I’ve thought about even using one of my wife’s exercise mats to protect my knees while I’m kneeling down to either change a flat tire, screw cement board down as sub-flooring before laying tiles, or for some other such purpose, but I’m not THAT crazy! My wife would NOT be too thrilled about such a stunt, and I would have to either admit my error, or utter something like, “Well my knees are being sacrificed to this project; can’t you maybe buy me one of those kneeling pads, or maybe even a two-foot square tile of gym flooring?” I doubt I’d be met with much sympathy, but…the thought has crossed my mind!

It’s true, exercise mats, like my wife’s Pilate’s mats, probably shouldn’t be used for kneeling down on concrete driveways, or even concrete backer boards, as those rough surfaces could really scratch them up. But many of such exercise mats are made of materials that are recycled and are not harmful to the earth’s eco system, as well as being non-allergenic.

I have been doing some home renovations today, and I often thought about how I would have LOVED to have a kneeling pad to preserve my knees!  I’ve been kneeling on hard, half-inch thick, cement board used as underlayment beneath ceramic tiles, and my knees are rather sore now.  I also think just one of these mini jumbo, EVA foam floor tiles would work well as a kneeling pad, as they are 2’ x 2’ square; the jumbo, 4’ x 4’, interlocking gym flooring tiles would be much too large for just kneeling on.

I know…these foam flooring tiles are not really intended to be used as kneeling pads, and are classified as exercise flooring, but let me tell you, when you’ve been on your hands and knees, on concrete sub-flooring [tile backer], for several hours, you begin dreaming about something—ANYTHING—softer to kneel, sit, crouch, and maybe even take a nap on!

I’ve been working on our house the past few weeks, doing some home renovations, and I can tell you there’s been more than one occasion I could have used one of these anti-fatigue mats, such as a knee saver kneeling pad, while working on something lower to the ground! I realize some would say, “Ah, toughen up!” But I have since learned the better care you can take of your body in any situation, the longer you’ll last, and many more days to work—and be productive—you’ll see in the future, you know?

That’s what both commercial and industrial anti-fatigue mats are all about: reducing the effects of stress and strain on the human body, so as to increase productivity that would otherwise be lost to injury and fatigue, and kneeling pads are a great idea for preserving your knees. In fact, if you know someone who works a lot kneeling down, why not buy that person a kneeling pad for his or her birthday, for the holidays, or just because they’re not expensive, and are lightweight, making them hassle free for carrying along to the job.

Ask anyone who’s had to change a flat tire on the side of the road, with stones and glass to kneel on how much they could have used a handy kneeling pad; they’ll probably say, “I sure wish I had one in my trunk!” Even just a single square of interlocking foam tiles would do the trick to protect your knees!

Ladies, have you ever had to change a flat tire yourself and ended up with a runner in your stocking from kneeling on the ground?  Men know what it’s like to have to kneel on the driveway—or even in spilled oil or mud—and mess up their best pair of jeans or slacks.  The point is, sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you could really use a decent anti-fatigue mat to protect your knees, feet, or even your shoulder if the situation necessitates lying on the ground to reach up under a tight spot.

Aren’t your joints worth the fifteen to twenty bucks?  Once you’ve got the kneeling pad, people will see just how wise—and prepared—you are.