Podiatrists & physical therapists say these are the weirdest, most clever things for your body under $35

“Home ice therapy methods, like ice foot massages or even rolling your feet over an iced water bottle, decrease the inflammatory cycle and are simple and beneficial tools for people who are experiencing foot cramping or plantar fasciitis symptoms,” explains Bryanna Vesely, DPM MPH at Desert Orthopaedic Center.

She loves this Aduro Sport massage roller because it can be used hot or cold. Chill it in the freezer to help reduce swelling and inflammation, or heat it up in warm water to promote circulation. The raised dot surface, combined with the arch-shaped design, targets acupressure points in your foot to relieve plantar fasciitis, aches, and other foot pains.

Vesely also has a foot hack for people who are on their feet all day. “Something as simple as elevating your feet above your heart can assist in reducing swelling and alleviating foot pain by increasing the circulation in your lower extremities,” she explains. This bamboo leg pillow stands out for its unique shape — it features a wide, 45 degree sloped side to ease your legs up, and then a flat top to keep your feet comfortable. It fits both legs and has a removeable cover that makes cleaning easy peasy.

“Stretching every day is key!” says Vesely. “Simply adding a few 10–15 second stretches throughout the day can majorly impact and improve your health.” A great and simple way to encourage stretching is with these clever cards. Each of the 50 cards explains and illustrates a different stretch and the parts of the body you’re stretching. Combine a few of the cards in a row to create a longer stretching routine that target different parts of the body each day. Plus, the cards are made of moisture-resistant plastic so they’re super durable to prevent creasing and tearing.

Vesley also recommends stretching in the morning and evening, and something like this strap can be a handy accessory to have by your bed. It features 10 built-in nylon loops and a guide that helps you use the loops to stretch your legs, knees, feet, calves, as well as upper- and middle-body. It’s made of a nonslip material that’s super strong and durable, to prevent tearing no matter how often you use it.

“Did you know about 50% of the general population has a tight Achilles?” asks Vesely. “[...]Not only does it impact your foot health, but it also impacts other parts of the body by altering the gait pattern and impacting your posterior chain muscles. This can cause knee, hip, and back pain.”

This calf stretcher uses a biomechanically engineered design to provide the optimum stretching angles as you rock back and forth to relieve plantar fasciitis, tight hamstrings, achilles tendonitis, heel pain, and more. Use it with a sneaker on — it fits up to a size 12 shoe — and features nonslip pads on the bottom to keep you from falling while using it.

“Wearing compression socks is another budget friendly remedy for those folks who complain of swelling or cramping in their calves,” Vesely says. She goes on to explain that socks like these adorably illustrated ones work by providing graduated compression from the toe through the calf to stimulate blood flow, relieve leg fatigue, and prevent swelling. These are 20-30 mmHg firmness and feature a reinforced toe, ankle protection, and moisture wicking technology to keep your comfortable all day long.

• Available sizes: Small-Medium – Large-X-Large
• Available styles: 38

Vesely also cannot stress enough: it’s all about the shoe support. She likes budget-friendly insoles from Superfeet. “Not only are they helpful for people who need that extra support but have no major foot and ankle deformity, but they can be customized by cutting the toe portion of the insoles to fit perfectly in your shoes,” she explains. These high-quality insoles are thin, firm, slip-resistant, and feature a sculpted heel that absorbs maximum shock. They feature premium arch support and work great in shoes with a heel height of less than 1 inch.

• Available sizes: 4.5-6 – 10.5-12

Another insole option that Vesely loves are these full-size ones from PowerStep. They feature four super supportive layers — one super comfy foam base, one semi-rigid shell for stability, one shock absorbing foam to reduce stress, and one top layer with odor control and moisture wicking technology. It features neutral arch support that works on most feet, and the toe area can be cut to customize to the exact size of your shoe.

• Available sizes: 4-4.5 – 16+

“HEALI is the only tape on the market that is infused with menthol and magnesium. The menthol and magnesium are natural and work together to help with pain relief and recovery,” explains certified chiropractic sports practitioner Dr. Josh H Glass. Simply apply the kinesiology tape directly to the area that needs more support, rub the tape onto the skin to secure it, and leave on for up to seven days. The roll of tape features 20 strips precut into 9.8-inch segments that can be used to help prevent muscle cramps, temporarily relieve pain, and reduce inflammation.

Dr. Landon Uetz, physical therapist (PT, DPT) and pickleball instructor on TeachMe.To, loves things that “promote optimal health.” He recommends a water bottle, and this one with pre-labeled timed measurements on the side helps you keep track of your water intake throughout the day to make sure you’re staying hydrated. It has a removable strap, a built-in filter to infuse your water with fruit or herbs, and a blending ball to make protein shakes.

