Every workout playlist deserves to be heard on quality headphones. For many exercisers, that music creates the adrenaline needed to plow through a workout. Here are 10 options starting at $77.

—Cliff Mehrtens/Novant Health / Healthy Headlines

For the latest health news and advice from Novant Health providers, visit: https://www.novanthealth.org/healthy-headlines/