Most of us spend hours each day sitting—usually on chairs, couches, in the car or at our desks. This can lead to tension in the hips, shoulders, neck and back.
But in many cultures, it’s still common to sit on the floor to eat, relax or socialize.
This encourages greater mobility and flexibility—the simple act of getting up and down from the floor multiple times a day builds balance, agility and strength.
You may like
After re-watching Netflix’s Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, featuring Okinawan residents who spend much of their day sitting on the floor, I was inspired to give it a try.
I spent a month sitting on the floor for 30 minutes a day to see how it would affect my health.
At mealtimes, I swapped my chair for a spot on the living room floor, I worked on my laptop from a low coffee table instead of my desk, and I ditched the sofa for the floor while watching TV.
Here’s what I discovered.
By the end of the 30 days, the most obvious benefit I experienced was feeling more flexible and mobile.
Initially, I adopted a cross-legged position when sitting on my floor at home, but that made my hips sore. I then tried kneeling instead but that resulted in pins and needles in my feet.
After a week this all changed, and I noticed I could sit cross legged for longer, as the flexibility had improved in my lower body.
This was because getting up and down from the floor worked my hips, knees and ankles in ways that sitting on a chair doesn’t.
My lower body mobility improved in general, but I was particularly impressed with how much of a difference sitting on the floor made to my hip flexors.
During the school summer holidays, I spent a lot of time sitting crossed-legged on the floor playing Uno with my daughters in the park or having picnics on the beach on holiday.
This replaced the usual hours spent at my desk, which normally leave my hips tight and uncomfortable.
Sitting on the floor and getting up and down frequently was the ideal health hack to loosen up my hip flexors. I felt much freer in this area after the experiment.
Sitting and standing up from the floor requires more effort, strength and stability in the lower body and core than coming off a couch or chair.
It’s no surprise then that my legs felt stronger by the end of this challenge.
This lower body and core strength in turn protects the spine, improves posture and balance and can help prevent falls and injuries later in life.