Brush Up I
It’s hard to get kids to brush anything, especially their teeth. Oral-B is now offering a solution to a kid’s natural inattentiveness to the chompers--the miracle of TV! The giant dental care company has teamed up with cable’s Nickelodeon and is marketing television-inspired toothbrushes, specially flavored toothpaste and even a two-minute timer (to make sure they brush long enough). Of course, the gimmick could backfire. Kids still might not brush and just might start ignoring the television. For more information, visit the product’s Web site at https://www.oralb.com.
Brush Up II
Not to be outdone, another dental company, Oralgiene, is pushing its “60-second time machine” in hopes of getting tykes to brush longer. The California company promises kids will be begging for space at the sink. If you recall, Oral-B’s TV-themed campaign demands two minutes of brushing, while Oralgiene requires only one. The reason? Oralgiene is an electric toothbrush that does all the work for the kids. Of course, it retails at $79.95 (Oral-B’s kit costs less than $5). For more information about Oralgiene, call (800) 933-ORAL.
Weighing Heavily
Are you well off your “ideal weight,” that mean-spirited number from the height-weight chart? Join the club. But there’s a good reason you’re above the magic number. It’s wrong. So says the American Dietetic Assn., an organization that rails against dieting. According to the ADA, you should be shooting for your “healthy weight”--that’s how much you weigh after you’ve established a routine of eating a balanced diet and exercising at least 30 minutes every day. Exercising every day? Maybe that ideal weight is easier to attain.
Round ‘n’ round
Those elliptical motion machines popping up in health clubs everywhere may soon be making their presence felt in the home. Popular Science recently named NordicTrack’s Ellipse designed for home use a “best new product.” The machine, which sells for $600 to $900, combines the features of a treadmill, a stair-climber and a stationary bicycle. Is that it? Now, if they could get an elliptical machine to imitate a rowing machine, or maybe even an airplane--that would really be something. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at https://www.nordictrack.com.