Just so you know, Mother’s Day ‘08 is Sunday May 11th. If you’re like me it sneaks up. Probably because I agonize over what to get my mom every year.
Here’s how bad I am. My mom was visiting from Nebraska last week and I treated her to a mother-daughter afternoon tea at a local hotel. While sipping our White Berry Loose Leaf, I glanced over and saw a Mother’s Day brochure on the table next to us. In a flash I thought, wow, how do I parlay this little outing into her Mother’s Day gift…a month early? It was all I could do to stop from raising my tea cup, right then and there, and saying, “Surprise! Happy Mother’s Day!”
In the same instant I knew I wouldn’t get away with it, so I decided instead to use my noggin and find a relevant gift…from my own company…shipped on time. With nearly 42,000 products to choose from at Allegro Medical, I couldn’t miss.
In my search, I found the best Mother’s Day gifts for different Mom “types”. Hopefully this will save you a little time, money and agony.
Fitness Mom
– X2 Vest Weighted Walking Vest – 12 lbs
Lex Loops Exercise Band
Polar Heart Rate Monitor
See all Exercise/Fitness
Warning: These exercise gifts could land you in the dog house. Recommended for true fitness enthusiasts, not for Couch Potato Moms with a few lbs to lose.
Shopper Mom
– Folding Shopping Cart
EZcarry Shopping Bag Handle
SmartShopper Electronic Grocery List
See all Daily Living Aids
Sentimental Mom
– Heart-Shaped Digital Picture Keychain
8” Digital Picture Frame
Sonic Boom Sweetheart Alarm Clock
Wobbly Mom
– Rollator
Pink Shower Chair
FitBall Seating and Balance Disc
Senior Mom
– UpEasy Lifting Cushion
Card Player Card Holders
Traveller Scooter – 3 Wheel
Stressed Mom
– Original Backnobber
Foot Revitalizer
Tuscany Illuminated Relaxation Fountain
Stimulite Wellness Mat
Spa Mom
– Spa Petite Personal Paraffin Wax Bath
BubbleBliss Foot Spa
Spa2Go Inflatable Portable Whirlpool Spa
Spacells Facial Sponge
Massage Mom
– HydraGel Infrared Massager
Supracor St. Tropez Massage Sandals
iJoy 130 Robotic Massage Chair
Bath Mom
– Stimulite Bath Mitt
Stimulite Bath Pillow
Thermal Spa Bath Mat Massage Pad
Hot Mom
– Chillow Pillow Cooling Sensation Pillow
ChillowPlus
Cool Care Comfort System Chillow Pak
Visually Challenged Mom
– Big Button Universal Remote Control
Deluxe Framed Page Magnifier
Reizen Low Vision Watch
See all Low Vision Products
Tired Mom
– Eye Pillow with Ergo Beads
Superfeet Berry Insoles for Women
Softeze Body Pillow
Garden Mom
– Easi-Grip Gardening Set
Gardener’s Easy-Up Kneeler and Seat
Easi-Grip Long Reach Gardening Set
Bionic Gardening Gloves
See all Gardening Products
New Mom
– InStep Rocket Aluminum Bike Trailer
Rebound GST Stroller – 16”
Bounce-a-Bye Baby Ball
See all Maternity Care
Travel Mom
– Stimulite Travel Neck Pillow
Aqua Bell Travel Weight ComboSet
Portable Vibrating Travel Alarm Clock
Outdoors Mom
– Bionic Golf Glove
Folding Beach Cart
Weather & Emergency Alert Monitor
Yoga/Pilates Mom
– Aeromat Yoga Mat
Yoga Foam Block
3300P Body Gym Elite Pilates Trainer
So, what’s my mom getting? Truth be told, she fits into nearly every Mom type, so I still have some tough decisions to make. But with list like this I can say for sure it will be something she’ll love.
Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Shopping.
Earth Day, April 22nd, is the perfect time to take stock of your efforts to protect the planet. Are you doing your part? Allegro can help.
Reduce consumption
Save gas and reduce emissions.
Walk, bike, power chair or roll to the store and take your Folding Shopping Cart
to transport your groceries home. Wouldn’t hurt you to get a little exercise, either. While you’re there, remember to buy only local, regional or in-season products whenever you can. You can freeze seasonal products for later. There’s nothing better than sweet corn in the winter.
Save water.
