We Tried It: Cushiony DOD Fitness Tools

By , SparkPeople Blogger
If you often try yoga, Pilates or other floor and mat-based exercises, but tend to feel discomfort in the neck, knees or wrists, you're not alone. Various moves from kneeling to lying on your back can aggravate these areas of the body, making exercise uncomfortable and difficult. As a Pilates teacher, I generally tell people that they can roll up an extra mat or towel to support their neck, cushion their knees, or place under their palms to make certain moves more comfortable. It's a cheap solution that can help, but it doesn't always provide total comfort.
 
I was skeptical when I first received the Do Or Die (DOD) Fitness Tools here at SparkPeople. Why would you spend all this extra money for these small "cushions" when you could use something you already have? I had been using towels or extra mats for years, so it just seemed silly to me.
 
But I tried the products anyway, and spoke with their creators while at the IDEA World Fitness Expo in L.A. a few weeks ago. After trying them myself, I am a believer.
 
I have a knee problem that is leftover from my childhood. In kids it's called Osgood-Schlatter's, but in adults it's known as patellar tendonitis or "runner's" or "jumper's" knee. As a kid, it created an enlargement on my tibia just below my knee—sort of a bony deposit—that is still there today. While it was excruciatingly painful throughout my childhood and adolescence, now it only hurts when I put pressure on it—such as every time I kneel on a hard surface. I have to double, triple and quadruple layer my mats during kneeling exercises in Pilates to alleviate my knee discomfort. It wasn't until I tried the DOD knee donut that I was able to kneel comfortably and in proper alignment for the first time in over a decade! It made me feel guilty about writing off this product at first glance without actually trying it. It provided total comfort for my knees in a way I had never been able to achieve when doing kneeling exercises in the past. Now, I think the knee donuts ($19.99) are purposeful and helpful in addition to being easily portable if you were to use them at home or during a class at the gym. I think these tools can help a lot of people exercise more effectively by helping them overcome one of the major obstacles to exercise: pain.
 
So we're happy to be giving away two full sets of DOD fitness tools! Each kit includes two knee donuts, two wrist wedges and one neck circle, valued at $45 for the bundle (each item is also available for individual retail sale using the links above).



When I asked one of the creators of the DOD fitness why the seemingly high price tag ($9.99 for the neck circle, and $19.99 for each wrist/knee set), she told me that not only were these painstakingly researched and developed with the help of many experts, but they are latex free, and she and her business partner were adamant about them being made in the U.S.A. That answer makes a lot of sense, but I don't really question it anymore, because it's hard to put a price tag on something that really works wonders for you!
 
To enter, click here! Be sure to read the rules. This contest will end next Friday at 9 a.m.! This contest is now closed. The winners are: CUINPARADISE and LUVTHECARDS1. Congrats!