Anti-fatigue mats like the one pictured here—The Invigorator—aren’t your ordinary door mats just made longer. If you’re new to the concept of anti-fatigue mats, you’re in for a nice surprise; especially if you work a job that requires you to be on your feet for hours on end, and you often [always] end up with sore, tired feet, joints, and back.

Unlike regular rubber mats, floor mats, or welcome mats, anti-fatigue mats—made in varying designs and alternate functions, such as non-slip or anti-static mats—are manufactured with the effects of gravity on the human body in mind. When you stand in one place, or work within a confined space, with hard floors, especially concrete, the stress and strain of your body weight begins to take its toll on your lower back, knees, ankles, and of course your feet.

Anti-fatigue mats are made to absorb body weight into the foam, thus providing a buffer against the hardness of the floor; less pain, reduced fatigue, and improved performance are the result.