Healthy gifts can ease stress, improve fitness

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A bottle of perfume, a box of candy or a set of pajamas are quick, easy gifts to buy and wrap during the holidays. This year, instead of giving something predictable, why not give the gift of health? The selections are endless, and prices range from expensive to downright cheap. Just imagine the reaction you'll get when you use your imagination.

Slip into a spa

The lights are turned down low, soft music is playing and the fragrant scent of lotion fills the air. It sounds like a little piece of heaven, but it's really the scene in a massage room at the Natural Body Spa in Atlanta, Georgia.

This is one of the busiest times of the year for the spa industry, in part because of gift card sales. Celia Tully, managing director of marketing for the spa, estimates half her company's gift certificate business occurs during the holidays.

"More people are learning to take care of themselves," Tully explains. "They're incorporating these type of services into their daily routines, and instead of taking expensive vacations, they are doing spa treatments."

Depending on the location in the United States, a one-hour deep tissue massage costs between $80 and $145. Tully says it's money well spent. "It makes your whole body feel invigorated," she says. "You're going to get aromatherapy, your skin gets hydrated and your muscles get relaxed. It stimulates the lymphatic system to help remove toxins. It's very, very relaxing." Watch more on giving gifts that last long beyond the holidays »

Less-expensive: If a professional spa treatment is too pricey, why not create your own spa gift basket?

For a fraction of the price, fill an inexpensive container with lotions, soaps and candles to be used at home.

The gift of nutrition

It is one thing to weigh yourself at home on a bathroom scale, but to do it in front of a registered dietitian might give added incentive to someone's desire to shed some pounds.

Registered dietitian Page Love of Atlanta has many clients who've received the gift of nutrition therapy during the holidays. Love encourages clients to think of her services as a preventive, and a step toward being healthy. "It's for anyone who wants to improve their health through eating," she says.

Love starts by weighing and measuring her patients and recording a complete medical history. She uses high-tech gadgets to calculate percentage of body fat and metabolic rate.

The results are used in devising a menu plan. "The client actually walks away with a lot of information about how many calories they need, what their weight range should be and what a realistic weight loss or weight gain goal should be," Love says.

Consultations last at least an hour and start at about $125 a session.

Less-expensive: A thriftier gift-giver might want to skip the professional help and let someone come up with his or her own menus by wrapping up a cookbook.

Sweat it out

Why wrap up another sweater when you can give the gift of sweating? An hour with a personal trainer is a popular option for spouses and colleagues, but it isn't cheap. Expect to pay about $50 per session in smaller cities and up to $125 in larger locations.

Leigh Foti of Atlanta has 24 years of experience as a fitness coach and has seen his clientele change over the decades from rich athletes and socialites to middle-class business men and women looking for a workout session tailored to their needs.

"It should be a motivational experience," says Foti. "I should be able to push them beyond how they would normally push themselves." He says a trainer's job is to provide a safe, yet dynamic workout.

Less-expensive: Some would argue they can get the same experience at home. Exercise bands and hand weights make for inexpensive presents.

No matter what you choose, whether it's pricey or thrifty, the gift of better health will last far beyond the holidays E-mail to a friend

Judy Fortin is a correspondent with CNN Medical News.

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