Give Your Feet a Break Even When You’re Working
Constantly standing for long periods while you’re doing your daily tasks can take a toll on your legs and feet. Even if you’re wearing the comfiest shoes, the extended time your lower limbs are supporting the rest of your body can make it sore. And when your legs start getting sore and your feet start aching even though you think it’s negligible, you’ll tend to focus most on those body parts instead of the task in front of you. So what can you do about it?
Have you ever heard of anti-fatigue mats? It’s an incredible product that has joined the bandwagon of ergonomic work equipment. Ergonomics are not just focused on tables, belts, and chairs.
What are Anti Fatigue Mats?
These mats are especially designed to alleviate the pressure from your feet. It provides good cushioning without making you feel uncomfortable while you complete your tasks. And while you’re just standing comfortably on these mats, you reap the rewards of better blood flow and a significant reduction in lower back pain.
How do Anti Fatigue Mats Work?
When you’re standing on a hard surface such as a cement or wooden floor for a long time, your legs will lose the good circulation in its veins because you’re staying practically stagnant in the same spot and position. When this happens, your legs will experience a lack of good blood circulation and that’s really when fatigue starts setting in. Anti Fatigue mats are very comfortable to use with or without footwear on. It’s not too soft that it feels squishy and uncomfortable, but not too stiff that it feels no different than standing on the floor.
These mats will naturally albeit subtly make your legs move and shift constantly. The movement is barely noticeable that you would not even be conscious about it. The science behind anti fatigue mats is simple. It encourages good blood flow even as you continue to stand on your feet for as long as you need. And with this, you’ll notice that your feet will feel less sore at the end of the day and your calves won’t feel like they’ve been stretched too much that it feels like a long day at the gym. The tiny—seemingly nonexistent movements you make while standing on the mat will make all the difference.
What are the Benefits of Ergonomic Anti Fatigue Mats?
- Fatigue Reduction – this, of course, is quite the obvious benefit. Just to re-emphasize, the mats allow for better blood flow around your legs, calves, and feet.
- Lower Back Pain Reduction – if used regularly, this can be eliminated altogether. Standing for long periods can take a toll on the lower back, and the discomfort is nothing you can just dismiss.
- Raises Mood – when you work in a comfortable position, you’ll tend to have a better disposition and happily go about your tasks until you’re done. There’s a huge reduction in anxiety and stress that could be associated with standing for long periods.
- Increases Productivity – when you’re in a good mood, not only will you be able to complete your work, but you’ll also likely be able to do more.
- Easy to Clean – with any other equipment that is expected to be used constantly, the worry instantly comes up when it comes to the question of cleaning and sanitizing. The good news is, these mats are so easy to clean that you can simply hose it down and get rid of any debris that might be tracked in and out of the workplace.
Different Types of Anti Fatigue mats:
- Wet Environment Mats - great for places that are constantly wet such as fish markets, slaughter houses, and other commonly wet areas during the course of the work day.
- Dry Environment Mats - this is most common and can be used for most industries even at home and at the office.
- Chemical Resistant Mats – more commonly used in factories, refineries, and laboratories.
- Oil Resistant Mats – often used in refineries and certain areas of some factories and repair shops.
- Yellow Safety Edging Mats – the yellow safety marker is a very clear warning that will easily alert the user where the edges are and practice caution as needed.
- Fire Tested Mats – great for environments that are constantly at risk of fire exposure.
While all these might sound well and good, there’s actually a bigger gain to using anti fatigue mats. With prolonged use, you’ll end up saving hundreds—if not thousands in the long run. You won’t need to worry about medical bills that might come along with dealing with foot pain, leg pain, lower back pain, and any other possible injuries that you can incur during your course of work.
Reducing the risk of incurring medical bills are not the only thing that can get you savings from using these mats. Because you’ll tend to be in a better mood and become more productive, you won’t need to worry about missing days at work or losing income.
And if you think that offices and other workspaces are the only avenues that will benefit from anti fatigue mats, you’d be wrong. These are so good even to be used at home—at the kitchen, garage, garden, or even in your home office. These can also be a good thing to use for people with muscle problems or recurring medical conditions that often strains them on a daily basis. Seniors and pregnant women in particular will be happy to have these around their homes.
If this managed to pique your interest, then it would do you a lot of good to check out reputable providers so you can find the best one that suits your needs. And best of all these websites will give you the opportunity to check out other ergonomic products along with information that you can use to make an informed decision especially if you’re planning to make a shift from traditional furniture and equipment to ergonomic options. If your feet are feeling sore right now, it would be wise that you don’t waste your time anymore. Get one of these and your feet—and whole body will thank you for it.
