I’ll be moving out of my 5 bedroom house soon. It’s a bitter sweet thing because while my girlfriend and I are looking forward to having our own space (we currently share the house with another couple… more on that later) where we can yell at each other in peace, I can’t help but think of all the ways we may have made ourselves a little more tolerable to our room mates and vice versa. This inspired me to come up with a list of potential room mate grievances and solutions that can be ameliorated with a bit of consideration, poise, communication, and as always, a few mats.

Hallway noise – This is a no brainer. On opposite schedules? Say you have to be at the office at 8am. It’s 7am. You’re pacing back and forth in those GORGEOUS 3 inch heels your boyfriend got you. All sounds good on paper but then you realize your roomies are in the service industry. One’s a bartender, the other a server and they’re at this time on what is likely to be their fourth hour of sleep. To them your KLIK- KLAK-KLIK-KLAK back and forth down the hallway probably sounds like a construction crew is hammering out the floor to replace it! That’s when you throw big, beautiful plush olefin carpeted floor mats. Plush, thick, and inexpensive, those kliks and klaks will be minimized and much quieter with good entrance mats. They might make you a pie when you get home out of appreciation.

Tracking leaves – Seriously, fellas. MAJOR peeve of mine. Frequent smoker? Neither am I. As chores are generally divided amongst the individuals living in said residence, there is nothing more astonishingly irritating than the satisfaction of a clean tile floor, a vacuumed carpet, and the smell of cleanliness up in your space. Unless 10 minutes after you’re done, you see the little trails of dry leaves, twigs, and other crap already decoration your living room area rug from the incessant smoke breaks. Throw that piece of crap entry mat out and get yourself clean scrape mats for the outside of the door and a nice brush-and-clean for the inside. The double action scraping will be sure to put the hold on all that debris from your backyard. In-n-out will no longer be a euphemism for the annoyance one experiences from your friends/room mates having to take a smoke break from life every 20 minutes.

Exercise – There’s not a lot one can do when they share a common area. When the common living room area is the largest and most easily accessible to rock that Tae-Bo or whatever other dated exercise fab you’re into, it can be pretty annoying to hear the jumping and pouncing of intense cardio while that roomie sweat and fitness juice drips on to the rug I like to lay on with cats on occasion. Don’t be a jerk and get yourself exercise mats. Be it soft tiles, a folding mat, or even simple easy yoga mats, get something your roomies won’t have to think twice about laying down to watch tv on “that wet-spot’ over there.

Lastly, if it gets really, really, really bad. You can just move. Seriously, though, I’m gonna miss where I live.

Well it is a new year officially, no denying that now.  So as many of you out there I have made resolutions to become more active.  Give this working out thing the ‘ol college try sort of speak.  Now after taking the first week and a half of the new year sitting and watching TV contemplating my plan of attack in regards to my new found “motivations” to become more healthy and active; I finally ventured into the local gym.  I did my sign up, paid my fees, signed my Faustian deal in blood, and the inevitable sweat and tears and now I am on my way…hopefully.

Adjusting to a new environment can be unsettling naturally, especially to a gym with its variety of different exercise accessories, where you are the obvious “New Guy”.  Though I must admit, I love to see the people at the gym and their mannerisms when they think that no one is watching.  To see all these hyper-motivated people, dressed in their spandex and sporting their cross training exercise gloves, running, lifting, bending awkwardly over their exercise ball, over-posturing and in general just showing off; it is quite entertaining.  That is until you realize that you are hyperventilating and look like you just got hit by a semi-truck after 5 minutes on the treadmill.

So I decided after my 30 minute brush with death, thanks to the treadmill and elliptical that I would move onto some more strength based exercises.  So I grabbed some of the resistance tubes, which are essentially large rubber bands, and surprisingly very difficult to stretch and bend.  So definitely a good warm up that was to get on the larger machines.  Now there I was, camo-cut off shorts and old Metallica t-shirt lifting 80 pounds, and watching everyone else do at least twice that.  So with my spirit broken I decided to find the nearest yoga mats and catch my breath before calling it a night. Though I pushed through the first night, I am committed to many more.

No grand finale this time dear readers, no real climax, just grinding through and staying on track for now. So wish me luck and with a little luck and lot of work, in the next few months there will be less of me, yet more to write.

I’ve been helping train the newest additions to our MatsMatsMats family, and they’re doing such an amazing job that I have a lot of down time.  I’ve been killing time on our website just clicking away looking for anything that might important for my trainee.

I actually found yoga mats that I never knew we carried.  Granted I don’t personally sell a lot of yoga props because I deal with more custom products, but I’m surprised when I do sell them, that it’s not more of our Terra Pure Yoga mats.  They’re a different material than your traditional yoga mat, made with something called TPE or “thermal plastic elastomer” which is completely free of heavy metals, PVC and toxic material.  I would think this would be a huge appeal to the yoga community.  The Terra Pure Yoga Mats have two different textures on each side, which makes it super versatile, and it has closed cell foam which prevents absorption of moisture.  You’ll get a good grip and comfort.  The only downside to this mat is that it only comes in Ocean Blue.

I also noticed something else that is kind of cool, if you have a yoga class or even 100+ friends, our custom Deluxe Yoga Mats that come with and Embossed or Debossed logo are actually less expensive than purchasing just the Deluxe Yoga Mat.  Yes, you have to by a quantity of 100 or more, but it breaks down to $14.95 per mat, including the logo and plate fee!!  Just the mat by itself is $19.95.  So you can actually get a great custom mat for less money than a normal one.

