The world of health, wellness and fitness is an ever-changing one. It’s challenging enough to keep on top of the latest innovations, let alone when you hear of something that leaves you saying, “what the heck? That can’t be real!”
However, sometimes the truth is stranger than a supermarket tabloid with a “Batboy” headline. The eight wellness inventions below sound weird, but they’re really pretty awesome.
1. Get Youthful Like Countess Bathory
Back in the day, Countess Elizabeth Bathory tried to maintain her youthful visage by draining the blood of tortured virgin girls and bathing in it. Her real-life acts of cruelty made many regard her as a vampire.
However, you can sleep conscience-clear and youthfully beautiful today after having a vampire facial. This microneedling treatment stimulates cell turnover and enhances collagen and elastin production. After using a device to create microscopic punctures in your skin, your practitioner rubs platelet-rich plasma in to facilitate healing.
Another treatment that sounds somewhat ghoulish at first involves using stem cell serums to stimulate a youthful glow. However, don’t worry — you aren’t slathering on the embryonic ones that cause so much controversy. Rather, it’s the culture scientists use to stimulate new growth from adult cells.
2. Try a Natural Herbal High
If you scroll through social media lately, you may come across advertisements for non-alcoholic herbal drinks that promise to pack a potent punch — and should, for the price tag of many. However, if you’re a bit low on the cash flow, you can still take advantage of the benefits these beverages offer with a little DIY.
Boost your immunity this winter with a cordial made from elderberry and ginger, or tame a tense tummy with berries and basil. If you get lucky, your local convenience store may offer some grab-and-go options.
3. Or Intoxicate Your Workout Gear
When you work out, inflammation results from the stress you put on your muscles. It’s part of what contributes to post-workout soreness. Rubbing CBD oil on after hitting the gym hard can make a big difference, according to NASM certified personal trainer Tara Laferrere.
Now, you might not even need to lug an extra lotion bottle to the weight room. You can now buy CBD-infused activewear, which proponents claim will speed your recovery time. The science isn’t all in yet — why not be your own guinea pig? If nothing else, you get some adorable new leggings.
4. Become a Pretzel Somewhere New
Yoga has existed for longer than Christianity, but folks are still adding new twists to the ancient pretzel practice. If you thought getting into crane pose was challenging on land, wait until you saddle up and try it on horseback. You won’t only connect to your breathing, but that of your equine companion’s in this practice.
However, if the thought of doing a backbend five feet off the hard ground holds little appeal, why not take your practice aquatic? You can now find yoga on a paddleboard, which transforms even lotus into a balance pose.
5. Make Massage Into a Video Game
Have you tried to talk your sweetie into giving you a rubdown but no dice? Maybe if doing so will up their game, you can finally get the relaxing massage you deserve without shelling out a Benjamin.
The Massage Me jacket is a video game controller — and the harder your partner rubs, the better their play. Can you say deep tissue, baby, yeah?
6. Give Your Face a Pao-wer Workout
You can find hand weights, ankle weights, even those little springy things that improve your grip — but how do you build your facial muscles? Ask the Japanese, who invented the Pao device to work the area around your mouth, keeping it more youthful.
It’s so popular that soccer star Cristiano is a fan. The scientific research to date does indicate the device’s effectiveness for treating sagging jowls. It’s like a dumbbell for your jawline.
7. Elevate Your Senses With Cellphone Aromatherapy
Does your cubicle-mate insist on bringing leftover salmon for lunch? Can you say, “instant queasiness?”
Fortunately, you can now carry a serene scent cloud anywhere your phone goes with portable aromatherapy devices. Some plug into your phone’s charging port, while others are embedded in a COVID-19-convenient sanitizing case. Say goodbye to germs and that lingering aroma of B.O. from the last person who had your bus seat.
8. Trust Vaccines — to Quit Smoking?
If you have tried to kick the habit, you know the struggle is real. Prescription drugs help many to quit, but not everyone responds to them. What if you could get a vaccine against nicotine the way you can for COVID-19? Surprise — you can.
The vaccine works by making your body attack nicotine, preventing it from giving you the dopamine rush that comes from taking a drag. Without the positive neurotransmitter reinforcement, you lose joy in the act and start to understand why folks always complained about that ashtray smell.
These 8 Wellness Inventions May Sound Weird — But They’re Awesome
The eight wellness inventions above might sound like something out of a fiction novel, but all of them are available today. Why not try one of these awesome new things on for size?