Use rinse-free products for shampooing and bathing. If you must bathe, use a hand-held shower
with a “pause” button to turn the water on and off as necessary. This one massages you.
Don’t mind the packaging.
Some of Allegro’s products are shipped without ‘extra padding’. Take Pediasure
for example. The risk of damage to the product is low compared to the damaged caused to the environment due to the extra waste. If these items arrive a little banged up, our customers are pretty much fine with it (thank you) as long as the product hasn’t been compromised. Of course, we’ll gladly replace anything that arrives damaged.
Buy products in bulk.
Reduce packaging waste and fuel costs plus save yourself a little moohlah by buying a bigger size. Allegro carries lots of bulk products. For quotes on sizes not displayed on AllegroMedical.com,
give Nick a call at 1-800-861-3211 ext 220.
Select non-toxic or less toxic cleaning products.
For example, Viraguard Disinfectant Cleaner
is nontoxic and biodegradable. Not to mention it kills bacteria, viruses and fungus. Woah. It even comes in a case of 12. Nice. Actually, you should check out all of our Viraguard products.
Yes, you can use them at home.
Recycle
If you’re not already recycling, get on it.
Recycle programs are everywhere. Glass, metal, plastics and paper are collected, separated and processed into new materials or products. Store your products for disposal in this durable Household Disposal Basket
Start a composting program.
Turn food and yard waste into new soil for your vegetable garden by composting. These Easi-Grip Gardening Tools will help get you started.
Buy recycled products and packaging.
What goes around, comes around. To keep recycle programs going, they have to be economically feasible. Help out by buying products made from recycled products. For example, these portable, long-lasting, indoor/outdoor EZ-Access Rubber Threshold Ramps are made from 100% recycled tires.
Reuse
Keep stuff out of the landfills.
Buy reusable bedpads, chair pads, leg bags, cold packs, panties, briefs, washcloths and drinking straws. Allegro has hundreds of reusable products
that will help the environment and your pocketbook.
Give your leftovers to someone else.
This includes hazardous waste such as paint, cleaners, oil, batteries and pesticides. Otherwise, dispose of it correctly! For disposal of needles, syringes and blood needle holders, be sure to use a Sharps
container.
Repair, donate and give things away.
Think before you throw out that old coffee table. There are plenty of people who need it. Use local programs such as the Goodwill and Salvation Army or Freecycle to get and to give.
See the EPA
for more ways that you can help save the globe.
As always, Allegro (and the world) thanks you for your support and your business.

Balance products are hot. They work your core, resulting in a stronger, leaner back, abs and & surrounding muscles. All great reasons to improve your balance.
The perks of improved balance don’t stop there, however, and for some the benefits may be even more compelling than a better looking body.
Balance Benefits at a Glance:
Reduced joint pain
Better posture
Reduced back pain
Higher confidence for sports or daily activities
Faster balance reaction time
Reduced risk of sudden trauma due to improved body awareness
Reduced risk of future injuries
With Better Balance You Can:
1. Develop a killer golf swing
2. Avoid a broken hip
3. Look taller and slimmer
4. Reduce incontinence
5. Walk straighter and more gracefully
6. Ski the blue and black diamonds instead of the green
7. Improve your sex life
8. Have the guts to try something new
9. Greatly improve performance in ALL sports
10. Prevent sports injuries, especially sprains and strains
11. Hold that yoga pose as long as you need to
12. Stay on the mountain when you’re hiking
13. Avoid accidents because you’ll react faster
14. Stop wobbling
15. Pick up your kids without straining your back
16. Look cool when you’re carving on your skateboard, snowboard, long board, surfboard
17. Increase the benefit of and response to your chiropractic visits
18. Be agile
19. Enhance your quality of life
20. Increase your independence
21. Raise your overall level of health
How do Balance Products work?
Balance improvement products are designed with an element of instability to intentionally throw you off balance.
For example, just sitting on a FitBall improves your balance because you use so many muscles to stay seated on the dang thing. You don’t even have to “work out” on it to see results. Sit on it while you’re at your desk at work, or at the dinner table, or watching TV, or scrapbooking, or at your sewing machine. An option to the FitBall is the FitBall Seating Disc, which mimics the FitBall exercise ball, but sits on top of your chair. You can also use it as a balance disc.