A step platform like this portable one is another small but mighty item that Uetz recommends. It has two adjustable heights that you can use to elevate your workouts — from low impact exercises like squats and aerobics to HIIT exercises like mountain climbers and burpees. Plus, it has a nesting design that makes storing it under your bed or couch easy.

Meal prepping is another routine Uetz recommends for optimizing your health. These bento boxes come in a set of eight to make it easy to prep a week’s worth of meals in just a few hours. Each box features three compartments — one large and two small — that helps keep your food and snacks separate until you’re ready to eat. Plus, each comes with a tightly sealed lid that’s see-through so you can quickly see what’s inside.

If fully cooking your meals ahead of time isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps just planning out what you’re going to cook each day with this magnetic pad is more your style. It has a section to write down your planned meals Monday through Sunday and a section to write out all the needed groceries in one place to make your trip to the store way easier.

Uetz also recommends having a set of lightweight dumbbells at home. This makes creating pockets of time to exercise during your hectic day easier and more accessible. Available in a bunch of different weights from 1 to 20 pounds (Uetz recommends 5- or 10-pound weights), these are coated in durable neoprene with a nonslip grip that keeps them sturdy in your hand. Unlike a lot of workout gear, they have hexagon shaped ends that prevent them from rolling away. It’s no wonder why they have a near-perfect 4.8-star rating after 96,000 reviews.

“Calves are king,” Uetz says. He recommends incorporating resistance training and calf raise variations into your exercise routine a few times a week. These slant boards are a great way to do that, especially because they come in three parts with two different sizes that, when you’re ready, can be stacked to increase the raise height difficulty.

Proper sleep — Uetz recommends greater than six to eight hours — is also essential to keeping your body on the up and up. This memory foam pillow comes with shredded memory foam that conforms to you without losing its shape, and you can add or remove foam to make it as dense as you need for the perfect night’s sleep. This pillow has a bamboo cover with a cooling, moisture-wicking surface to keep you comfy all night long.

Another way to give yourself a soothing night’s sleep is to mask cars, snores, loud neighbors, and other background noises with this portable sound machine. With 45 soundscapes to choose — from classic white noise to a crackling fireplace — there are plenty of options to help you sleep better. And this machine is portable, so you can take it with you anywhere.

Eating whole foods and hydrating is another classic recommendation from Uetz to keep your body in tip-top shape. This food journal is a great — and, dare I say, fun? — way to keep track of what you’re eating, drinking, and doing all in one place. It comes with calendars to help you track your meal plans and health goals as well as a monthly review to reflect on any progress you’ve made over the last 30 days.

“Keep track of how much time you spend on your feet and make adjustments if your body tells you it was too much,” says Uetz. This smart watch not only tracks your workouts, heart rate, and steps, but also monitors your sleep throughout the night to give you all the statistics and tools you need for your body. It’s even waterproof so you can wear it at all times and really notice when you’ve overdone it.

With this set of five resistance bands, you can heed Uetz’s advice to incorporate resistance training into your exercise routine twice a week to enhance workouts and stretches. Each color is a different resistance — from 10 pounds to 50 pounds — so you can gradually build it up. These bands come with a door anchor and two ankle straps so you can use them for strength training, pilates, and more.

These super lightweight and portable resistance bands are a popular Amazon option with 8,000 five-star reviews, and they come in three lengths so you can get the ones that work best for your height and body type. They come with three resistance levels and are made from super strong rubber that won’t snap or tear as you use them to stretch, tone, and condition your muscles — no matter where you are.

Specifically designed for your lower body, these resistance bands come with attachable cuffs that clip around your ankles for a deeper glute, thigh, quad, foot, and ab workout. The cuffs are adjustable to make sure they’re tight enough to stay put without getting uncomfortable, and the set comes with three levels of resistance bands.

“When your body tells you to get a new pair [of shoes], listen to it,” Uetz says. If your feet ache after short distances, try these slip-on walking shoes, which are a popular Amazon option. Not only are they budget-friendly and come in dozens of cool colors, but they have a memory foam insole to absorb impact and make you feel like you’re walking on a cloud. Plus, they have a stretchy, breathable, and lightweight mesh upper that you can slip on and off with ease.

“Toe separators can provide relief for many people,” says Lindy Royer, physical therapist and Balanced Body educator at Balanced Body. These are ergonomically designed to fit between your toes, gently separating them and returning your muscles and joints to their proper alignment to restore the shape of the foot. They’re soft, flexible, and comfortable, and Royer recommends starting with 15 minute increments and working up to wearing them for an hour or two at a time.

“Take care of your feet on a regular basis before something goes wrong,” says Royer, who recommends a good old-fashioned foot soak and massage with a lotion or oil. This premium foot cream is packed with shea butter and essential oils to nourish and soften feet while protecting them from dryness. The cream is lightweight — so it won’t leave you feeling sticky or greasy — and it can relieve inflammation when massaged thoroughly. How to do your massage? Royer recommends, “As you massage the feet, place your fingers between the toes, rotate the foot and ankle, and stimulate the entire surface of the foot with your hands.”

