After looking at the pictures of the OSIM uCrown 2 Head- and Scalp-Massager, I’m not sure whether it’s brilliant or just strange. Did I mention that it plays music?
Strange or not, if you’re someone who enjoys a good scalp massage, but your partner gets tired of giving you the goods, then perhaps it’s time to switch to a machine for help.
The device uses a combination of air-pressure, vibration massage, magnetic therapy, gentle heat, and soothing music to relax you at the end of the hard day. Either that, or it’s some strange new technology to let aliens brainwash you and take over the planet. You’ll have to let us know after you try it.
Portable and cordless, the brain-washing massaging device can be taken anywhere. Grab one for $200 at Amazon:
How are your feet and calves feeling today? A little tight? A little sore? A little beleaguered from your last training session? Then perhaps you should slide the Human Touch CirQlation Power Foot and Calf Massager under your chair.
At $400, it’s not exactly an inexpensive health gadget, but if it’s heaven for your lower extremities, it might be worth the cash.
The device uses figure-eight technology to massage your calves in an upward, rolling, or wave-lice fashion. This moves the blood away from the feet and toward your body’s core, which is supposed to improve overall health and fitness. Oh, and it probably feels pretty good too. The machine promises to “rejuvenate and revitalize tired feet and legs so you can get back to the things you love in life.”
According to the product description, benefits include relaxation and reduced stress, better sleep, lessened back pain, relief for sore muscles, better circulation and blood flow, and improved wellness.
If you always have knots in your shoulders or your back muscles, and it’s impossible to get at them without a trained massage therapist, you might want to pick up a Theracane.
I’ve had one for a couple years, and, though they are a tad funky looking, they are great for getting at trigger points behind your shoulders. (Trigger points may cause anything from local soreness to referred pain and can be responsible for chronic headaches, neck and back pain, and even hand or foot issues such as RSI or carpal tunnel syndrome; if any of those twinges sound familiar, definitely check out The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief, Second Edition).
“The Thera Cane is a deep pressure massage device which can be used to gently massage tender points in the muscles. The user can easily massage any part of the body by using one of the six strategically placed projections. A minimal amount of arm movement and gentle pressure is all that is needed for effective treatment.”
At $25, the gadget costs less than even a single trip to the massage parlor.
Theracane Self Massager with FREE 14 page Trigger Point Owners Manual
There are plenty of pricey heart rate monitors out there with more bells and whistles than most of us will ever use (or even find on there), but there are affordable heart rate monitors too. If all you care about is monitoring your heart rate (imagine!), then you don’t need to spend a fortune. After all, if your primary use is jogging on the treadmill or playing some racquetball, do you really need a GPS feature? It’s hard to get lost on the way to the locker room!
Here are a few affordable options with good consumer reviews:
The Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor is one of the more popular monitors at Amazon. While the list price is $60, it’s selling for $35 as I write this. The simple watch-like device tracks heartrate, shows time, and has an alarm feature.
The Timex T5G941 Heart Rate Monitor Watch is another affordable option that comes in under $40. “The large, easy-to-read display recalls your activity time and average, peak, and minimum heart rate, and it includes 12/24 hour time and month/date display.”
While the Polar company isn’t known for its cheap heart rate monitors, the very basic black Polar FS2C can be purchased for less than $60. “The watch starts by wirelessly reading your heart rate, with measurements for your average heart rate, maximum heart rate, and exercise time. The watch also includes audible and visual alarms that tell you when your heart rate exceeds or falls under your target zone.”
How’s the back? A little tight? Sore? Stiff? Maybe what you need is a portable back stretcher designed to realign your spine and reduce back pain.
If you’ve heard of inversion tables, this is the same idea (except cheaper).
“A compact, portable solution for stretching, relaxing, and decompressing the body, the Lynx is a breeze to use: simply secure your ankles in the contoured foot supports, apply firm pressure to the leverage handles, and stretch. The self-administered traction–which commonly lengthens the skeleton by 1 to 1-1/2 inches–will help increase the flexibility in your joints, improve your posture through better alignment, and make you feel 10 years younger.”
I’m not sure if I buy the “10 years younger” pitch, but the reviews for the device are fairly promising with folks saying not only that the Lynx is a quality product but also that it works on their pain. Maybe I should pick on up….
If all those hours at the keyboard are causing twinges in your hands or wrists, it may be a muscular imbalance rather than a joint issue. This hand fitness trainer is supposed to slow the development of osteoarthritis and lessen the discomfort of such hand- and wrist-pain problems such as RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
If you’re thinking this looks just like those hand-grip strengtheners or ball-squeezing exercises, it’s not. It actually exercises the opposite muscles as those do. Try putting a rubberband around your thumb and fingers and flexing your hand outward–these are those muscles.
“The device slips on like a glove and has elastic bands that strap to each fingertip, providing resistance as you open your hand. By flexing your hand in the opposite direction of its typical motion, the trainer strengthens the extensor muscles in your hands, wrists, and elbows, helping to reduce the painful symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and tendonitis.”
You can pick up the hand exerciser for $40 at Hammacher Schlemmer:
If you’re feeling run-down during the day and that you’re not sleeping well enough during the night, here’s an interesting idea. These body purifying herbal foot pads from Gaiam are supposed to “boost circulation” and help remove toxins from your body such as nickel, arsenic, and mercury.
You place them on the arches of your feet (this location supposedly maximizes the effects since it allows them to work on the major reflexology organs) and wear them while you sleep (8-10 hours). Apparently feet are the conduits to the rest of your body. Whether you believe this sort of thing works or not is up to you. The footpads come in a 10-pack and can be purchased online for $24.