Get on the Floor

A client and I were talking about how it's important for us to regularly get on the floor. We were reflecting on how that's a movement of the body that's hard for some people.

This client has a three-year-old and she said that her Mom got on the floor with her kid for the first time ever.

"She doesn't get on the floor because she's afraid that if she doesn't, she won't get up."

I reflected back that getting down and subsequently up off the floor is how you get better at getting up off the floor. You have to let yourself go down first to get better at it. My client then quipped back.

"Yeah, and if you can't get off the floor you might just die. You might die!"

I love it when I meet people that are as passionate and I am at spending time on the floor. And she's right. There's increasing evidence that sitting in chairs, the position that most of us are in most of the time, is detrimental to our health. It's not that the position itself is harmful, its the amount that we're in it, which for some is a large majority of their lives.

Now, some people have certain limitations that making getting down and up off the floor difficult. But it's important to understand that in many cases, the reason for that is that it hasn't been done often enough. Whenever you start to do anything new with your body it's difficult. But that doesn't mean it isn't work trying. Especially when it might increase your quality of life, like spending time being close with your grandchild.

If you can, once a day or more, get yourself on the floor. Then get yourself up again. Your body will thank you by becoming more agile.