Top Picks in Healthy Living for 2024

Whether you’re commuting to work on an electric bike or tooling around town on a cruiser, one accessory is essential: a bike helmet, which can significantly reduce your risk of a head injury in the event of a crash or a fall. While some helmets today come with fancy features like LED lights and anti-concussion technology (MIPS, WaveCel, etc.), the most important considerations are impact absorption (which we test by dropping helmets at 14 mph onto a flat anvil) and proper fit. Here are two top options for adults and the best choice for kids. For even more options, see the best bike helmets from our tests.

If you have hypertension, using a home blood pressure monitor can be an important tool in helping you get the condition under control, monitoring the effects of your medications, and keeping an eye on your numbers in general. Accuracy is the most important component of CR’s testing of blood pressure monitors, but we also score each device for ease of use and convenience because these can have a big impact on whether you actually use the device you buy. For more options, see our roundup of all the best blood pressure monitors from our tests.

An electric toothbrush can offer a helpful upgrade to your dental health over a manual brush. In our tests—in which trained technicians measure plaque on volunteers before and after brushing with different models—both the rotating and sonic kinds can do a great job cleaning your teeth. Just don’t think of these as a shortcut: You still need to brush for 2 minutes each time. (The timer that comes with some electric toothbrushes can help.) Three Top Picks are below, and more choices here: Best Electronic Toothbrushes.

Ellipticals can give you a great cardio workout but with far less impact on your joints than running. In our labs, we evaluate elliptical machines for factors including ergonomics, exercise range, construction, and user safety. Just make sure you have plenty of space before buying one because these machines can be huge and they don’t fold. For more options, see an expanded list of the best ellipticals of the year.

Whether or not you want the virtual group exercise experience offered by some connected exercise bikes, these machines offer a great way to get low-impact cardio exercise and can be great for high-intensity interval training. Unlike the traditional exercise bikes of yesteryear, all the bikes in our ratings feature a heavy magnetic flywheel for momentum and resistance, which makes a ride feel similar to riding a road bicycle. In our tests, we evaluate exercise bikes for their adjustability, data interface, noisiness, features, capacity, warranty, and ease of assembly. These three rise to the top, and we’ve got even more choices in our exercise bike ratings.

Our tests of insect repellents involve real people placing their arms in cages full of disease-free mosquitoes to test how long different products can keep the bugs from biting. In general, our tests suggest that it’s wise to opt for a repellent with 15 to 30 percent deet, 30 percent oil of lemon eucalyptus, or 20 percent picaridin. Here are three great choices. For more options, see the best insect repellents of the year.

We test dozens of lotions, sprays, and sticks every year and consistently find that products that look almost exactly alike often don’t perform at the same level. Any sunscreen is better than none, but if you’re going to use it—and you really should—why not choose one you know you can count on to help protect your skin? That’s where our ratings come in, and these three products are among the best of the best. For even more options, see our expanded list of the best sunscreens of the year.

Whether you prefer walking or running, treadmills make it easy to get that all-important cardio exercise in as often as you want, without having to worry about rain or cold. But a treadmill is not only a big piece of equipment to put in your home, it’s also a big investment. Our treadmill ratings—which evaluate each machine’s ease of use, construction quality, ergonomics, exercise range, and safety—can help you choose wisely. Plus, below, The Better Deal, treadmill edition.

Safer E-Bike Helmet
Bern Hudson, $120
This model from Bern is certified to meet a Dutch helmet standard created for e-bike riders, which requires helmets to have additional protection on the sides and back. That’s important if you’re traveling at the higher speeds e-bikes allow—and a nice safety perk if you’re riding a regular bike.

Good Hair Days Ahead
Bestool Detangle Brush, $7, and Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal Biotin Dry Shampoo, $25
If you need a detangling brush, this is the one to get. The Bestool worked well for testers with a variety of hair textures and lengths—even very thick, curly hair. For no-wash days, the Briogeo dry shampoo did a great job of absorbing grease without causing an itchy or tight feeling on the scalp.

Powerful Massage Gun
Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2, $130
One of the most powerful massage guns we tested, the Hypervolt has a sleek, minimalist display and a unique wheel that can be used to adjust speed. Its smaller size makes it easy to massage hard-to-reach areas on your back. One of our health reporters bought this model after reading the initial test results and also found it easy to use.