How do you cope with everyday tension? Massage? Meditation? Bottle of wine? A quick search for “stress” on ThisNext reveals our shopcasters’ widely varying but always ingenious methods of shaking off the mounting stress of the modern world: There are fun toys and pretty-smelling self-care products, even one member’s recommendation for her much-beloved chiropractor. And while it may seem most unlikely that a plushie toy or bath salt could be your key to keeping healthy, finding those ever-reliable ways to mellow out and calm your nerves is crucial to staving off sickness. With stress linked to so many health conditions – everything from ulcers and TMJ to heart disease and weakened immunity – these ThisNext picks just might be virtual lifesavers.

...continued: ThisNext gets de-stressed

If you’re in the market for some outdoor/fitness gear - whether it be a new yoga mat, kayak, skis, hiking boots, or camping cookware - make sure to check HikerDeals.com before handing over your cash or credit card. Blogger Mike scours the web to find the best deals on gear, then shares those bargains so that readers don’t have to go extra-spendy when purchasing new products. One hot deal right now: Backcountry.com’s 25 percent discount on Katadyn’s Hiker Water Filter, which - according to Mike - is the “the top-rated filter for hiking and camping.”

On those rotten-mood, fly-off-the-handle, sour-grapes kind of days, getting happy again can be as simple as choosing the right exercise routine. At Changemaker: Healing Mind, Body and Soul, blogger Kathy Berman shares some Prevention magazine tips on working out in any mood. Here’s her solution for chasing the cranky away:

“The best diversion is not the physically challenging in an effort to ‘work out’ the stress but rather to create a workout that challenges you mentally. Learning new moves will help you to switch gears and use your brain for fun instead of staying fixated on your anger. I also use the mental picture when someone is in anger as having a foot on the gas and one on the brake. I believe it is rather pointless to hold on to negative emotion.”

Is Self bad for your self-esteem? Jeanne at Not Born To Run links to the Washington Post’s report on a study finding that “men and women who while exercising had access to magazines featuring images of ultra-fit people reported higher levels of anxiety, depression and tension afterward than before.” So maybe dropping the reading material and cranking up your iPod is the best way to get through your workout. Or you could just follow Jeanne’s suggestion:

“[I]f you MUST read while exercising, stick to magazines that show nothing more exciting than the sex lives of nematodes.”

A little while back, Brent at Poignant Irrelevance posted an inspiring that Tales of Slow, Brave Athena found so, um, poignant that she decided to “steal” it and repost. Susie at Finally Running wanted to spread the love too, which led to Rose at Hit The Ground Running reprinting Brent’s bit of genius as well. And, well, we liked Brent’s words so much that we’re going to join in the stealing game right now. Quoth he:

“As i walked by countless airport shops with junk food oozing from the counters, i just thought to myself, you know what? feed the goal. don’t complicate this. if you want to run another marathon, if you want to train pain-free with two good knees for the rest of your life, feed the goal.

“keep walking past that crap and chew some gum. feed the goal. that is my new mantra for the summer. very simple. focus on the goal, and feed it appropriately. both must be in sync.”

I’m not a hardcore granola girl, but there’s something crazy-irresistible about Bear Naked’s line of “bearly processed and utterly naked” granola treats. Denise at MNFirefly’s Running is going Bear Naked, too: She digs the Peak Protein variety, made with yummy whole grain oats, wildflower honey, sweetened cranberries, and other good-for-you stuff. And with five grams of protein per serving, it’s a perfect post-workout snack to help aid muscle repair.

Beware the fitness saboteur, warns a recent article from MSNBC.com. Although they’re most likely well-intentioned, our loved ones can often get in the way of good workout, according to fitness experts. But - as Refrigerator Raid notes - “you don’t have to sacrifice your family life to stay fit and healthy.” Here, a few of the weight-loss blog’s top tips for keeping fit while keeping your family happy:

-“Join a gym close to your job. If you exercise before anyone else in the house is awake, you won’t be missing out on family time.”

-“Wake-up earlier. Workout during your lunch hour (pack your meals and eat at your desk so you still have time to fuel your body).”

-“Slip away during TV time. Is there a favorite TV show your spouse loves to watch? Use that time to exercise, since he/she will be too engrossed with the TV to notice you’re missing.”

While on a three-mile run last week, TriGreyhound came up with a few “Trail Run Proverbs” that make us want to lace up our sneakers and hit the trails right this second. Some favorites:

-“If you run the trails looking at your feet, you’ll keep your footing, but miss the mountains and starve your soul. If you run the trails looking at the mountains, your soul will be satisfied … until you fall on your ass. Find balance. Know the foundation under your feet as well as the cathedral over your head.”

-“You can numb some of the discomfort of running with an i-pod, but if you do, you’ll miss the sound of the Blue River falling over rocks. Funny, you also won’t be able to smell the wildflowers, spruce and pine floating in the breeze. Falling water and wildflowers are not mere background; they are food for the spirit.”

