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23 Gifts That Make Life Better

Spend your money wisely — give yourself or those you care about gifts that make life better. Each of the 23 products and services presented here were selected because they can improve your quality of life.  Check them out.

 

Gunnar Optik Amber Glasses — $50

It might be news to you, but blue light blocking glasses block hormone disrupting blue light to get better sleep, increase protection of your cells and lower stress levels.

Did you know that being visually connected for multiple hours each day to computers, tablets, phones and games exposes us to the high-energy visible (HEV) blue light that can affect our eyes, neck and back, circadian rhythms and overall health?

This is referred to as “Computer Vision Syndrome”, now a common problem for our digital generation. Nearly 70% of U. S. adults experience digital eye strain as a result of increasing use of digital devices. Cumulative exposure to HEV blue light can contribute to vision problems such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

The Gunnar glasses can alleviate all causes of digital eye strain and visual fatigue. It aids natural focusing to provide sharper, clearer vision, resulting in less strain on eye muscles. In addition, proprietary tints and coatings block high-energy blue light, UV and glare to protect your vision.  More about this here.

 

RAD Roller — $25

Many people use the RAD for thoracic mobility work, including me, but it also does a fine job of releasing tight muscles in feet, forearms, glutes and hamstrings.

It’s small and portable so you can take it with you everywhere, and it’s far superior to using lacrosse or tennis balls, given that the RAD Roller is designed to replicate the firm but soft hands of a therapist.

 

Muse: The Brain Sensing (and Meditation) Headband — $260

Ever think that a meditation practice might improve your life but were unsure about how to do it in a way that mattered?

Muse might be the answer.  With its assistance, your meditation can be a powerful tool to decrease stress, inflammation and anxiety. Muse pretty much makes mediation easy and effective — you’ll no longer wonder if you’re doing it right.

Muse measures whether your mind is calm or active, and gently guides your busy mind back to a state of calm should it start to wonder. After each session, review your data, set goals, and build a deeply rewarding meditation practice that gets better every time.

If you’re unsure if mediation might be of value to you or that stressed out person you could gift it to, read my article, 4 Research Studies That Prove Meditation Increases Lifespan (Not to Mention Happiness).

 

Lifeline Revolution Pull-up Assist — $26

When exercise takes too much effort, it usually is avoided.  Take pull-ups for example — most most of us can’t do more than a couple of them, even though being able to lift your body weight is a pretty good indicator of functional fitness.

I’m 6’4″, 210 pounds and have long arms, so how good to you think I am at doing pull-ups?  The answer is that I’m getting better at it thanks to my Lifeline Assist, because this simple contraption literally gives me a  lift.

Adjustable pull up that can subtract up to 100 pounds of your body weight so you can finally pull your chest to the bar and do a few proper pull-ups.  The Lifeline will take you from any starting fitness level to to the point where you can do many reps and sets. Improve arm, shoulders, and chest strength with assisted pull ups and chin ups. Build stabilizer muscles in abs and back with planks, push ups and knee ups.  Check it out.

 

Sleep Master Sleep Mask — $24

After having read about how deep, restorative sleep is influenced by complete darkness, I began wearing this sleep mask.  It seemed easier to put it on than to close the shades of the three windows in my bedroom, which didn’t prevent outside night lights from coming in anyway.

Not only does the Sleep Master eliminate light, but it does a decent job of reducing noise.  If you, or someone you know, has difficulty sleeping soundly, try this.

 

Captains of Crush Hand Gripper — $23 – $53

I’m writing this at a friend’s house in Santa Barbara. I drove here from Sausalito, CA, which is the first town north of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.  It’s a six-hour drive, more or less, and to keep me company was my Captain’s Crush.

Every hour or so, I’d grab the Crush and start exercising my grip.  As I wrote in 3 Ways To Stay Young, your hand grip is an indication of health and vitality. A great way to strength your grip is to use this Crush hand gripper, because it’s

• The single best grip training tool you can buy
• The fastest way to improve grip strength
• Good-looking, durable, and precise — featuring billet aluminum and alloy steel construction
• Has 11 different strengths, for all levels

Remember, the simple reason you should consider using — or gifting someone —  a grip training tool is that grip strength correlates with biological aging; meaning, the weaker your grip, the more fragile you are. Go check it out.

 

Bayer Contour Blood Sugar Meter — $20

If you think that all those carbs you eat might be bumping up your blood sugar, this Bayer meter is a must have for consistent monitoring.

I wrote about my surprise about my own blood sugar in the article, My Blood Sugar Numbers Confound Me.  And so might yours.

This Owell Blood Glucose Starter Meter kit provides all the appropriate supplies that are required to test your sugar level.  Check it out.

 

Smackfat Ketone Strips — $11

Wonder if you’re burning fat instead of glucose? These ketone strips are perfect for Ketogenic Diet and Diabetics. Ketones build up when your body needs to break down fats and fatty acids to use as fuel. This is most likely to occur when the body does not get enough sugar or carbohydrates.

