Each year at this time, I draft a roundup of gifts around a specific genre. Last year was gifts for outdoor adventure lovers. It fit because back then I was outside trail running, winter swimming, or hiking with an inflatable kayak all day, every day. I was living my best lone wolf life. This year’s holiday gift guide is for pain recovery.
This year was a pain. No offense 2025, but you brought fisticuffs to this free spirited hippie soul. I’m not going to placate you now.
I had plans to spend the month of June training in high altitude at Dream Run Camp in Flagstaff, Arizona. I ended up having to cancel the trip when lower back pain set in. The pain started in late April. I assumed it was just one of those who-knows-what/ it’ll-be-better-by-Monday sort of things that everybody deals with. It was not better by Monday. It was not even a little better. It was no better for weeks and weeks.
I maintained an attitude of gratitude that this setback gave me more time with my children and husband. I was able to cross train with low impact sports without undue pain. I became a better swimmer and cyclist. I was present, grateful even. But if I’m being honest with you, I felt like a vail had been drawn over my inner sunshine. I yearned to run. So five weeks in, I ran. I eked through three miles, took to Instagram Live and said, “Sometimes in life, you have to choose between what hurts and what hurts more.” I thought the emotional toll of not running was worse than the physical pain of a run. I was full of crap.
After that run, I couldn’t walk without 10-out-of-10 pain in my lower back. That lasted a few days. Then I was back at baseline pain- a familiar sensation of “sucks, but I’m fine.” Here’s what Dr. Vonda Wright says about that: “fine means passable and- ironically- it’s exhausting.”
It was exhausting. For twelve weeks, back pain just wouldn’t take the evacuation notice. It lessened after the initial month, but was still there. When it felt barely noticeable anymore, I signed up for a triathlon. I did the rookie distance to play it safe with just a two mile run at the end. It went well. I finished first overall. The next month, I took first female overall in another triathlon. The lower back would have flare ups, but nothing like April through June. I felt like I was getting my groove back.
My road to recovery has been like one of those janky country roads in my hometown with potholes and rocks that sputter out of truck tires. The lower back pain eventually went away. But there were other hills, holes and unexpected horse turds on the road.
My friends and I used to go mud running in big diesel pickup trucks down those country roads. When I’ve made poor lifestyle choices this year, like skimping on sleep, missing my mark on hydration, and eating excessive inflammatory foods like sugar and bread, I’ve metaphorically gone mud running down the road to recovery. It jacks everything up and makes matters worse.
To make the journey as smooth as possible, like a Cadillac Escalade stylishly rolling forward, I have to strength train (even on days I’d really rather jog), go to bed when I’d really rather watch another episode on Netflix, eat pumpkin puree blended with cottage cheese and convince myself it tastes like dessert (it does. Kind of.), and prehab and rehab with cold therapy. Cold therapy reduces inflammation and reduces blood flow. It allows the brain to “chill out,” so to speak, hence providing temporary pain relief. (The brain sends the pain. That doesn’t mean it’s “all in your head.” Anyone who’s ever been kicked in the testicles knows that.)
I have fallen in love with a line of cold therapy products this year. In Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” she sings that (Travis Kelce) graffiti’d her whole damn life. TheraICE products did that for me.
These cold therapy products don’t melt or drip. They’re made with medical-grade gel. Some of them need to chill in the freezer for two hours. My very favorite- my number one must-have product that can call me “Honey” if it wants because it’s the one I’ve always wanted– requires no prep at all. It is the single most life-changing wellness item I have ever purchased. Everybody should have this item. Listen, I’m about to tell you about all of my ailments. You’ll roll your eyes as I play my tiny violin. But first, I’m going to tell you about the thing that every human with eyeballs must have. Pull out your Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or ask your mom for twenty bucks. You cannot go into the 26th year of the 21st century without this.
Sleep Mask
Sleep evades me if I hear noise, feel the mattress shift, or see a glimmer of light. I put Duck Tape around the perimeter of my bedroom door and shove throw pillows under the bottom so that light from elsewhere in the house doesn’t wake me in the morning. At hotels, I take the pant hangers out of the closet and use them to clip the curtains together in the middle. It’s not a foolproof solution. The sunlight still pierces through above and below the curtains. Blackout curtains are never blackout enough. I’ve bought more sleep masks than Carrie Bradshaw bought shoes. They never quite worked. I didn’t like the feel of the fabric on my face, the elastic around my head, and most importantly, my eyelashes rubbing against the mask. I’d throw away that mask and buy another one. I’ve tried silk, hypoallergenic, bamboo, eye elevated (like a bubble for your eyes to move- but I still couldn’t sleep with the feel of that mask). I thought the search for the perfect sleep mask was futile. Enter the TheraICE Sleep Mask. The cooling gel wraps the perimeter of the mask and applies cool, gentle pressure to the bones on the bottom of the eyes. This pressure is simply blissful. You know how a good weighted blanket makes your nervous system feel safe? Imagine that, but for your face. It’s not a heavy weight. It’s an angel-soft pressure on the delicate orbital floor bones. Nothing could be more soothing. The mask blocks out light completely. It can be placed in the freezer for two hours if you want the sleep mask extra cold or apply it as-is if you prefer (as I do) the medical-grade gel naturally cool, not cold.