-“Kids swim. Kids bike. Kids run. They do it for fun. Be a kid.”

Elden at Random Reviewer checks out the Gel-Bot and discovers more flaws than first-rate features. A water bottle designed to dispense energy gel, The Gel-Bot proves none-too-convenient. A few of Elden’s noteworthy points:

-The name is silly. Gel-Bot. Pfff. Sounds like a cross between two B-movie monsters. “It’s slimy and mechanical! Run, you fool! Save yourself while you can from the horror that is the Gel-Bot!”

-The idea is silly. I’m sorry, but it’s really easy to carry a couple packs of gel in your jersey pockets, then open one when you need it.

-The website is silly.Check out the pictures in the background of the “Benefits” page in the Gel-Bot website. Notice anything about the guy on the mountain bike? Yep, he’s chosen to ride with a Camelbak. Good call, if you ask me.

Forgoing the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, Marshall at Distance Is Love tracks his walking speed, pace, and distance through the Garmin Forerunner 201. With an ergonomic wristband and integrated GPS sensor, the Forerunner helps you reach your training goals by aiming to match - or beat - a virtual partner’s pace and workout distance. Purchasing the Forerunner also gets you access to the Garmin Training Center software, which lets you store and analyze your training data with interactive graphs that chart your speed, pace, or elevation.

Ever the sharp wit, SportsGeezer continually delights us with his weird and wacky fitness finds. One of the latest: some “shoes to flatten your butt,” by way of Masai Barefoot Technology. Says SportsGeezer:

Some readers might think that $235 is a lot to pay for shoes that make even the slightest motion (OK, just standing around) more strenuous than it has to be, but others would argue that the first set of readers is cheap, lazy, and/or lacks a proper appreciation for flat butt.

Still not sure which category we fall into. But we can’t stop staring at these odd little numbers, said to improve your posture and help you take in 2.5 percent more oxygen than when walking in conventional shoes.

Now that ThisNext has tipped you off on the latest in fitness footwear, it’s time to get a skirt to match. Probably lots more practical than those Adidas heels, Everything is Connected…’s new Running Skort (purchased from Running Room) is helping her achieve her dream of becoming a “skirt-wearing runner chickie.” We think the skort is supercute and wonder if its design does indeed help prevent chafing as promised.

It might be time to give up the Gatorade. LIME’s latest fitness find is Zico, a coconut water that packs five essential electrolytes — potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus - and more potassium than what’s found in 15 sports drinks on the market. Added bonus for natural health-nuts: There’s no added sugar or artificial coloring. ThisNext loves discovering cool new products to replace the tired old standbys, especially when they make us look very cool and in-the-know at the local gym.

NetSweat Fitness Blog’s advice to those taking their workouts outside this summer: Drink up! Whether you’re biking or hiking or even headed out on a lengthy stroll, bring along fluids aplenty so you don’t risk dehydration. NetSweat recommends the CamelBak MULE Hydration Pack, which features a 100-ounce reservoir and ample room for packing sunscreen and snacks.

Real Muscle has us hooked on its ab-toning series - something about reading the words “beautiful abs” in big, bold font grabs us each time we scroll through this strength-training blog. At first we were slightly dismayed to discover that the secret to perfect abs is actually “hard work,” but then we got over it once we learned that Real Muscle has offered up what it deems “the two best exercises for building abs”: the Decline Bench Weighted Sit up, and the Hanging Leg Raise.

Going a step beyond the average pedometer (awful pun intended), DashTrak doubles as a heart rate monitor, determines your calorie burn, and acts as a sports watch. But here’s the coolest feature: You can hook DashTrak up to your computer and upload your data onto the Internet to keep an online wellness diary. Starling Fitness clued us in on the gadget - blogger Laura Moncur likes that “you can get walking buddies and even have a friendly competition with them” but isn’t so into the fact that using the online “wellness system” requires a $9.95-a-month subscription fee (ThisNext gives props to Laura for pointing out “the catch” with DashTrak, and we love that Starling Fitness is always superdiligent about giving the full lowdown on product pros and cons).

For the gym-averse, Women Diary presents an at-home alternative to hitting the treadmill: garden fitness. Turns out gardening chores like digging, pruning, and raking can give a good cardio workout, according to personal trainer Kim Ruby, who recommends prepping with 20 minutes of walking. Check Women Diary - which regularly posts fun fitness and health advice, along with some choice beauty info - to get the full green-thumb exercise plan.

Rachel at Diary Of An Amateur Triathlete has some words of wisdom for those gearing up for this summer’s triathlons: Be careful that you’re not overtraining, which can cause injury and burnout. To keep tabs on your training intensity, Rachel recommends practicing R & R (“Rest & Recovery”) by “scheduling a week every 4th week of training to cut back on the workouts, rest up, and allow your body to recover.” Make sure to check out Rachel’s full list of training dos and don’ts to help prevent decreased performance, lethargy, insomnia, and even depression.