Taking A Moment Out Of The Day & WIWT

My Midlife Fashion, Pranamat massage mat

Morning ladies, regular readers will know that for a good while now I've been suffering from a niggling lower back pain that through sports massage, pilates & changing my desk chair (I now sit on one of these!) has got a great deal better. So when I was recently approached by Pranamat to see if I'd be interested in trialling one of their massage mats I didn't hesitate in saying yes. Especially as having looked at their site it mentioned how it can help relieve minor muscle aches & pains & as anyone who has ever suffered with back pain will know I figured it was definitely worth a shot.

Now naively when I saw the words 'massage mat' I had the vision of the lotus flowers gently vibrating & massaging my back but when I opened the package (as you will see from the below image) I discovered that there was no vibration or massage involved. Instead the mat works on the basis of pressure points, a bit how I imagine acupuncture would feel, with the lotus flowers designed as massage simulators.

Available in either a mat or pillow design the mat is made with environmentally-friendly natural materials that are hypoallergenic & comes with a user guide, which depending on your symptoms shows you which position to lie in & the amount of time.

As I've already mentioned the mat can relieve minor neck & back pain & it can also be used on all parts of your body including hands & feet & can help improve your sleep quality, boost energy levels & sense of well being as well as increase skin elasticity.

Now be warned when I first lay the mat on the floor for my first trial the dog decided to walk over it before I could get to him & all I can say is it was like he was walking on hot coal! I've never seen his little legs move so quickly, so it's no surprise that the instructions suggest you start off with a thin layer of clothing between you & the mat because boy are the lotus flowers sharp! Even when wearing a thin layer the lotus design leaves marks on your top & goes right through to your skin but they quickly disappear.

So how have I found the mat? Well I've been using it for just over 30 days (although some days I must admit I've forgotten to do it!) but I must admit I haven't been brave enough to ditch the thin layer of clothing (although I have tried a couple of short bursts of standing on the mat) bare foot. Is it comfortable? Not at first no, getting on & off isn't what I'd call relaxing but once you're lying down it's ok. I can't see myself ever falling asleep on the mat but it does make me practise my pilates breathing exercises & as I mentioned above take time out for myself. As for my lower back niggles well that's got a lot better but that's been helped by me taking up pilates & also changing my desk chair so I couldn't say it's solely down to the mat but I'm sure it's been a contributing factor.

So ladies are you tempted to give the mat a whirl? If you're considering it but unsure whether to give it a whirl, it does come with a 30 days money back guarantee so it might be worth giving it a try. I'm certainly going to persevere as worst case it makes me stop & take 15 minutes time out for myself & if it helps continue to help improve my back then even better. Although I'm not sure I'd be able to build up to practising yoga on it....ouch!

Back to today & I'm keeping things very simple & teaming a military inspired shirt with pleated midi skirt.