The “Oh, Shoot It’s December 18th and I haven’t Gotten My Girlfriend Anything” Christmas List.
Congratulations, you’ve waited until December 18th to buy your Christmas gifts. Good job!
But we won’t sell you out. So long as you’re running behind as a result of logging long miles or counting reps at the gym, your secret is safe with us. However, if you’ve simply been stuffing your face with Christmas cookies and eggnog (we’re looking at you, mister man with the milk mustache) you’re on your own.
So you’re short of time, but that doesn’t mean your gifts have to suck. Before you throw a handful of random items into your shopping cart in a fit of blind, procrastination-induced rage, stroll through our editor’s curated list of great fitness-inspired gifts. It’s basically everything she wants (if her husband is reading this, she wants one of each and the shirt in a medium, please).
Super Fly Swim Caps
Cute running skirts and flirty tanks have made looking fly while doing reverse flies possible, and the trend is trickling down to swimwear. And swim caps. Swim caps are the worst. Not only do they pull your face skin in all sorts of weird directions, but they also essentially make you look bald. Worst of all, your options at your local sporting goods store are extremely limited. You’ve got black, black, and maybe (if you’re a wild child) silver. Until now. Speedo has come out with a line of super fly caps, each of which benefits a charity. Each of the five designs was a partnership between an Olympic swimmer and a talented artist—and you can definitely see the swimmer’s style reflected in the finished design. Ryan Lochte’s is a flashy green and yellow argyle number (of course). Meanwhile, Natalie Coughlin’s is more subdued; blue wave-inspired designs show her love of the ocean.
Best of all, proceeds from each cap go to the swimmer’s charity of choice. You can find the Art of the Cap designs—plus tons of other cool cap designs, Speedo has really upped its game in the cap design department—on Speedo’s website: explore.speedousa.com. Update: Speedo sold out of its Art of the Cap line—but there are still other cool caps available!
Show Your Medal
Finish enough marathons and triathlons and you inevitably end up with a fistful of medals. But what to do with them? Since hanging them off of your second grade soccer trophies just seems a little juvenile (seriously, get rid of those things already), why not upgrade to a legitimate medal rack? Sure there are racks with inspiring messages and that’s nice and all, but this T-Rex rack really nails it. Plus it will go great with your T-Rex shirt (see the next gift suggestion below).
Buy it: If you order today or tomorrow Knob Creek Metal Arts guarantees Christmas delivery, so hop on it. The rack will set you back $48.99 and you can find it here.
Skip Arm Day Again?
Forget wearing my heart on my sleeve, I’m switching to wearing my hatred across my chest. I hate pushups. I just do. No matter how many of them I do, I never seem to get better at them. You know who else hates pushups? T-Rexes.
Buy it: Available in a pre-shrunk black or charcoal colors here. It will set you back $24.99.
Strong > Skinny
I love the Strong Is The New Skinny messaging and I try and remind myself of it regularly—especially when I’m in my post-break-room-donut self loathing phase. And while there’s tons of T-shirts emblazoned with Strong Is The New Skinny, I feel like my relationship to the message is slightly more personal. Which is why I love this dainty little hand-stamped necklace. It’s just the gentle reminder I need to focus on being the strongest, healthiest me I can be—without blasting the message to the world.
Buy it: This handmade necklace comes on a silver plated chain, and the chain can be customized to several different lengths. Since the necklaces are handmade, you’ll want to check with the seller on delivery times. It will set you back $26 and is available here
