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Wednesday, December 25, 2024

10 FSA/HSA Eligible Fitness Items, Recommended by Our Editors

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Best Massage Gun

Therabody Theragun Pro

Now 20% Off

Credit: Amazon

Work out your tired muscles with the fifth generation Theragun Pro. This massager boasts a 300-minute battery life and five percussion settings to target your pain points. The handheld device’s unique triangular design offers multiple ways to grip it, as well as four different arm positions to hit hard-to-reach spots. Flip through all six attachments for a variety of massages.

During testing, we discovered that Theragun Pro’s under-3 pound weight feels not to heavy and not too light. The massage gun syncs up with the Therabody app, so you can track your progress and data. We also appreciate the OLED screen, which features a force meter to allow you to keep track of how much pressure you’re putting on your muscles. All this makes it the best massage gun we’ve tested to date.

Read More: Best Massage Guns

Best Compression Socks

Bombas Men’s Performance Compression Socks

Bombas’ compression sock is our all-time favorite. These socks come in 15-20 mmHg of compression, along with 20-30 mmHg, giving you options. Our testing discovered that the elastic is durable, and the sock itself continues to create a tight fit over dozens of washes.

The socks feature Bombas’ signature honeycomb arch support, too. Overall, we found that this pair creates a lifted and supported feel. Choose from nine stylish shades you’ll be happy to show off, whether you’re at the gym or cruising down the street.

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Best EMS with Heat

Beurer EM59 Digital TENS/EMS Device with Heat

The Beurer Digital TENS +EMS Device is a relatively inexpensive way to get muscle stimulation from home. Our testing found that the device’s electrodes can easily stick to your abdomen, arm, leg, or calf with the included gel, while the device has a simple interface that allows you to quickly flip through 44 different treatment programs.

There’s also the option to customize your routine, in case you have specific needs. This device can provide heat to aid with recovery and muscle growth, too. The battery life stretches for up to 15 hours, giving you plenty of uses before needing a power top-off. At that point, just fire it back up via USB-C. It’ll be ready to go again in a few hours.

Best Foam Roller

Hyperice Vyper 3

Now 15% Off

Credit: Hyperice

Take your foam rolling game to the next level with Hyperice’s Vyper 3. Our favorite foam roller offers a medium-firm density to benefit most people, and contains a vibrating motor to target muscle kinks and soreness. There’s also a contoured design to give you additional options. The Vyper 3 syncs with a Hyperice app to provide guided sessions and advice from athletes and trainers.

Our years of testing this foam roller found that the three vibration speeds allow for a targeted, customized massage. At 13 inches, this roller can be used nearly anywhere on your body, including between your shoulder blades. It offers up to two hours of vibration on one charge, so you don’t need to worry about plugging it back in every time you wrap up a session.

Read More: Best Foam Rollers

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Best Acupressure Mat

Shakti Premium Acupressure Mat

The Shakti Mat is an acupressure mat about the size of a yoga mat, but with thousands of plastic spikes on top. Those spikes are designed to help ground you and even relieve stress on demand. The mat, which is engineered with foam and plastic, uses acupressure to help work out a range of issues.

Shakti offers the mat in light, original, and advanced options, just in case you’re already an acupressure pro. The mat takes some getting used to—you are lying on plastic needles, after all. But our tester found it helped him to re-center and even to drink less with regular use. Shakti offers the mat in five different colors, in case you want to match it with your bedroom or home gym’s decor.

Best Durable Adjustable Dumbbells

Hammer Strength PRO 100 Adjustable Dumbbells

These sturdy dumbbells were winners in our 2024 Men’s Health Fitness Awards for their durability and ease of use. The set is a collaboration between Hammer Strength and PowerBlocks, and incorporates PowerBlocks’ signature stacked design. The dumbbells, which require a Letter of Medical Necessity for FSA/HSA funds, feature color-coded weight bands for quick changes, along with an auto-lock feature to keep things from falling apart while you lift.

These weights go up to 100 pounds, replacing up to 40 pairs of dumbbells. That’s a huge perk, whether you’re short on space or just don’t want a full rack at your place. Our testing found that the weights can handle being dropped with no issue. Just don’t try that party trick at home—it’ll void the 5-year warranty.

Read More: Best Adjustable Dumbbells

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Best Exercise Bike

Peloton Bike+

Now 20% Off

Credit: Amazon

Peloton doesn’t screw around with its Bike+, which creates a premium experience from start to finish. The company sets up the bike for you, so you can get off and riding right away. The Bike+ offers a 24-inch HD touchscreen to stream a massive and constantly updated library of instructor-led classes, including live classes. You can also stream your favorite shows if you prefer to just zone out and cycle.

