~*~ The Purchase ~*~

I'd been needing a new exercise mat for absolutely ages and decided to buy this around six months ago when it was on offer in Argos. I didn't buy this because it's Davina branded or anything, I chose it purely because it was the cheapest available that looked to be of decent quality.

~*~ Price ~*~

I paid around a fiver for mine as I managed to get it on offer, but the retail price is currently £9.99. I think this is a reasonable price considering that the mat is good quality and durable.

~*~ Design ~*~

This is quite a basic looking exercise mat which I like, and it's the usual exercise mat sort of shape! There's only one colour available as far as I know which is a nice shade of blue. The lack of colour options doesn't bother me at all although I'm not keen on now light the colour is because any marks show up easily which means it started to look grubby quite quickly seeing as I have a baby toddling around as well as five dogs!!

I try not to leave it down when I'm not using it though due to it being a spongey type of material which can easily get stained and after around six months mine is looking a little worse for wear as it has several marks on it, however it is still useable and in one piece, just a bit dirty looking! I've tried wiping it down which is a pretty pointless task because of the type of material it is, but seeing as I only use it at home it doesn't really matter that it looks a bit grubby!! It luckily doesn't hold smells (eg sweat, gross I know but worth mentioning!)

~*~ Size ~*~

The mat is 182cm long and 61cm wide so it's a decent size and there's plenty of room when I'm laid on it - I don't feel like I need to squeeze myself on to it and I have plenty of room to move around when I am using it - my feet don't hang over the edge of the mat or anything and I don't feel confined when I am using it. I'm 5'3 so not the tallest of people, however a taller person could easily fit on this - i tried to get my boyfriend who's nearly 6ft to lay on it for the purpose of my review but he wouldn't, I'd say that he could easily fit on it though from my calculations lol.

~*~ In Use ~*~

I use this pretty much every morning to do my routine yoga, which mainly consists of leg lifts and arm balances. The mat has a slight cushioned feel to it while still being firm, so my back and joints always feel supported. I have a wooden floor and the mat doesn't slip around at all when I'm using it even if I am moving around a lot and the soft foam feels quite comfortable. I am still able to feel the hardness of the wooden floor slightly, but I find that the mat makes my workouts a lot more comfortable than my previous, cheapo exercise mat did and it feels a lot thicker.

The foam is dense so it's not so soft that it feels spongey or like I'm going to sink into it when I'm laid on it, it's just the right sort of surface to lay on comfortably when exercising but it's still firm if that makes sense. I also use this for press ups and sit ups and I use it when I am using my abdotrim as the soft surface stops it from making a banging sound when it hits the floor. Another thing it's handy for is my exercise ball - on my wooden floor it tend to roll away quite easily but when it's on the mat it stays in place a lot better.

I sometimes use my skipping rope when I'm stood on this if I'm skipping in doors and don't have any shoes on and it stays in place. The mat has got a non slip surface so I always feel secure when I am using it - no worries that I will slip and hurt myself. After around six months of very regular use the mat is still in reasonably good condition despite how much I've used it. As I said before the mat is a little grubby but it isn't damaged or anything.

On a very quick side note, the mat can easily be rolled up which I find really handy as I can put it in our small store cupboard when I'm not using it and it takes up virtually no room. It also has a carry strap so could be taken to the gym etc if you wanted to, although I keep mine at home for when I do my exercise DVDs and yoga.

~*~ Overall ~*~

I'd definitely recommend this exercise mat as it is good quality, durable and it does the job in keeping me comfortable while I'm doing my sit ups etc. I have knocked one star off though because of the light colour - it starts to look grubby really easily!

4/5 Stars.