Self Maintenance 101

Improve your home office or work cubicle by implementing small measures like a yoga ball chair, a Roleo for relieving tense forearms, and this mini elliptical to maintain mobility and comfort when you aren’t working.

Trideer stability balls don't have the weird back base, making it easier to take the ball home for a workout on the weekends. (Amazon)

With a broad, bright summer ahead, now is not the time for annoying injuries. The little things that happen when you aren't paying attention and in a rush; the sprains and aches that follow a forgetful period of time without yoga or morning stretches. These items will help keep your mobility and general health up to par, starting with an ergonomic update to your work desk setup that will keep carpal tunnel and chronic neck pain at bay.

Small enough to fit under your desk, easy enough that you’ll actually use it. (Amazon)

SereneLife Mini Elliptical Stepper

Doubling as an at-home step trainer or an under-the-desk workout, this quiet, nondescript stepper allows you to engage your leg and gluteous muscles during that long sales call you have been avoiding. Always be closing, but always be moving as well. When you're tired, the foot pads provide a nice rest for your feet at a more natural angle than flat on the ground. Usually $98, get it today for $84.99 with the additional Amazon coupon at checkout.

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Finally, a subtle stand that holds the ball in place without a clunky base. (Amazon)

Trideer Stability Ball and Chair

Yes, yoga balls are dope for certain yoga poses and ab workouts. It's an easy way to tone up without buying weights. But to me, I still see yoga balls as what chairs were meant to be. The ring holds the ball in place when you're using it at a desk, engaging your core to keep better posture naturally. My tailbone doesn't start to ache like when I'm slumped onto my keyboard in a conventional computer chair. Plus, you can take it home on the weekends for a real work out. It comes in two sizes: 65cm for customers 5' 3" to 5' 10" in height, and 75cm for customers 5' 11" to 6' 4" in height. $34.99 today.

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If I could, I’d cover my whole apartment in this stuff. (Amazon)

AmazonBasics Extra Thick Exercise Mat

This 1/2 inch-thick foam mat is honestly not that great for real yoga. But it is amazing for everything else. My dad got a couple for doing slow, easy stretches in the evenings, and I ended up laying mine down in front of my kitchen sink to give my flat feet a break when I'm washing dishes or preparing food at the counter. $17.49.

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Are your hands still sore from weed harvest? Mine too. The Roleo is here to help. (Amazon)

Deep Tissue Forearm Massager by Roleo

I severely strained my hands, wrists and forearms while working at a cannabis farm for a few harvests. When I asked my masseuse friends about relief, they always recommended the Roleo. One of these sits in the break room at any massage clinic you go to. Musicians, software engineers, athletes––for anyone whose hands are their livelihood, this therapeutic, trigger point massager is their go-to for releasing tension and maintaining the mobility of wrists, hands and forearms. Best of all, it isn't powered or requires batteries. It'll last a lifetime and save you on surgery bills from carpal tunnel or stress cysts.


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Ribbed for her pleasure. (Amazon)

Hand and Foot Roller 

For someone who wants a more versatile tool to ease tight muscles in smaller, contoured areas like the hands and feet, this compact foam roller will never leave your side. The textured, dense surface stimulates the tissue for circulation and mobility, and the lightweight, portable size makes it easy to toss in the gym bag, leave in your office desk, or bring on a business trip.

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Everybody’s doing it. (Amazon)

Fitbit Charge 2 Heart Rate + Fitness Wristband

Sick of your dad asking about how many steps he's done during the hike? Get him his own FitBit for Father's Day. Besides tracking activity like steps, distance, calories burned and active minutes, this updated model has PurePulse continuous, automatic wrist-based heart rate tracking to better measure calorie burn all day. You can see calls, texts & calendar notifications on the OLED display and automatically track how long and how well you sleep and wake with a silent vibrating alarm.

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