Standing on a hard floor can be a pain — for your back or feet.

GelPro helps solves this ergonomic problem with a line of anti-fatigue floor mats made with a soft, shock-absorbing gel core. The unique properties of the mat provide the most comfortable surface to stand on, regardless of your home's type of hard flooring.

While everyone can benefit from the comfort of GelPro mats, there are millions that are especially susceptible to hard, unforgiving flooring — those with painful arthritis, lower back pain, foot pain, plantar fasciitis and diabetes. Standing on hard surfaces exacerbates all these conditions.

According to Arthritis Today magazine, approximately 43 million Americans suffer from arthritis, while Newsweek reports that 65 million endure lower back pain.

GelPro mats are the perfect solution for anywhere in the house: the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom and even as a utility mat in the garage.

Along with the standard mats (20 inches by 36 inches and 20 inches by 72 inches), GelPro has expanded its line to include Designer Size mats available in these sizes: 28 inches by 72 inches, 28 inches by 108 inches, 28 inches by 144 inches, 36 inches by 72 inches, 36 inches by 108 inches and 36 inches by 144 inches.

"Our customers voiced their desire for longer and wider mat sizes to fit a variety of spaces in their homes," said Robb McMahan, founder and CEO of GelPro.

"We are proud to now offer these customers our Designer Size mats, which will allow them to select the perfect mat for their available space and further experience the unparalleled comfort the GelPro mats provide."

Styles include:

— Basketweave: Warm and inviting

— Cordoba: Rich and rustic

— Striated: Sleek and refreshing

— Crocodile: Bold and energetic

— Ostrich: Soothing and gentle

— Rattlesnake: Daring and dramatic

Retail prices for the mats start at $100. For more information, call 866-GEL-MATS (866-435-6287) or visit www.gelpro.com

FUN AT HOME

Keep the kids happy at home with Playroom Entertainment's Cosmic Cows. The game has received a makeover with a new package design and upgraded components. However, the biggest change is the board itself.

The original board had the traditional gutter at the fold, which posed a standing hazard to the game's miniature cow pawns.

"No more cow-tipping," said Dan Rowen, president of Playroom. "We incorporated a 'euro-style' game board slicing technique that virtually eliminates the trench when the board is unfolded. The pawns now move smoothly and easily up and down the game board."

First introduced in 2005, the game is played with two players and aimed at ages 8 and up.

The game features a silly setting of cow abduction folklore, and casts players as aliens that have been attracted to one area in the galaxy to try to abduct unsuspecting cows. Players choose different tractor beams in order to pull three of the cow miniatures from the board. When rolling the dice, the winning player finds the best interplanetary strategy to draw the cows into his or her zone.

Cosmic Cows retails for $20. For more information, call 818-432-1112 or visit www.playrooment.com.

Maggie Reed may be reached at [email protected] or [email protected]. To find out more about Maggie Reed, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.