When it comes to strengthening the feet, Royer loves doing exercises targeted toward dancers using this pinky ball. Per her instructions, stand with your feet 2 inches apart, place the ball between your ankle bones on each foot, then slowly raise and lower your heels eight to 10 times to strengthen and stretch everything from heel to toe.

Royer also recommends heat or cold therapy — depending on which gives you the best relief. With something like this therapy wrap, you don’t have to choose since it can be used hot or cold. You can cool it in the freezer or heat it in the microwave, then wrap it around your foot, toes, heels, or ankles, to provide instant relief.

Royer also recommends warm foot soaks, and what’s better for that than this foot spa, which is a bestseller on Amazon with 25,000 five-star reviews. It has water jets and a textured bottom, both of which massage your feet to soothe and help relieve any tension or pain. Plus, this spa comes with a removable pumice stone, if you want to give yourself a little pedicure while you’re at it.

Royer loves this 1.5-pound two-handed weight, and calls it a “powerhouse of a tool for both strength and core training exercises, also does double-duty as a stretch and release tool.” It features a curved, ergonomic design, with two handles that deepen your exercises and stretching while giving you more control throughout your weighted movements. Plus, it’s super compact and easy to travel with so you can get the most out of your workouts no matter where you are.

These textured stabilization tools are a favorite of Palak Shah, PT and co-Founder of Luna. The textured design uses acupressure points to deliver targeted relief to your feet, hands, back, calfs — you name it. Use with the flat side down for more stability, or with the curved side down for balancing exercises. Plus, their compact design allows you to take them with you anywhere you need a little muscle relief.

Shah is also a fan of this exercise ball designed specifically to stretch, exercise, and strengthen your hands. It features a center ball covered in raised massaging nodules, as well as four holes for your fingers. By squeezing the ball, or straightening and releasing your fingers, you can improve flexibility, enhance grip strength, and promote overall wellness in your hands.

Using this deep tissue roller that Shah recommends can help reduce swelling and inflammation, while soothing tension and stress that can cause shin splints, plantar fasciitis, and more. Place the entire thing in the freezer, and the steel ball will stay cold for up to six hours, offering an even deeper soothing sensation, while the rubberized grip remains easy to hold and maneuver.

This classic back massager is one of those things that you’ll reach for again and again. The S-shaped tool features six round nobs for gliding over large muscle groups, three pointed nobs for deep tissue massaging, and two long nubs for your back. Together, they can be used in a ton of different configurations to target your shoulders, back, feet, legs, chest, abs, arms — you name it.

This occipital release tool can be used on your neck, back, thighs, shoulders, or calves to reduce tension. It features three sides with distinct edges — a round edge for a surface massage, a pointed edge for a deep tissue massage, and a scalloped edge that simulates muscles for a wide-range massage. Though firm, it can bend slightly under pressure if you’re looking for something a little less intense.

Shah also loves this massage ball, which can provide a deeper, more targeted therapy than a foam roller. The double ball design can be used on the back, neck, hips, legs, chest, and more, for a super deep tissue massage that works wonders after sitting at a desk all day. It comes with a mobility handbook that can help you use the ball to target your problem areas.

These ankle weights also come recommended by Shah. They feature removable sandbags that can adjust the weight from 1 to 5 pounds, depending on the level of intensity you’re looking for. They feature an extra-long Velcro strap that ensures a snug but comfortable fit around your foot. They’re not only great for deepening your workouts but can also be used while walking for some extra resistance.

With a 4.7-star rating on Amazon, there are a few reasons why people — including Shah — love this massage stick. First of all, its compact size means you can take it with you anywhere you go, so you can get relief at the gym right away. Secondly, it’s not flexible, so you don’t have to worry about it bending and lessening your massage. Roll it against your calves, back, shoulders, thighs, foot, arms — you name it — and it can relieve knots, reduce aches, ease stiffness, and recover sore muscles after a workout.

Shah’s final recommendation to deepen your workouts and stretches is working with this pilates ring. It has two nonslip padded handles and can be used in dozens of ways to strengthen your core, tone your legs, and improve your balance and posture. Plus it comes with a carrying bag as well as a book of recommended exercises.

This back brace not only provides upper body support to relieve pain, but also encourages you to hold your shoulders back to help realign the spine and correct your posture. The brand claims if you wear it for two hours a day, you’ll see posture improvements in just 10 days. It has super comfy shoulder pads, adjustables straps throughout, and a lightweight fabric that’s super breathable.

Shah also recommends these resistance bands. These come in four resistance levels — from 3 to 5.8 pounds — and are made of a super durable rubber that won’t tear or snap. They’re already in loops, so you don’t have to tie them, and they can be used with your regular pilates, yoga, or strength training to deepen your workouts or as a means of stretching and recovering your muscles.