Author Archives: lsetmire

Workout your workout – get a massage after sports!

Posted on by
Reply

Imagine you’re riding the Tour de France – how much your legs would burn after the first day – even after the first couple hours! How do major athletes keep going? One little-known helper is the “Soigneur.” In French, the word means ”one who cares for others.” This position is dedicated to supporting the performance of the athlete. On the cycling team, this position packs bags, hands out food and water, and massages the athletes before and after the race.

“Massage?!?” You say, “Really?” Yes. Massage helps.

Massage has been shown to help accelerate muscle recovery in various ways. Massage helps muscles recover by aligning the muscle tissue to promote healing without the formation of knots. Massage can also help to temporarily increase circulation to flush out the build-up of lactic acid and waste in the muscles from working out to help alleviate post-workout muscle pain. Massage can also be beneficial to your overall health and well being by helping to increase flexibility, reduce heart rate and promote better sleep.

Soigneurs give warm-up massages before a race to prepare the cyclist’s leg muscles for the strenuous day of cycling. After, the post-race massage soothes the small set of muscles that the cyclists pushed to the limit for hours on end during the race.

“So…how does this relate to me?” You ask. “…I’m not a Tour de France cyclist.” Or
are you?

Many of us use a limited number of muscles day in and day out in our daily routines so that when we DO workout, cross-train, attend aerobics class, go on a run, lift weights, swim or even play soccer with our kids – we feel it after!

Any one of the Brookstone massagers is designed to help soothe muscles after a workout. To give you all the benefits of a powerful, professional massage in the comfort and convenience of your own home. Apply our massagers to your aching legs, arms, back, shoulders, neck and more to help your body recover after that workout and to keep going until you reach your resolution goals!

672469p

Start your workout, enjoy the ride, and help muscles recover more quickly with a rewarding massage!

Massage before bedtime

Posted on by
Reply

Maybe you can relate…exhausted at the end of the day, but you can’t sleep. Half the battle of falling asleep is relaxing the body and mind. Too much on the mind, it’s hard to drift off. Too much energy and who wants to stay in bed? We stay up on our computers. On some nights it seems our electronic devices “recharge” longer than we do.

So what do we do? We try sleep aids of all sorts, but how often do we consider a massage? Massage has the power to gently knead, pat and soothe our muscles, helping unlock stress and tension from the day. And anyone who’s ever received a massage (even the caressing fingertip massage on your back counts) knows how relaxing a massage can be.

This month, we’ve introduced the Shiatsu Bed Lounger. Its advanced Shiatsu massage (a circular-motion, deep-kneading technique) gently massages the lumbar muscles in your lower back to soothe your body and mind. Control the massage motion forward and reverse to target muscle tension and tightness. Plus, you can plug in your tablet or e-reader through the USB port to recharge your device as you lounge before bed.

Incorporate a little massage into your evening routine and see for yourself how ready for bed your body will be.

Try the Shiatsu Bed Lounger with a free demo at Brookstone stores.

Find a store near you >

Boy meets girl and they sleep happily ever after.

Posted on by
Reply

It’s a classic tale of boy meets girl. They fall in love…you know how it goes. Only he kicks off the covers and she pulls them up under her chin. Every night becomes a blanket battleground. He powers up the AC and she gets more blankets for the bed. Who will win in this no-win situation? Trick question. They both win with our exclusive Bed Fan with Wireless Remote.

It’s more than a fan because it slips between the top and bottom sheets to cool the body under the covers on his side of the bed. He powers down the AC and she stays cozy. Plus, the wireless, bedside remote allows him to make adjustments to the fan speed without getting out of bed. Ultimately, they both stay comfortable all night long.

See for yourself at Brookstone stores. We recently set up the bed fan where you can test the remote and feel the wind speed for yourself.

Find a store near you

Rover: driven by design

Posted on by
15

In developing the Rover Wireless Spy Tank, Brookstone engineers and designers were determined to make it better than anything else out there in the remote-control market. “My goal was to create something Brookstone-savvy, very robotic, but with a personality,”  said Brookstone product designer Christophe P. “We saw other RC vehicles, and knew ours had to be more stylish, more modern—and definitely be app-controlled. It had to stream video, and we wanted to control it using iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch® devices. After all, who wants to use a boring remote control when you can use your phone?”

Sports car from another planet? Nope, it’s just Rover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If Martians had sports cars
“My true passion is cars,” said Christophe, who spent countless hours refining Rover’s aerodynamic shape, getting the proportions properly balanced, and making sure the body material had just the perfect amount of sheen. “It’s sportscar-like, but I wanted to give it a futuristic edge.” Christophe explains. “I’m thrilled everyone is so happy with its look. To be able to integrate automotive design elements into an alien spy tank was just a fantastic opportunity for me.”

Follow the arrows… or grab the wheel 
Once the free app is downloaded to your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, there are two ways to drive Rover around: using standard arrows (like an RC car) or G-Drive, which uses the accelerometer in your device to let you use it like a steering wheel. “I’d say people are about 50-50 when it comes to using arrows versus the G-Drive. I think more, um, mature users go for the arrows, because it’s like an old video game, and people who grew up with iPod touch, with its built-in accelerometer, are more likely to steer Rover that way. I’m not saying which method I like to use.”

Rover has moves… and eyes
Christophe and team knew they wanted to have Rover generate its own Wi-Fi signal, so it could send video back to the driver. This lets Rover be driven out of site from the operator, and gives people a cool low-angle view of their surroundings. Rover’s built-in camera can also capture digital still photos (ideal for catching family cupcake thieves in the act). What’s more, Rover has infrared night-vision so it (and the driver) can see what’s going on in completely dark rooms. “That’s everyone’s favorite feature,” said Christophe. “You say spy tank, iPad and all that stuff, and people become interested. You say ’night vision’ and their whole face lights up. They’re hooked.”

See the Rover in action by watching this video.