Our only gripe during testing is that the bike requires Delta-compatible cleats that clip into the pedals, although you can order those along with your bike. (If you’ve never clipped in, though, there is a learning curve.) Peloton provides a 30-day in-home trial with free delivery and setup, along with free pickup and return, if you decide it’s not for you. You’ll need a Letter of Medical Necessity for this one, by the way.

Read More: Best Exercise Bikes

Best Treadmill

NordicTrack Commercial 1750 Treadmill

Now 13% Off

Credit: Amazon

The NordicTrack 1750 is packed with features to create a seamless and challenging indoor run. This treadmill boasts a responsive 14-inch touchscreen that’s compatible with iFIT programming. It also offers incline and decline features for added versatility to your sessions. Our testing found this is an incredibly stable machine, with a frame that doesn’t shake or buckle during sprints.

The NordicTrack 1750, which requires a Letter of Medical Necessity for FSA/HSA fund use, has impressive cushioning and a slightly springy feel with each step. Flip between speeds of up to 12 MPH and an incline of up to 12%, which are on par with most top-tier treadmills. It’s also quiet, so you don’t have to stress about disturbing family members or neighbors.

Read More: Best Home Treadmills

Best Rowing Machine

Concept2 RowErg Indoor Rowing Machine

After years of testing, the Concept2 RowErg remains our favorite rowing machine. This machine is an industry standard that’s used in CrossFit and high profile competitions—and you can use your FSA/HSA funds toward it with a Letter of Medical Necessity. The RowErg is easy to put together in 20 minutes, allowing you to get rowing quickly. It has a weight capacity of up to 500 pounds to accommodate a range of body types.

The RowErg features a flywheel with variable resistance to continuously challenge you. There’s also a built-in device holder that keeps your phone or tablet at eye level to stream your favorite shows or follow guided workouts as you row. While the RowErg doesn’t have fancy features like smart connectivity or an LED screen, it still has all the elements you need for a tough workout.

Read More: Best Rowing Machines

Best Fitness Tracker

Garmin Forerunner 265

The Garmin Forerunner 265 offers everything you want in a fitness tracker, with plenty of additional features you didn’t know you needed. This device is lightweight, with a large AMOLED display that’s easy to read, no matter the lighting. This tracker uses a touchscreen, but also has five buttons in case of any navigation issues. The Forerunner 265 doesn’t have a scrollable crown, which removes the potential for dirt built-up.

This tracker is also packed with features, including heart rate variability (HRV), zone training, sleep tracking, and a new feature called Training Readiness which calculates metrics like sleep score, recovery time, acute training load, HRV status, and more to tell when your body is primed for a tough workout. It even has strength training tracking to count sets and reps. Enjoy up to 13 days of battery life before needing a recharge. With your FSA/HSA funds and a Letter of Medical Necessity, this is not a bad idea for some better metric tracking in 2025.

Read More: Best Fitness Trackers

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What Happens to Your FSA/HSA Funds If You Don’t Use Them?

It depends on which one you have. FSA funds don’t roll over into the next year, which means they’re usually forfeited to your employer at the end of the year. (Although there are some potential caveats—more on that in a moment.) So, having unused FSA funds at the end of the year is essentially like paying to work.

HSA funds are different. If you have leftover money in your HSA account at the end of the year, it will simply roll over. You don’t need to use up your HSA funds at the end of the year, but you can still use them to buy something you want or need that qualifies for these funds using tax-free dollars.

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FSA vs. HSA

At baseline, FSA and HSA allow you to put aside pre-tax dollars to pay for health-related expenses during the upcoming year. FSA and HSA tend to be lumped together, but there are a few major differences between them.

FSA is an arrangement with your employer that lets you set aside pre-tax dollars to be used for health-related expenses. Your employer will set a limit on how much you can put in your FSA. At the end of the year, your employer may offer to give you 2.5 more months to spend that money, carry over up to 20% of the maximum salary reduction contribution for the year (for 2025 that equals $660) to spend on the next year, or they’ll just pocket the extra cash.

Not everyone can have an HSA. You can only contribute to an HSA if you have an HSA-eligible plan, which tends to have lower monthly premiums and higher deductibles. HSA funds also roll over from year to year, allowing you to build up a stockpile of pre-tax dollars to use for heath-related needs.

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Headshot of Charles Thorp, NASM

Charles Thorp is the Fitness and Commerce Editor at Men’s Health, where he shares the best product recommendations in gym equipment, recovery tools, supplements, and more. Following an early life in athletics, Charles became a NASM-certified trainer and began writing programs alongside the most respected coaches in the world.  

Since entering the world of fitness content, Charles has had the opportunity to learn from and train alongside high performance individuals from the NFL, UFC, NBA, Formula 1, CrossFit, US Olympics, and Navy SEALs. When he’s not writing about training programs or gear, he can be seen at the gym or in the wild, putting them to the test.

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