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5. Training gets personal Get that stuck-in-a-rut friend the gift of motivation (and a drill sergeant) this holiday season. A good personal trainer is part coach, mentor, therapist, good cop and bad cop. Whatever the goal – from losing 10 to 100 pounds or more, to running a marathon, to transforming a lifestyle – a trained and certified personal trainer can help. They will evaluate a client's current fitness, consider lifestyle issues and help develop a plan of action. Then they will help run, lift and crunch that loved-one into a fine, fit form. Some trainers work with clients at home, outdoors or in the fitness facility. Personal trainers typically charge hourly fees, and multi-session packages are also offered. Tina Hamm at the Manitoba Fitness Council says trainers' fees can range from $40 to $80 per hour, depending on a particular trainer's credentials and experience. The council has developed a handy checklist of questions people should ask when considering hiring a personal trainer. Among other things, you should ask whether the trainer has post-secondary education in exercise science; current information on the latest trends and safety; current CPR and first aid training; and liability insurance, among other key qualities. The website also has a link to the Manitoba Exercise Professionals Association, which has a list of professional trainers. For more information, visit the Manitoba Fitness Council website at manitobafitnesscouncil.ca. 6. Weighty matters For those counting calories and watching what they eat, consider a kitchen nutrition scale this holiday season. Modern scales are sleek, digital and accurate, making food weighing even easier for anyone looking for a high degree of accuracy in portion size. These scales are designed to tell you how many calories you are consuming in meals or snacks prepared at home. Want to know how many calories are in a plate of pasta? Simply type in a set code, put the food in a dish on the scale, and the digital screen reveals the calories, carbohydrates, sugars and other nutrients contained in the serving. Look for brand names and avoid plastic parts when selecting a kitchen scale. In Winnipeg, Lee Valley has a nifty scale for $49.00. Some of the options at amazon.ca include Salter nutritional scale $64.99; Cuisinart digital kitchen scale $29.99; and the ultra-thin professional digital kitchen food and nutrition scale by Ozeri $34.95. Scales are also available at kitchen equipment shops and larger stores like London Drugs and Wal- Mart. 7. Video game exercise regimen Forget sitting around with a joystick, mindlessly blowing away alien races. That was then. Today's generation of video games include fitness programs that challenge participants to stand up, get moving, and ultimately get active. Nintendo's Wii Fit Plus, with its balance board and more than a dozen exercise program options, makes a great gift for Winnipeggers who feel homebound in the winter but still want to be active. Wii Fit Plus is all about building strength, aerobic capacity, core stability and balance. The program acts like a personal trainer, keeping track of calories burned, tracking progress and evaluating fitness. (Prices can vary. Wii Fit Plus with balance board $128 plus shipping at amazon.ca, Wii Fit Plus software $19 plus shipping at amazon.ca.) 22 WAVE

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