The Smackfat Ketone Test Strips were created to support the low carb/high fat journey of the promising ketogenic diet, aka ketosis diet and Atkins Diet.  You can ensure that you’re on the right track by testing your ketones with the Smackfat strips.

 

Hair Mineral Analysis (w/ MD recommendations) — $160

Hair Mineral Analysis shows deficiencies in minerals and toxicity induced by heavy metals. Hair tissue is affected by the blood, perspiration, environment, genetics, hormones and enzymes., and thereby represents what is occurring inside the cells and the sub-molecular figures of the body.

The hair gives a reading of what is being stored in the body. For example, if mercury is high in the hair, a higher concentration of it would also be found in organs like the kidney and liver. Our hair analysis test can indicate mineral deficiencies as well as heavy metal toxicity have occurred over a long period of time.

Without a hair test, there is no scientific way to identify which minerals you need for optimal physical and emotional health. It is fast, painless, reasonably priced, and something you should know about and consider to get a read on your health.

 

Nayoya Needle Pad — $55

I’ve never used this pad, but read that it was recommended by Cirque du Soleil performer Andri Bondarenko to the aforementioned Tim Ferriss after he (Tim) pulled his shoulder and latissimus dorsi muscle.

Andri uses this type of mat daily after strenuous practice, particularly for back pain. Six to ten minutes per session, one to times per day, should be sufficient to release muscular tension in your to have a lower back, mid-back and thoracic areas.

You can buy the Navona at Amazon.com, where this info was presented:

• IMMEDIATE back and neck pain relief in the comfort of your home in as little as 20 minutes per day
• ELIMINATES the need for expensive treatments as well as therapist, masseuse and chiropractor visits
• EFFECTIVELY induces a state of complete relaxation while reducing aches, pain, stress and tension
• RELIEVES not only back, neck, shoulder and sciatic pain whether mild or chronic but also relieves headaches
• OTHER BENEFITS include improved sleep, circulation, and mood as well an increase in energy levels

Tools of Titans — $17

With the subtitle of: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers, you can get a sense that this book can provide you with some tried and true methods — and perhaps more importantly — attitudes that have been cultivated and used by the most successful among us to achieve their desires.

Tim Ferriss, the book’s author, has interviewed more than 200 of the world’s best performers – everyone from celebebrities (Jamie Foxx, Arnold Schwarzenegger, etc.) to athletes (icons of power-lifting, gymnastics, surfing, etc.), Special Ops commanders, and black-market biochemists — and then distilled from these interviews the best tools, tactics and tips that you can use to make your life more awesome.

 

Becoming a Supple Leopard — $39

As the byline says, this is “The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and Optimizing Athletic Performance.” 

Written by physiotherapist and Crossfit expert Dr. Kelly Starett, this book presents beautifully illustrated depictions of the mobility movements and exercises needed to improve your athletic performance, extend your athletic career, treat stiffness and achy joints, and prevent and rehabilitate injuries—all without having to seek out a coach, doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, or masseur.

If you haven’t seen his video tips on improving mobility, go to Starett’s Youtube channel, get inspired and then come back here and buy the book!

 

How Not To Die — $16

The byline of Dr. Michael Greger’s highly rated book (4.8 stars of 5 from 1,498 Amazon.com reviewers) is “Discover the foods scientifically proven to prevent and reverse disease”, and on that, the book delivers big time!

 

Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser — $60

Do you know anybody who hates flossing?

My father used to complain that his fingers were too big to deftly manage flossing, and therefore ignored his dentist’s advice to do it.  Too bad this Waterpik wasn’t available to him “back in the day”.

Keeping your gums and teeth clean is important to your overall health. Use the Waterpik for one minute a day for a cleaner, fresher, and healthier mouth. It’s perfect for anyone with braces, implants, crowns, or periodontal pockets, because the Waterpik uses a combination of water pressure and pulsations to clean deep between teeth and below the gum line, removing harmful bacteria and debris that traditional brushing, air flossing, and string flossing can’t reach.

Healthy Human Water Bottle and Insulated Cruiser — $19

I don’t mean to offend anyone, but it’s a shame that so many of us continue to buy water in plastic bottles.  Ont only is the plastic a scourge to the environment, but the chemicals in them can negatively affect your health.

Healthy Human water bottles are a great alternative to plastic bottles. There’s no damaging BPA, lead, phthalates or any other hormone harming chemicals in these beverage containers.

From the description on Amazon.com:

• KEEPS LIQUIDS COLD & HOT 2X’S LONGER THAN ANY REGULAR CUP OR TUMBLER: Ideal vacuum Insulated tumbler for Hot & Cold Drinks – Iced Water, Coffee, Tea, Kombucha, Smoothies & Beer.
• 100% SWEAT RESISTANT – Our unique powder-coated matte finish exterior never sweats or transfers heat or cold temperatures. Zero dripping on your clothes and bag. No puddles in your car holder or on your desk.
• BPA FREE 100% PREMIUM FOOD GRADE 18/8 STAINLESS STEEL – Zero Toxins, Zero BPA, Zero Lead. No Phthalates. Extensive 3rd party lab testing for US FDA and European Safety Guidelines.
• KEEPS ORIGINAL LIQUID FLAVORS – Does not retain or impart flavors. FITS MOST CUPHOLDERS.
• WHAT’S INCLUDED: 20oz Tumbler. Clear Tritan Splash Proof Lid. Steel Straw. Straw Cleaner. Hydro Use & Care Guide.

