A cool tool can be any book, gadget, software, video, map, hardware, material, or website that is tried and true. All reviews on this site are written by readers who have actually used the tool and others like it. Items can be either old or new as long as they are wonderful. We post things we like and ignore the rest. Suggestions for tools much better than what is recommended here are always wanted.
Tell us what you love.Once a week we’ll send out a page from Cool Tools: A Catalog of Possibilities. The tools might be outdated or obsolete, and the links to them may or may not work. We present these vintage recommendations as is because the possibilities they inspire are new. Sign up here to get Tools for Possibilities a week early in your inbox.
I haven’t encountered any source on this subject as broad, accessible, and easily applied as Bob Anderson’s classic Stretching, a patient and friendly stand-in for my eight-grade P.E. teacher.
The 30th anniversary edition of this guidebook came out recently, with even more stretches and illustrations, and it’s easily the most comprehensive work on the subject. I love the activity-specific sections: cyclists, for instance, are shown stretches that not only address the muscle groups made tight and tense by our specific sport, but the stretches geared toward bike riders even include a bicycle to be utilized as a support. Activities from weightlifting to computer using get their own sections, too.
Organizationally, Stretching shines. Tight neck? Rigid shoulders? Thumb through to your prescribed routine and get to work. With minimal flexibility but a willingness to make an effort, almost anyone can use this book to become more limber, healthier. — Elon Schoenholz
Back pain is ubiquitous in developed countries. Yet the honest truth is that science is uncertain as to what causes it. Theories abound, as does a lot of pseudo-therapy. There are probably multiple origins and different varieties of lower back pain. However, one theory says a large portion of back pain starts with mental tension. If you have an inkling that your back pain is linked to stress, I strongly suggest you seek out this perennially-in-print book (since 1972). My speaking agent, who deals with hundreds of stressed-out type A’s and the consequential epidemic of back pain they carry with them, routinely hands out this book. It seems to be the one thing that helps them the most. It helped me. By adopting the view that lower back pain is a syndrome in large part fostered by the mind/body complex, I’ve been able to avoid surgery and painkillers and resume my life. Your mileage may vary, but it’s worth a read. — KK
The G5 is a professional-grade massage unit that has long been a staple of naturopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists, many of whom report still using their 40- or 50-year-old units on a daily basis. The G5 comes in dozen or so professional models for use in hospitals, physical therapy and similar clinics. Most pro sports teams (football, basketball, baseball, anyway) have a G5 in their training rooms. This is no Costco-type unit, but an unbelievably robust massage gun that will astonish you within seconds.
The larger professional units with stands and rollers go for about $1,200. The secret to their extraordinarily powerful and effective massage action is a coiled cable that turns and rotates the head, rather than pounding or vibrating as less durable units do. All of the G5s have changeable applicator heads for doing reflexology, exfoliation treatments, lymphatic drainage, cellulite reduction, Trigger Point therapy, therapeutic massage, or just plain old relaxation massage.
For home use I recommend the Pro-Power unit, which is sold as a portable travel version of the G5. It goes for about $350. Since I write and work at a desk a lot, I use mine almost daily, especially when doing big long projects. If you don’t want to take the time to schedule and pay for an $80 massage, anyone can use this on you without getting sore hands or wanting to quit. I actually own two! — Hakim Chishti
© 2022