It is vital that you ensure that you are staying healthy and living fit. Fitness and exercise are now the new mantra. Exercise mats have gained a lot of popularity along with the art of fitness. In fact, an exercise mat such as P90X is now a must-have piece of fitness equipment. You can use an exercise mat in a wide range of ways for different exercises and postures to make the body comfortable during the routine. To be fit, you need your workout to be quite effective. If you do not use an exercise mat and you are not comfortable when exercising, then your workout is bound to suffer.
Benefits of an Exercise Mat
An exercise mat has adequate padding that protects your elbows, tailbone, and knees during the floor work. It offers you the much-needed balance in yoga and can protect your tailbones and hips. When you use it as required, it accommodates full-length prone exercises. It helps keep the carpets and floor clean by ensuring sweat is kept away. These mats are also more storable and portable as compared to the thicker puzzle-board floor mats.
Types of Exercise Mats
You should note that exercise mats are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes that suit various types of workouts. The following are some of the various types of exercise mats and fitness programs that need them.
Pilate Mats
These types of mats are quite similar to yoga mats, though they are thicker and longer. They are made with closed-cell construction using thermal plastic elastomer. These pilate mates are firm and offer adequate padding. Unlike the yoga ones, these mats are not sticky, and you can wipe them clean after each use.
Yoga Mats
As noted above, these mats are thinner than pilate mats. That is because they are intended for low impact exercises. They are made of a wide range of materials that include closed-cell PVC, rubber, cotton, and mesh. They are sticky and can cling to a hard floor surface. Also, they offer adequate cushioning for yoga exercises and will keep the yoga practitioner from sustaining injury and slipping. They are easy to clean with water and soap.
Fitness Mats
These types of mats are large and thick. They are commonly used for stretching exercises and crunches, or other general exercises you may want. These mats are designed to absorb a lot of impacts and offer cushioning between you and the floor during exercises. The mats are made from closed-cell PVC and have an easy to clean vinyl cover.