Tools

A simple shoulder-prehab routine using a resistance band anchored to a stable object like a stair post or gym rack. It’s used for external rotation and other dynamic rotator cuff work to improve shoulder stability and resilience, especially when you need a home-accessible option or don’t have full gym access.

Use a metronome to pace repetitions or movement at a set beat, often via a free app or headphone cue. This helps standardize cadence and can increase reps per unit time, making it especially useful for intermediate or advanced training and for indoor running cadence control.

A short bout of treadmill running used in the lead-up to IVF. The idea is that brief preconception exercise may help shift parental RNA and related biological signals toward healthier patterns, potentially supporting reproductive outcomes.

A wearable strap used to track sleep, heart rate variability, and related recovery metrics over time. It provides estimated sleep-stage data and other physiological signals that can help users spot changes in sleep quality, recovery, and treatment effects. The main value is convenient remote monitoring of trends rather than perfectly precise sleep measurement.

Use a backpack loaded with weight as a lower-cost substitute for a weight vest during long walks, hikes, or other steady cardio sessions. The added load increases training demand and can help build endurance and leg strength while keeping the activity simple and accessible.

A whole-body MRI used as a baseline and then repeated over time to look for silent problems before symptoms appear. It can surface incidental findings such as early tumors, nodules, fatty liver, visceral fat, disc issues, or other structural abnormalities, giving a broad snapshot that may help track change longitudinally.

A brief cold-water immersion practice done consistently, typically right after training, for about five minutes. The cold exposure is used to spike autonomic arousal and sharpen alertness, making it a useful reset before reflective or gratitude-focused work.

Strength training using dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, or other free weights, often as one option alongside bodyweight work and machines. The unstable load forces you to recruit more stabilizing muscles and coordinate movement through a fuller range of motion, which can improve overall strength, balance, and functional control.

Play white noise softly in the background while studying or learning, keeping it audible but not intrusive or irritating. The idea is that a low-level, steady sound can improve attention and auditory working memory, possibly by raising baseline dopamine and making the brain less distractible.

A smart mattress cover/system that tracks sleep and provides a sleep score while also actively cooling the bed. It’s used to monitor sleep quality over time and can be especially helpful for people whose sleep is disrupted by overheating or menopausal vasomotor symptoms, with the added benefit of giving a rough readout of sleep-stage patterns.

Use a bike for short, hard interval work, such as 30 seconds of all-out pedaling followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated in sets. This gives a high-intensity conditioning stimulus while reducing impact compared with running, making it a practical way to build anaerobic fitness.

A low-cost conditioning drill done with a jump rope, typically in short bouts or as part of warm-ups and intervals. It builds cardiovascular fitness while also teaching better landing mechanics, rhythm, and foot/ankle coordination, making it both athletic and practical.

Use your phone’s voice memo or voice notes feature while walking or jogging to capture ideas, reminders, or creative thoughts without stopping. Speaking them out loud preserves momentum and reduces the chance of losing a fleeting thought, making it easier to turn movement into productive brainstorming.

Use the ring as an objective sleep tracker while you test a change, then compare baseline, intervention, and withdrawal periods. Pair the data with brief morning notes so you can see whether a supplement or sleep protocol actually improves sleep quality, recovery, or next-day feel rather than relying on memory alone.

Use an old-fashioned bathroom or floor scale as a makeshift hand-grip test by squeezing it with both hands and reading the output. Track the number against your own baseline over time to gauge recovery and overall grip strength. It’s a cheap, simple proxy for monitoring fatigue or improvement when you don’t have a dedicated dynamometer.

Place a thin pillow or rolled support under the feet or ankles while sleeping, creating a slight 5–10 degree elevation. The idea is to help promote leg lymphatic drainage and may also support deeper sleep and glymphatic clearance overnight.

Wear a wool sauna hat, cap, or even a towel over your head while sitting in the sauna to insulate the scalp from direct heat. By reducing how strongly the heat registers at the head, it can make the sauna feel more tolerable and help you stay in longer at higher temperatures.

Use a soft-bristled toothbrush rather than medium or hard bristles when brushing. The gentler bristles reduce trauma at the tooth-gum interface, helping prevent gum recession, pocketing, and the small spaces where bacteria can collect.

Use heavy curtains or shades to make the bedroom as dark as possible during sleep, especially in bright or seasonal-light environments. The goal is to eliminate even small amounts of light that can disrupt sleep quality and make it harder to stay asleep.

Huberman described placing a red/near-infrared light next to a 10,000 lux light in the morning for added energy, mood, and focus benefits.

A brief cold-water shower used as a simple form of deliberate cold exposure. People typically finish a normal shower with 30 seconds to a few minutes of cold water, often before work or a challenging task, to create an acute stress response that can increase alertness, epinephrine, and dopamine and help boost motivation.

An eye covering worn over the eyes while sleeping, especially during travel or in bright environments. It helps block even small amounts of light so you can fall asleep more easily and stay on your normal sleep schedule, since light exposure can disrupt sleep quality and circadian rhythm.

Use two alarms to bracket sleep: one to signal when it’s time to start winding down for bed, and another to anchor a consistent wake time. This simple timing cue helps regularize sleep schedules by reducing drift in both bedtime and rising time, which can improve sleep consistency over time.

A very small electrical current is delivered to the left cervical vagus nerve, typically via an implanted stimulator, while the person is doing rehabilitation or other therapy. The pairing is meant to boost neuroplasticity and recovery, with discussion focused on uses like ischemic stroke and spinal cord injury.

A guided meditation app used nightly before sleep to make meditation easier to stick with. The built-in prompts provide structure for people who struggle to meditate on their own, helping turn relaxation into a consistent pre-bed routine.

Wearing a brimmed hat can narrow the visual field and create a more tunnel-like view, which may help some people concentrate better. It’s a simple way to reduce visual distraction while still being able to go outside, and it may be especially useful for children or others who are easily overstimulated by their surroundings.

A bright ring light used as a cheaper stand-in for morning sunlight when natural light isn’t available. The idea is to expose yourself to a strong light source soon after waking so you can get a similar alertness and circadian cue without buying a specialized light box. It’s mainly valued as a practical, lower-cost way to support morning energy and routine consistency.

A free website for looking up supplements and compounds before trying them, with summaries of the evidence, PubMed links, and safety warnings. It’s useful for quickly vetting things like 5-HTP or mucuna pruriens so you can see what the research actually supports and spot potential risks or interactions.

Use a bright incandescent bulb as an artificial morning light source, rather than relying on LEDs or other harsher spectra. Keep it at a comfortable distance and avoid staring directly into the bulb. The appeal is its smoother, more solar-like spectrum with more red and orange light, which is described as a gentler way to get early-day light exposure.

Applying gentle heat with a hot water bottle or similar warm compress to an injured area is a conventional comfort measure used during recovery. The idea is to improve local circulation and ease discomfort, though the evidence that heat itself meaningfully speeds wound healing is limited.