How about a fitness-friendly Mother’s Day gift?

By Kim Franke-Folstad
MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE
Published: May 9, 2008

Your mom spends all year worrying about her family’s health - and ends up neglecting her own.

Why not use Mother’s Day, May 11, as an excuse to nudge her toward a better diet, a more interesting workout or a little less stress?

Here are a few gift ideas:

For The Mom Who Likes To Mix It Up

The powerful Vita-Mix 5200 blender can make fruit or vegetable juices, healthy soups and smoothies, and even ice cream. The blender performs 35 different processes without using any separate attachments, and it’s tough enough to take on some fruits and veggies whole - that’s skin, core, seeds, stem and leaves. The company says the blender can even heat soup with blades that spin at 240 mph. That’s hot. The Vita-Mix 5200 is available at vitamix.com for $449.

For The Mom Who Wants It All (And In One Place)

Does your mom need a gadget makeover? The Microsoft Zune music player comes in a pretty pink version that has tons of capabilities. Mom can make her own workout playlist, switch over to FM radio for awhile, or show off the latest photos of her family. And if she’s too busy to drag each song from her PC to her MP3 player, she can cut the cord with wireless sync. The Zune is available at department and discount stores, or online at zune.net starting at $149.99 for the 4GB version.

For The Mom Who Needs A Break

If your mom is a carpool-driving, Barbie-buying, boo-boo bandaging machine, she could probably use a breather. That’s tough to get, though, if you don’t have family or friends you trust to turn to for help. Enter Sittercity, an online resource for finding babysitters, nannies, pet sitters and elder caregivers. Buy a gift certificate at sittercity.com/gift, and she’ll have access to the referral service whenever she needs help. Go to sittercity.com for more information about prices and services.

For The Mom Who’s Bigger Than a Bread Box

So Mom needs more sleep, but her bulky belly is getting in the way - what can you do? How about giving her an Utterly Yours Pregnancy Pillow? It’ll keep her on her side and cradle her belly so she stays comfortable all night. And it’s so compact and pretty, she can just fold it up into a cube and leave it on the bed during the day. The pillow comes in three sizes and six fabric combinations. It costs from $34.95 to $44.95. Order the Pregnancy Pillow at utterlyyours.com. Note: Because of its personal nature, she will not be able to return or exchange it.

For The Mom Who Knows What Fore

Etonic is expanding its women’s golf footwear line with the G>SOK Sof-Flex Series, a shoe that looks and feels good. The outside has a one-year waterproof warranty, and inside, there’s a performance sock liner that helps keep feet cool and dry. And it has a streamlined look we like better than most golf shoes. Etonic shoes are available at golf stores and online at zappos.com. The G>SOK Sof-Flex Series sells for $100.