Top six picks for giving your loved one
the gift of health and wellness this year.
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One of the newest technologies in air purifiers this year is the Plasmacluster™ from Sharp Electronics (newest model is FP-N60CX, retailing for $549.95).  This home appliance releases both positive and negative ions into the air to deactivate impurities.  It is also very quiet -- virtually silent.
 

Stress-Reduction Gift -- Another big trend that has been brewing for the past year (or more!) is stress reduction.  There is an ever-growing list of gift products that fit into this category.  If I could recommend one stress-reduction gift item, it would be to purchase a sleep accessory for your loved one this year because more restful sleep will help reduce your stress. Here's an amazing statistic...the Better Sleep Council recently reported that a third of all Americans feel that sleep is more important to wellness than even a balanced diet!  So, certainly anything you can do to improve your sleep would be helpful.  Besides going to bed at nearly the same time every night, exercising more, and perhaps changing when and what you eat, look into the newest mattresses and pillows.  Today's mattresses and pillows offer excellent customization and flexibility so that they cradle your body more -- reducing pressure points and the tossing and turning that can wake you up during the night.

Photo Courtesy: Florida Department of Citrus If you want to give a food gift this season, send your loved one citrus, like grapefruit, oranges, and tangerines -- a healthy choice.

Select Comfort, the maker of the Sleep Number bed, has some quality pillow products that would be excellent holiday gifts.  In particular look for the Back, Side, or Stomach Sleeper pillows (retailing between $60-$90.00).  These pillows are designed for people who generally sleep one of those three ways.  Or, you can try the new GridZone Foam pillow (retailing for approximately $90.00), which is made out of viscoelastic memory foam that responds to body weight and temperature, conforming to the unique contours of the head and neck and, therefore, provides consistent and personalized support.

Wellness Food Choices -- About half of all Americans will give some type of food or wine gift this year.  This offers such a wide range of choices, but why not give the gift of wellness wrapped up into something that is not only tasty but also good for you -- try citrus.

The Florida Department of Citrus has put together a terrific website, www.pickFLA.com, where you can go online and send fresh Florida citrus in pretty baskets for between $20-100.  Or, you can go to your local grocery store to select top-quality citrus.  This fruit not only smells delicious and is invigorating to the mind but also is loaded with lots of nutrients, like Vitamin C, which bumps up your immune system and helps you fight the seasonal colds and flu.  It is also heart healthy. 

Organics Everywhere -- Organics have sure taken off.  They are everywhere.  A really fun gift this season would be to introduce your boyfriend, husband, dad, or brother to organics.  An easy gift in this category would be Lucky Tiger's men’s hair grooming products that now have an organic line — www.getluckytiger.com (under $20 each product).  Each product is packed with organic botanicals, vitamins, and anti-oxidents.

Recycled Wear -- Are you a conscious consumer this season?  This means that you look for products that are not only practical but also functional, healthy, and eco-friendly.  The Green Gift Guide, developed by the California Department of Conservation, encourages you to find vendors who use all those recycled glass, cans, and plastic and put them to good use.  Definitely a conscious consumer resource.

Interesting environmental gifts that I recommend from the Green Gift Guide are the soft, fleece sweaters by Patagonia -- it takes approximately 63, 20-ounce recycled bottles to make one of these fleece sweaters!  Or the similar recycled products from Point Beach -- such as a fleece scarf or hat.

Send Peace -- No matter what way you celebrate this holiday season, a message that binds every religion and perspective is the message of peace.  Send the gift of peace this season by purchasing a fresh, handmade holiday olive branch wreath from Lindsay Olives, an olive processing company in California.  For $50.00, the company will ship the wreath to your friend or loved one, which can be hung in a square or diamond shape, and will donate the profits to America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest hunger relief organization.  You need to order by December 15 to guarantee delivery by December 24.

Terra Wellington is a national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle. 
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