A guide to choosing the right mat for your needs

Choosing the right mat is important, considering the activities that go on at your facility...

Mats are widely used in gym and leisure centre environments for comfort and health and safety reasons. With so many different designs available to choose from, it can be difficult to decide at first, but once you know what you are looking for, the choice is simple.

Do your research well and find out what suits your needs when it comes to choosing the right mat. You may want to compare various options within one retailer and across suppliers in order to find the right one for you. If you compare well, you can also save some money and find a great deal, so it is well worth doing.

The best place to start your research is on the internet. There are so many different suppliers of mats so finding the right one should not take too long. Use a search engine to bring up a range of results, either within your local area or nationwide. You can often order in bulk and get the mats delivered direct to your premises, for extra convenience and a cost effective solution.

Interlocking mats are a very popular choice within gym and school settings. They have a wide range of benefits and are affordable at the same time. The smaller mats lock together with ease to form one larger one. This can be ideal for fitting a bespoke area, so the options are limitless when wanting to cover a large or unusual shape space.

Interlocking designs are easy to store and simple to assemble and pack away. This means they do not take up too much space within a gym, leaving room for other activities to take place. Such mats are portable and can be wiped clean, making them hygienic. The material used is soft and comfortable to create a protective layer under foot, which is ideal for preventing injury if an accident occurs. They may even provide anti-slip properties to help prevent slips, trips and falls from taking place.

Mats are widely used in children’s play areas where trips are common. It is important to provide safety barriers to prevent harm from taking place. Exercise should be encouraged for all ages as it can help improve physical and mental well being. It is a great stress buster and can help with many skills such as confidence, communication, team work, motivation and target setting. Gymnastics is a popular form of exercise, but there are many different options to choose from. Swimming can be very relaxing, while sports such as tennis encourage competitiveness. Team sports like football, rugby and rounders are great fun and provide the perfect opportunity to work alongside others in order to win a game. Many local sports centres provide a range of activities so it is well worth looking into if you want to keep fit.