 

PH Recharge Countertop Water Filtration System — $90

If you spend some time researching water filtration systems, you may come to the conclusion that ideally it could deliver alkalized, ionized, purified water in seconds.

The PH Recharge is engineered with three technology ‘anti-block’ water purification PH001 filters into one compact unit. This multi-stage filtration system has a ‘Micro Net’ to catch nasty particles, removes pesticides, herbicides, pollutants, fluoride and chlorine, but allows beneficial minerals to pass though. It has a 4,500 cup, 288 gallon capacity.

Berkey Royal Stainless Steel Water Filtration System — $283

Here’s some stats on this beast:

• Purifies up to 4 gallons per hour
• Filter Life: Up to 3,000 gallons per filter element
• Holding Capacity: 3 Gallons
• High Grade 304 Stainless Steel

The Royal Berkey system removes pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites entirely and extracts harmful chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, VOCs, organic solvents, radon 222 and trihalomethanes. It also reduces nitrates, nitrites and unhealthy minerals such as lead and mercury.

This system is so powerful it can remove red food coloring from water without removing the beneficial minerals your body needs. You’d be hard pressed to find a water filtration system that could duplicate this performance at this price point.

 

Mahler’s Aggressive Strength Testosterone Booster — $50

Mahler’s testosterone booster contains the potent extracts of Bulbine Natalensis, Mucuna Pruriens, Sensoril Ashwagandha, and Stinging nettle root to not only increase overall testosterone production, but also make testosterone more bioavailable.

If your experience with it mirrors mine, within two weeks, you can look forward to an increase in strength, size, libido and a decease in bodyfat.

Aggressive Strength has a 30 day money back guarantee for first time users. Give it a shot for a month. If you’re not happy with the results, then shoot them an email and you’ll get a refund for the purchase price.

Make sure you read the testimonials — they sell the product, because when reading them you get to thinking that so many people can’t be wrong.

 

Prohealth’s NAD + Ignite — $60

 

 

Turkey Tail Mushroom Immune Enhancer — $45

I use Turkey Tail mushrooms whenever I get an inkling that I might get sick, or as a preventative measure when “flu season” arrives.

Turkey Tail is one of the best-documented mushrooms in scientific research, and shows much promise in supporting the immune system with its protein-bound and unique polysaccharides.

If you or someone you know seems to get the flu every year, or simply want to boost his/her immune system, try Turkey Tail capsules.

 

Bone Broth Protein and Collagen — $38

Bone broth is the rage these days, and the Dr. Axe brand has combined it with protein powder to give you an extra boost of body-repairing nutrients.

Bone Broth Protein is Dairy Free, Soy Free, Grain Free, Gluten Free, Gut-Friendly, Paleo-Friendly, All Natural 20g Protein, No Carbs, No Sugars.  It contains minerals including potassium, calcium, selenium and magnesium, and is rich in collagen and gelatin that help form connective tissue and healthy skin.

Some of the ways in which bone broth boosts detoxification is by supplying sulfur and glutathione. (Preventative Research Center has found that glutathione helps with elimination of fat-soluble compounds, especially heavy metals like mercury and lead.). Collagen/gelatin and the amino acids proline, glutamine and arginine help seal openings in the gut lining and support gut integrity. Studies show that gelatin is beneficial for restoring the strength of the gut lining and fighting food sensitivities. It’s definitely worth checking out.

 

Naked Whey Protein — $90

The first time Naked Whey was delivered to my house and I opened the box, I was surprised by how big the container was.  This is a lot of protein powder!  And the quality is excellent.

Using grass fed cows’ milk from small dairy farms, Naked Whey is made by careful manufacturing processes to create a non-denatured whey protein powder loaded with essential amino acids, glutathione, and clean protein.

All of Naked Whey’s vital nutrients are retained in the purest form —  it is not dressed up with additives like artificial flavors or sweeteners like most brands.

 

Green Energy Superfood — $19

Impressively, this superfood has gotten 4.3 stars of 5 by 8,872 Amazon.com reviewers.

I think this is because it offers a lot for the money, including Guyaki Yerba Mate and Matcha — all of which helps to improve clarity, energy and overall well being.

Check out the list of ingredients on Amazon.com.

 

I believe these are gifts that make life better, and I hope you found something that you’d like to have and experience for yourself or gift to someone your care about.  May whichever gift you buy contribute to your health and well-being.

Last Updated on February 25, 2024 by Joe Garma