Balance Discs sit on the floor, right under your feet or hands while you do squats, lunges or push-ups. They are flat on one side and round, slightly “puffed up” on the other. When you are doing your regular exercises with your hands or feet on the puffy side, you are forced to concentrate on keeping your balance.
The Power Wheel can be used with either your hands or your feet, but it basically challenges your whole body to stabilize while the 14” wheel rolls along the ground.
Balance Pads are square blocks of specialty foam (latex free, anti-fungal, non-absorbing, non-scuff, no-slip) that you stand on while exercising. They are used in mobility training, lower extremity rehab and motor skill training.
Indo Boards – These nifty gizmos are skateboard-shaped wooden boards that you stand on while balancing on top of a roller. I know… Wooohoooo! There are different sizes for different skill levels. The Original Indo Balance Board is super popular with board sport enthusiasts – skateboarders, snowboarders, wakeboarders, kiteboarders and surfers. Indo Boarding is a fun, inexpensive way to get into shape and increase your agility. Recommended for riders ages 4 and up. Totally rad. Makes a great gift.
Don’t like to work out? Well here’s one for you. Stand on a wobble board
while talking on the phone. In no time you’ll have stronger ankles and better balance.
We sell a ton of foam rollers. They are cylindrical pieces of high density foam consisting of millions of tiny cells that bounce back when you press on them, or lay on them. Rollers are super popular and are used mainly for balance training, Pilates and self-massage. There are books and videos full of foam roller uses, but basically you sit or stand on them while doing a variety of exercises. They come in all shapes and sizes, including “half rounds” for starting your balance program. You can even get kits with various sizes included.
We also have Rocker Boards, a Core Board, Twist Boards, Balance Trainers, Balance Beams, Balance Domes, Rotational Flexors and Multi-Balance Boards and more in our Shop by Condition: Balance/Core Stability area of the site.
Okay, so why buy a special product to improve your balance when you could just stand on one leg with your eyes closed? Why not just walk along the backs of park benches or hop across fence posts or slide down a banister in your socks? Wellllllllll, you could get really hurt for one thing. Okay, then, just stand on one leg with your eyes closed! Go for it. But if you invest in one or two simple balance tools, you can do a full range of exercises, have fun and get balanced at the same time.
Balance and Sports
Improving your balance and stability will directly impact all of your daily activities, especially sports. Athletes incorporate balance and agility training into their daily workouts.
Kids benefit from better balance too. Throw a few fun balance routines into your children’s daily activities and they will quickly get a leg up in their sports performance and confidence, from a very early age. For example, have them play a game of catch while balancing on one foot. Or have them close their eyes, stand on one foot and bend down to touch the ground with one finger. Or you could always get them an Indo Board.
Balance is the basic skill needed for practically every sport. Athletes often do balance training when they are recovering from injuries, but as every good coach knows, balance training is just as effective in preventing injuries.
Why is balance in sports so important? From soccer to snowboarding to tennis, changing your center of gravity to match your moves is the key to efficiency. Better balance improves agility, which allows you to move gracefully, wasting little motion. No matter what activity you are into – dancing, hiking, football, sailing, gymnastics, kayaking, skateboarding, rowing, martial arts, yoga or ballet – you are better off balanced.
Do’s & Don’ts
Don’t expect it to work overnight. Balance takes time.
Don’t worry about looking like a dork while you’re practicing. Just have a laugh. Work out your heart and abs.
Do lower-body exercises that increase muscle strength in your knees, thighs, hips, etc.
Do start now. Better balance is important no matter what your age.
The New England Medical Center in conjunction with the Harvard Journal of Medicine published a document today noting that people who shop at AllegroMedical.com tend to be smarter and better looking than most. The control group of non-Allegro shoppers were also found to exhibit poor hygiene skills in addition to lower cognitive abilities. “More studies are required as we can’t yet pinpoint whether smart, good looking people simply choose to shop at Allegro Medical or people who shop at Allegro Medical somehow become smarter and better looking,” says researchers conducting the study.
Upon learning of this groundbreaking study, the team at Allegro Medical is here to celebrate your “smarterness” by offering all smart Allegro Shoppers $10 off their next purchase of over $100. It’s no joke, Just use the code “Smart10” today through Tuesday, April 8, 2008.
Good hygiene, like smart shopping is a learned skill. So if you know anyone suffering from poor shopping practices, help’m out by forwarding this limited time deal on to friends or family in need.
Sincerely,
Craig Hood
President/Founder
Allegro Medical