Feeling up for a little test right now? Sit down on the floor, then try to stand back up without using your hands, knees, or the coffee table. If you are able to do it, then you get a perfect score. A study done by Brazilian researchers put thousands of adults aged 51 to 80 through this test and followed them for years. The people who needed the most help standing up were several times more likely to die during the study. Sounds strange, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense: getting up off the floor is a report card on leg strength, flexibility, balance, and confidence all at once.
Most people lose this ability over decades without even noticing. It starts with avoiding the floor (playing with kids, wrapping presents, doing work around the house) because getting up got awkward. Avoiding being on the floor does what avoidance always does: makes you worse at that skill. If you ever do fall, being able to get yourself back up is often the difference between a scary story and a 911 call.
The fix is the test itself. Getting off the floor is the workout I want you to practice. Begin sitting with your back against the couch and just get comfortable sitting on the floor. Start with your legs in front of you, then try sitting cross-legged like we did back in elementary school. A pillow or two under your butt will help you get there. After you get better at this first step, try both sitting positions without leaning back against the couch.
Within a few weeks you’ll hopefully be feeling comfortable sitting on the floor. Now I want you to practice standing up using as little as possible: use one hand, then fingertips, then nothing. Sit down on the floor and stand back up 10 times during your favorite TV show and you won’t even miss any of the plot.
There are a few different routes you can take to stand up without using your hands. You can try to roll to one side and push through a half-kneel. You can cross the legs and rise straight up. Or you can come up through a lunge. Each path uses your hips, knees, and balance a little differently, and owning a few different routes is the real goal.
One caution: if you have a knee or hip replacement, or you honestly cannot get up at all today, practice with someone nearby, or ask your doctor about a few physical therapy sessions to get started. There’s no shame in that. The shame is letting the skill go without a fight.
The floor is where the grandkids play, where the dropped keys land, and where the bottom cabinet lives. Go get your perfect score back.