This is not just for adults. My 12-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter are obsessed with the TheraICE sleep mask, too. My son has struggled with sleep his entire life. Like me, he needs the room completely quiet, cool, a sound machine on low (one that uses natural fan, not a recording that he can hear the tape start over), a Moxie Luxie weighted blanket, and now a TheraICE Sleep Mask. He can get rest with all of these conditions set just so.
Now you know and you can, too.
TheraICE Sleep Masks are as affordable as $20 when you buy three. You’ll want at least three. Purchase one of these for everyone on your Christmas list.
Headache Hat Pro Cap
The suffering can be so intense when a whopper of a headache hits that we will try anything. The problem is, besides time and darkness, few things that advertise they’ll help actually help. TheraICE Headache Hat Pro Cap is different.
Similarly to the sleep mask, it blocks out light completely. It also applies gentle compression to the sinuses. It can be placed in the freezer if to make the medical-grade gel extra cold and it will hold that right-out-of-the-freezer temperature for twenty minutes. Cold therapy helps migraines by constricting blood vessels and reducing inflammation. It slows nerve signals and decreases blood flow (which lessens the awareness of pain). This naturally eases pain and throbbing sensations.
I get headaches when the barometric pressure is low. I can sense a storm coming by the sinus pressure and headache. I also get exertion headaches after racing in runs, trail runs and triathlons. When either of these come on, I know to drink lots of water, lay in a dark quiet room, and slide on a TheraIce Headache Hat Pro Cap.
TheraICE Headache Hat Pro Caps are as low as $30 when you buy three. Get this for every headache sufferer you know.
Menthol Roll-On
Menthol gives superficial relief of pain. The cool medicine stimulates then desensitizes the nerve endings. That makes the brain less aware of pain. Athletes tend to struggle with one injury or another. Keeping a TheraICE Menthol Roll-On in the gym bag makes a handy way to apply pain relief before and after workouts.
I demonstrated the product in this image, applying it to my back. Nowadays, my problems are hamstrings tendon pain where the hamstrings meet the sitz bones. (I learned in a session titled “Injury Prevention & Longevity” by Dr. Stephanie Estima at Women’s Health Conversations summit that this problem is common among perimenopausal runners.) I find the menthol roll-on hugely beneficial when I apply it under the glutes before my long or hard runs. Modeling that in a picture was not a good look. For your viewing courtesy, I opted to show you how it rolls on the back. I especially love that this 4% menthol analgesic gel product rolls and dissolves directly into the skin, so I don’t have to get my hands dirty before a run. Conversely, with topical creams, I’ll rub my painful areas then forget to wash my hands. I end up sweating and touching my brow with medicated fingers and getting numbing cream in my eyes and mouth. Yeah, that has happened. Good news for you, me, and the athletes on your Christmas list, there’s a better way.
Not-so-great news: You’re going to want to get this for every athlete on your list. TheraICE does not currently have it in stock. You can hold out hope and check Theraice.com to see if it restocks. {Come on, Saint Nick!} Or you can search elsewhere for a similar product: 4% menthol topical analgesic gel roll-on. FYI: I did some investigating. It’s out there; the going rate is $12-18 for a 2.5 fl oz tube.
TheraICE Cold Shoulder Wrap Pro
I’d love to tell you that I hurt my shoulder by swimming a massively powerful butterfly stroke or doing kipping pull-ups like a CrossFitter. I’d like to tell you that I was hoisting my 105-pound manchild up to the top of a Christmas tree to place the star. I’d be glad to tell you that I helped a little old lady retrieve her suitcase from an overhead bin on a flight. I didn’t do any of those things.
I hurt my shoulder by competing in a stein holding contest at Oktoberfest.
This contest entails holding one-liter glass of beer out with a straight arm, parallel to the ground for as long as possible.
There was nothing honorable about this injury. Yet here I am, two months later with a shoulder injury from being a knucklehead who held a three-pound glass of beer out longer than her deltoid’s capacity to try to win a competition. I don’t even drink alcohol. I had no business attempting this endeavor. I didn’t win. I got the consolation prize of a shoulder injury.
May your reasons for ending up with shoulder pain be far worthier causes than mine. I personal train a client who finds relief with the TheraICE Cold Shoulder Wrap Pro because years of playing baseball at a high level wrecked his rotator cuffs. He got years of living what he loves and playing a sport we all enjoy spectating. His plight seems noble. He is a more worthy recipient of this gift. Nevertheless, this product helps anyone living with shoulder discomfort.
The TheraICE Cold Shoulder Wrap can be frozen and worn to give the painful shoulder serious relief.
This product has dozens of five-star reviews from people who have used it for post-surgery recovery. It envelops the entire shoulder. It is meticulously designed for the rotator cuff.
The TheraICE Cold Shoulder Wrap Pro is as low as $30 when you buy three. Get this for every throwing-sports player on anyone with shoulder pain.
These are just a few of TheraICE’s extensive line of pain relief products. Over two million satisfied customers are on to something. Now, your loved ones and you can be, too.
Brook Benten, M.Ed., ACSM-EP is an author, educator and athlete in Austin, TX. Her career started by leading fitness classes, starring in workout DVDs and modeling as a cover girl for exercise equipment. She now speaks and writes for brands with women at the helm. Follow her on Instagram @BrookBenten.