Christmas Gift Guide 2022: 15 gadget gifts for fitness fans, gym rats and cyclists
Go from festive flab to gingerbread abs with these sweaty presents
Between Yule logs, mince pies and generous helpings of gingerbread, you need a personal trainer just to plan your way though the December menu. Lost your form during all the festive feasting? Put down that plate of leftovers and add these Christmas gifts to your fitness regime.
Whether you’re a saddle addict or a gym junkie, there are present suggestions below to suit sweaters of every discipline. From activity trackers to sports shoes, all of it will bolster your New Year’s resolve.
Stick some on your wish list, leap off the couch come Boxing Day and you’ll be back to your best by February – just in time for pancake day.
Our pick of the best Christmas gifts for fitness fans
Fitbit Inspire 3
Tension can skyrocket with relations in town. Need help handling festive stress? You could hire a therapy elf. Or for a soothing assistant that raises fewer ethical questions, you could try Fitbit’s tracking band. Besides heart rate, activity and sleep data, it can monitor your calmness and guide you through breathing exercises. So you can exhale your way through Boxing Day meltdowns. Plus its 10-day battery life eliminates empty-cell anxiety.
Therabody TheraCup
Not a container for your takeaway spiced latte, this compact cup offers caffeine-free relief for your aching muscles. Like the therapy ordered by Olympic athletes, the TheraCup deploys a combination of suction, vibration and heat to soothe your sore bits. The cupping concept is pretty simple: by pumping on targeted areas, it’s meant to stimulate blood flow, relieve tired tissue and speed up recovery. But unlike a full physio setup, it can fit in your gym bag for treatments to go. It’s also good for up to 120 minutes per charge and doesn’t require a professional to push the buttons.
Under Armour HOVR Summit Fat Tire Delta
Dashing through the snow is difficult if you’re slipping about like Bambi. Be more Blitzen with these grippy kicks. Inspired by bike tyres, the Michelin sole features traction lugs for maximum purchase when you gallop cross country. Ripstop fabric protects your trotters, while bungee laces blend stability with adjustability. And like a proven set of hooves, UA’s HOVR cushioning returns stride energy to put a spring in your winter step.
Soundcore Sport X10
At 152 beats per minute, Chuck Berry’s Run Run Rudolph is an excellent choice to soundtrack your Christmas sprints. For festive motivation, add it your playlist then add these earbuds to your wishlist: fully waterproof and tuned for extra bass, they’re made to move you in all weathers. Ear hooks also rotate out and flex to fit your ear, for a secure setup even when Randolph ain’t too far behind.
Bookman Monocle
Monocles might sharpen your squint, but you need more than an eyeglass for winter visibility. Keen to see and be seen? Swap a lens for lumens with this rechargeable running headlamp. Its lightweight build means bounce-free bounding, while stepless adjustment lets you target the beam to suit your stride. Boosted via Micro USB, it runs for a marathon 10 hours, while IPX4 water resistance ensures it’s fit for inclement intervals.
Peloton Guide
Home workouts can fight festive flab, but wobbling about on Wii Fit won’t burn off your mince pie carb loading. Upgrade your living room drills with Peloton’s digital PT. A training camera that sits atop your TV, it uses AI to track your form, count your reps and map which muscle groups you’ve used. Select a session and you’ll see yourself on-screen alongside the instructor, rather than a big-headed Mii.
Garmin HRM-Pro Plus
If the thought of heart rate data gets your pulse racing, Garmin’s HRM-Pro Plus will thrill your blood bump. Brill at measuring beats per minute, the streamlined strap transmits real-time readouts via Bluetooth or ANT+, so you can accurately track your ticker on a smartwatch, phone or compatible piece of gym kit. Leaving the tech behind? It can also serve as a standalone tracker, logging the data for syncing later.
Lazer Vento Kineticore
Winter cycling is not for the timid. Besides frosty headwinds whipping through your lycra, there’s the risk of icy asphalt at every bend. Layer up against frozen falls with Lazer’s lightweight lid. Inspired by the crumple zones in your car, its KinetiCore structure is designed to deform in a collision, absorbing impact energy instead of your cranium. Its sprint-optimised aero profile should also keep arctic gusts from arresting your pace.
Eufy Smart Scale P2 Pro
It takes bravery to step on the scales after a month of Christmas munching. If you’re ready to face the weigh-in, you might as well go the whole hog: this connected balance conducts a complete body composition analysis across 16 metrics, measuring everything from heart rate to body mass. It then maps the results on a 3D model in the smartphone app, leaving nowhere for your seasonal excess to hide.
Shokz OpenRun Pro
Running laps in Lapland? Beats can boost you to sprint through the chill. Trouble is, traditional earbuds also block out the sound of approaching sleigh bells. These open-ear alternatives use bone conduction tech to deliver up to 10 hours of tunes, without muting the winter world around you. IP55 water resistance means snow showers shouldn’t pose a problem, while bass enhancers promise punch to push you to the Finnish line.
Polar Pacer
True minimalists would run in the buff, but that tactic also strips you of stats. If you’re willing to wear one thing, Polar’s pared-back tracker logs data without distracting. Simplified by design, it sticks to the essentials: heart rate, GPS and the metrics you need to hit PB pace. Featherweight at 40g, its five-button interface is foolproof on the fly, while seven-day battery shouldn’t leave you out in the cold.
Corkyogis Classic
A strong core is the foundation for full-body fitness, but a slippery mat will soon see you sprawled on the floor. Stretch on sustainable cork for a more positive practice: naturally breathable and anti-microbial, the cork top gets gripper as you sweat, while the recycled rubber bottom keeps things cushioned. And for added karma, 10% of profits support a human trafficking charity.
Beeline Velo 2
Far from home and lost in a blizzard, you’ll regret your call to navigate celestially. For wayfinding that won’t leave you looking to the heavens, attach this directional disc to your handlebars. A streamlined design puts route info front and centre, with up to 11 hours of turn-by-turn instructions showing which way to steer your steed. Plan routes via the Beeline app, or sync with Strava to take on segments.
Specialized x Fjallraven Frame Bag
Santa’s sack capacity puts panniers to shame. Travelling with a lighter load? This functional frame bag is ideal for stashing cycling essentials. Weather-resistant and lined with recycled nylon, it’s part of a wider collaboration between bike nuts Specialized and bag nuts Fjällräven. Shipped in three sizes and attached by seven velcro straps, keep your presents petite and you might find it can fit a few for your Yuletide delivery rounds.
Nohrd Triatrainer
A weight bench, back extension platform and core trainer all in one gorgeous folding package, the TriaTrainer is a three-way workout tool that’s crafted to match your finest furniture. Shipped in ash, cherry or walnut, the premium plinth is space efficient and simple to hinge, while the footrest can be adjusted to suit any user of your domestic fitness centre.
Chris Rowlands
Freelance contributor 
