Innovative Yoga Mat Provides a Cleaner, Safer, More Effective Workout

Flossmoor, IL, August 04, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Time and time again, Libby Andrews, the owner of Stick-e® Brands hears, "Why didn't anyone think of that before?!" First, the multipurpose, Yoga Stick-e® Mat with 3 in 1 strap addresses the issue of hygiene. It has a very cleverly built in detachable strap that enables the mat to be hung for air drying or in the shower for easy cleaning. In a typical yoga class, a practitioner will spend an hour sweating on their yoga mat while placing their hands, feet, buttocks and face on the mat. At the end of the session, they roll up their mat with little to no cleaning (except maybe a wipe down with a sweaty towel), and put the mat in their hot 100 plus degree car where it stays until the next yoga class. That is the case if they bring their own mat. Otherwise, the mat is placed back in the storage room until the next class where someone else gets to put their hands, face, feet and buttocks on the mat.

Melissa Baumgartner, owner of Midwest Fitness Consulting, LLC and the creator of LWC, a Lifestyle Wellness Coaching training program, shared her experience with dirty floors and mats in yoga classes, "During the practical portion of my presentations I spend very little time on my own mat; preferring to be mobile and move throughout the room helping others find their perfect alignment and form. At the end of those eight hours my feet are filthy. And to make matters worse, I experienced a big, giant, ugly, incredibly painful Plantar Wart on the sole of my right foot." Melissa Baumgartner has become an outspoken advocate of Stick-e® Brands' product line focused on providing solutions for a cleaner and safer yoga workout. ZetaClear, an antifungal solution, lists flip flops and Yoga Mats as two leading contributors to the spread of foot fungus.

According to a recent article in Yoga Journal, "The best way to avoid getting athlete's foot, a fungal infection, is to bring your own sticky mat to class and wash it regularly. If only public mats are available, make sure that the yoga studio staff regularly sanitizes the mats to prevent an outbreak of athlete's foot."

Seeing people sweating all over their mats, then not taking the proper care to clean the mat, led Libby Andrews, to devise a way to facilitate cleaning. She realized that if the mat could be easily hung, more people would take the time to wash down the mat. With its detachable strap, the Yoga Stick-e® Mat can be hung in the shower for fast and easy cleaning allowing Yogis to take control of their hygienic environment.

As the name implies, and like most of Stick-e Brands' products, the Yoga Stick-e® Mat with 3 in 1 strap is multipurpose. The strap is a shoulder carrying strap so one does not have to buy a separate strap or bag for portability.

Additionally, the strap detaches from the mat and becomes an exercise strap. This allows the practitioner to perform more difficult poses and deeper stretches for a more effective workout. The strap also is adjustable in length and has a locking buckle so if pressure is applied on the inside of the strap, it will not slip.

One last innovative feature incorporated into this product is the center line drawn down the middle of both sides of the mat with a perpendicular line indicating the middle of the mat. The purpose of the lines is to help ensure proper body alignment. Stephanie Forbes from American 3B Scientific, a leading supplier of medical and therapy products, stated, "I received your products on Friday and I used them during my yoga workout. They are great! We have a company workout team who does workout sessions in the evening in one of our conference rooms... I am completely sold! I really liked how the yoga mat had lines drawn on it. I often find myself working out and getting off the mat a bit but the lines helped to keep me on track."

The patent pending Original Yoga Stick-e® mat with 3 in 1 strap is an exciting innovation for Yoga enthusiasts combining a hygienic solution with practicality and functionality. The mat is currently available at Paragon Sports in Manhattan as well as on-line retailers such as YogaAccessories.com, EverythingYoga.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and Walgreens.com.

Stick-e® Brands has quickly become the "go to" company for non slip yoga accessories. Stick-e® Brands’ original product, Yoga Stick-e® Socks… for that barefoot feeling, earned international acclaim from the sporting goods community when it was selected as a finalist in the ispo BrandNew competition and was featured at ispo Winter ‘O8 in Munich. It quickly came out with complementary products including Yoga Stick-e Gloves, Yoga Stick-e® Towel, the Hot & Stick-e® Hip Hop Yoga workout and the Yoga Stick-e® Mat with 3 in 1 strap. Another innovative product will be released this September, the Yoga Stick-e® Wrist SaverTM.

Stick-e® Brands' products are being distributed through Americal Corporation, a leading supplier of socks and hosiery to mass merchandisers.

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