Do you find it harder to get up from the floor as the years go by? Do you sometimes feel ungainly or unsteady when going down to or coming back up from the floor? Do you avoid doing things that involve getting down to the floor?

If you do, you’re not alone. But why does it matter whether we can get up and down from the floor? What can we do to make this movement easier and become more confident?

Getting up and down from the floor is an important skill. There are things we need to do on the floor, many of which bring us pleasure and joy.

Home and Garden

At home and in the garden, many activities involve getting up and down from the floor if we want to do them properly.

If you’re a keen gardener, you’ll benefit from being able to get up and down confidently. Whether it’s to pull up those weeds (there’s always more!), plant seedlings, or deadhead the geraniums, you’re up and down all the time.

If you have pets, you’ll need to feed them, clean up after them, and pick them up from the floor.

Many household chores also involve getting down to or picking things up from the floor. It’s frustrating not to feel confident doing all these everyday activities by yourself.

Teddy Bears’ Picnics

When your grandchildren are young, they spend most of their time on the floor. To be close to them and enjoy those precious moments, you need to be able to get down to their height level.

When you get down on the rug, you can easily play with the trains or the dolls’ house. You can watch as the children build with bricks or help them to cater for a teddy bears’ picnic.

Being Ready in Case You Trip or Fall

Have you ever tripped or fallen and found it hard to get up from the floor? Perhaps you’ve heard of this happening to friends and family.

Falling over is bad enough – you feel embarrassed, and you may be hurt. If you’re alone and struggle to get up, it can be a very challenging situation indeed.

You need to know how to get back up by yourself in case you trip or stumble and find yourself inadvertently on the floor. It’s dangerous to be stuck on the floor for an extended period, so you need to know what to do.

Of course, I hope this won’t happen to you, but if it does, I want you to feel confident that you do know how to get up by yourself. The more practice you have done, the easier it will be, even if you are upset or hurt after a fall.

Helping Others

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you have helped someone else get up from the floor?

It’s tricky – you want to help them, but don’t want to hurt them or yourself in the process.

The temptation is to pull or lift them, but this is risky for everyone. The best thing you can do in this situation is to talk the person through a technique and give them a little bit of support as they perform it.

How to Go Down to and Back Up from the Floor

There are two things that we can do to improve our ability to get up and down from the floor. The first one is learning and practising a technique, and the second is improving our fitness state to make the technique easier to perform.

Watch the video below to learn how to get down to and back up from the floor – safely and confidently.

Please watch the video first before you try this, and make sure to have someone else with you if you are unsure that you can get up by yourself.

Focus on Your Fitness

Doing exercises to build your strength and improve your flexibility and mobility will make getting up and down from the floor more comfortable.

A few minutes of exercise every day will add up and will make a difference. Five or ten minutes of targeted exercises will strengthen your muscles and increase your range of motion, making it easier to get up and down.

If you want help and support to exercise at home, the Vida Wellness Studio provides a professional instructor and the support of a friendly community.

Which of your favorite activities happen most often on the floor/ground? How do you feel getting up from the floor? Are you confident or nervous? Let’s have a conversation!