Reduce Stress While Line Twisting

My oasis of comfort brings my body relief.

I was working a trade show and was showing a newbie how to spot a veteran sales manager who knows how to setup a trade show booth. All you need to do is walk into their booth and your feet will tell you, “Yes, this is where you need to be standing”.

The veteran sales manager will make sacrifices and cut corners to ensure his budget will have enough money to buy extra padding under the carpeting for his booth. Going from ½ to one inch padding, you can feel elegance under your feet. The extra cushion relieves feet, knee, and back stress making it physically easier on the booth staff.

Several years ago, I was working an event that required “roaming entertainment”. Yah, like that is going to happen. I am the Pied Piper of balloon twisting. It does not take long before I have a line a quarter of block long. I stood there, entertaining and twisting, and I could feel the body stress slowly working through my body. As I walked to the car, my back was tight, feet hurt, and knees were stiff. Not a good feeling to have when there is one more gig left in the day.

Researching a Solution

Like the booth staff, I need padding under my feet. So I did some research and looked at kids foam mats, which you can find at most big box stores. These were lightweight, but durability was questionable and did not look up to my standard of professionalism.

I then looked at a restaurant supply house. I have this mat in my garage next to the drill press. Great to stand on, but it’s a heavy, oversized, rubber mat designed for manufacturing. I had to cut the rubber mat just to make it fit the location of the drill press. These are very durable mats, but heavy, get dirty quickly, and have an industrial look, which again which does not meet my standard.

Solution to My Problem

I was looking through a catalog; I found Anti-Fatigue marble top runner mats. The mats have tapered sides so I would not trip over it. The anti-fatigue allows me to clean it, and I can order it in any size. The width was two feet wide, which was exactly the size I was looking for. Length can be custom, which was perfect because I want it small. I ordered the length one foot. Results were a floor mat that is germ free, lightweight, easy to transport, and has the cushion that would reduce my body stress.

When it arrived, I noticed the one by two foot design gave me an extra benefit that I was not expecting when I selected that size. When you lay the mat down on the floor, it looks like a speed bump. With slopped sides, I was now able to adjust my body to three different positions.

I learned to maneuver my body around from position 3, 1, 3 then back to 2, 1, 3. The constant shifting of the body weight reduces body stress.

I play a little game, on the mat, off the mat. The mat is a divider between the kids and me. It is my oasis. When I am done, I pick it up, toss it into the car, and off I go.

Over the past seven years, the mat has held up fine. I have used it at trade shows, fair grounds, and holiday parties. Any place you see me line twisting, look under my feet. You will see my oasis of marbled-blue comfort beneath me.