Mother's Day Gifts That Contribute To Her Mental And Physical Health

Mother's Day has a unique meaning to every family that celebrates it, but the general idea is to celebrate mothers and the hard work they do or did raising their kids. Every mother knows that mothering is a uniquely important job that brings similarly unique challenges.

We may love our kids more than anyone in the world, but they also makes us want to pull our hair out sometimes. All moms are different. Some struggle to juggle a job out of the home with their family life. Some do battle with the washing machine. Some have the joy of teaching their kids at home, along with the frustration. Others look after children with special needs, care for an elderly parent, or work on their PhD. We all enjoy being appreciated, though we may feel we don't deserve that at times.

What should you get your mother for mother's day? What should you get your wife or partner to acknowledge the hard work she shares with you? Or... what should you give to that friend or neighbor to give her some special encouragement?

Flowers and chocolate are so yesterday. Give the special mom in your life a gift that contributes in an area she really needs — something that will improve her physical health, or something that will give her the opportunity to truly recuperate.

A Gym Membership

Most moms don't have as much time as they need to work out. If you are an adult daughter or a husband, a gym membership is one of the best gifts you could possibly offer. Investigate gyms local to your loved one that have programs you think will appeal to her. Moms who have small kids at home would be so happy if you would offer to babysit once or twice a week so she can go to the gym freely, without worrying about the little ones.

Not all moms enjoy working out in a gym, but all benefit from regular physical activity. What should you get a mom who hates working out on machines? Yoga, swimming, pilates, krav maga, cycling, climbing or gardening classes are all great alternatives that will get her active.

The opportunity to work out is a great gift, because it will contribute to the mom's long-term physical health, will get her out of the house, and will even help her fight mild depression. While I think a gym membership or other exercise classes are good for any mom, there are two categories of moms that would appreciate this in particular — retired moms of adult kids, and moms who had babies relatively recently, and who need to work on weight loss after pregnancy.