Most of us spend hours each day sitting\u2014usually on chairs, couches, in the car or at our desks. This can lead to tension in the hips, shoulders, neck and back.<\/p>\n
But in many cultures, it\u2019s still common to sit on the floor to eat, relax or socialize.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n This encourages greater mobility and flexibility\u2014the simple act of getting up and down from the floor multiple times a day builds balance, agility and strength.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n After re-watching Netflix\u2019s Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones<\/a>, featuring Okinawan residents who spend much of their day sitting on the floor, I was inspired to give it a try.<\/p>\n I spent a month sitting on the floor for 30 minutes a day to see how it would affect my health.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what I discovered.<\/p>\n My flexibility improved<\/p>\n By the end of the 30 days, the most obvious benefit I experienced was feeling more flexible and mobile.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n This was because getting up and down from the floor worked my hips, knees and ankles in ways that sitting on a chair doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n