I was going to do a follow up regarding a blog I posted a couple of weeks back,  but my customer has yet to put his prototype drum together and send me pics. Naturally, I was sweating what I was going to write about so I decided be literal and write about… sweat!

Be aware that I’ve NEVER done HOT YOGA, so I’m mainly referring to what I would call “normal yoga” although I’m sure the same applies.  In any case… It’s well known that individuals’ body chemistry varies greatly.  One of the common issues we run into as a result is that some of our yoga mats are stickier than others… depending on who uses them. My personal favorite mat is the Natural Fitness Elite Yoga Mat.  It’s made of natural rubber so not only is it not filled with chemical softeners like most vinyl, but it just grips.  Being a very, very sweaty individual (ALBEITN CLEAN AND HYGENIC I SWEARTOGOD DON’T JUDGE ME!) at my extremities made me assume that the best option for all sweaty guys and gals would be a natural rubber yoga mat.

WRONG! Something people don’t take into consideration is that everyone’s skin has natural oils that excrete at different levels based on sex, diet, and genetics.  As a result, a person who sweats a lot and very easily yet doesn’t have very oily skin, can benefit from a mat such as the rubber ones.  However, someone who sweats a lot and has oilier (is that a word) skin will most likely need to lay a Yoga Towel on any mat regardless to maintain their grip and comfort on the mat.  Other alternatives for varying body chemistries would be something like Mexican Blankets (we called them “sarapes” when I was growing up).

Well, happy sweating!

I just found a yoga class that I love.  I’m not really an athletic gym type, but I do like being active and I’m forever on a mission to find ways to stay active, without feeling like I’m doing a chore.

If you live in Los Angeles, or the next time you visit L.A., you’ve got to check out Runyon Canyon- I’m in LOVE!  There’s everything I love about Southern California – a great view, celebrity sighting, nature and good old fashioned people watching. I’m always finding new trails and just the other day I discovered this yoga class! It’s totally free and perfect for beginners, like me!

Starting a new yoga class can be really scary- ESPECIALLY if you’ve never done one. The seasoned yogi’s and instructors can make you feel unwanted and it can be hard to have the confidence.  The instructors at Runyon seem to love what they do, make you feel so comfortable and it feels like a relaxing day at the park rather than a workout. You really just need a yoga mat, some water and a good attitude.

Yoga studios have been popping up like Subways throughout the United States for the past 10-15 years.  Initially, everyone thought it was just the latest trendy thing to do, but I guess we can now finally say that yoga is not a fad and is here to stay. 

With the increase in the number of people practicing yoga and the number of yoga studios came the myriad of yoga mats.  Different colors, patterns, lengths, thicknesses, textures, materials and so on.  Many people are not just doing yoga, but also wanting to use their mat for Pilates and/or general exercises.  With all the yoga mat choices out there, very few mats are suitable for all of these various exercises.  Sometimes you need better grip, sometimes you need more cushion, sometimes you need it to be easily transportable to and from classes and sometimes you need all of these things. 

With all the various exercises, the one common factor is alignment.  Whether you’re doing yoga, Pilates or general exercises proper alignment is crucial.  With all of this in mind, I’d like to introduce you to the YogaForce A-line Mat.  This alignment mat improves your posture and makes you look great.  It is ideal for yoga, Pilates or general exercises.  The A-line mat is 30” wide at the top and tapers down to 20” width at the bottom.  This exercise mat has patented alignment guides to assure proper positioning on your mat at all times. Whether you are a beginner or advanced in your practice, these guides take the guesswork out of your posture for a perfect workout.

This alignment mat also comes with a hands free adjustable shoulder strap and only weighs 4 pounds. It is easy for urban dwellers to transport on the run. This ergonomic mat also comes with a removable wallet to hold personal effects, such as sunblock, a cell phone, iPod, car keys and credit cards.

If you are in the market for a top quality exercise mat, Pilates mat and/or a yoga mat, the YogaForce A-line mat is the perfect mat for you.

There are definitely many benefits when using a yoga mat… and more specifically, having your own yoga mat and not borrowing one from the club, gym, yoga studio or from a friend.  One of the obvious reasons to use a yoga mat, also called a sticky mat, is to reduce the risk of injuring yourself. Yoga mats can prevent injuries that can occur while practicing yoga. The surface can be slippery (bare floors). Especially if you are taking yoga classes where floors are not being cleaned between classes.

Is it better to borrow/rent a yoga mat from a yoga studio or to bring your own yoga mat to your yoga classes?  Purchasing your own yoga mat will limit the exposure to bacteria and germs and you are only exposed to your own germs. You are responsible for your mat and you can clean it any time.  If you are not using a mat you are exposing yourself to others germs and your well-being.  Additionally, mats will definitely cushion the floor and provide support which is needed for improving balance and coordination and provide better overall health.

If you are considering buying a new yoga mat, don’t forget to look at all the yoga mat options that are available (clean pvc yoga mats, rubber yoga mats, cotton yoga mats, thick yoga mats and many other eco friendly yoga mats).

Over the past 10 years yoga has become extremely popular in the United States (and all over the world for that matter). For those of us that have made yoga part of our daily lives we can often be found carrying, or on top of, our yoga mats.  If this describes you, or someone you know, it may be time to get a personalized yoga mat. 

An embroidered yoga mat makes a great gift for a friend or for yourself.  The mats can be produced with a persons name, a business name, an expression or saying or virtually anything else you would like us to imprint on a yoga mat.  There are a variety of mat colors, thread colors and fonts to choose from when ordering.  The text message can be up to 20 characters long and production is only 2-3 business days.

Personalized gifts are always great, which makes personalized yoga mats the perfect gift for any yogi.