Can You Get Up Off the Floor Easily?
This says more about your fitness than you might think.
The goal of exercise isn’t to become really good at working out.
✨ It’s to become really good at LIFE!
Yet somewhere in midlife, everyday movements can quietly start getting harder.
🤕 Getting down on the floor and back up.
🤕 Bending to reach something.
🤕 Climbing stairs.
🤕 Getting out of a low chair.
We notice the struggle and think,
Well, I guess this is just part of getting older.
But it doesn’t have to be!
Losing strength and mobility may be common with age, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rebuild them.
And getting up and down from the floor is one of the best examples of why we train:
👉 to have a body that’s strong, mobile, balanced, and capable enough to keep doing real-life activities with confidence.
Let’s get working on it!
Why This Matters
How easily you perform everyday movements can be an important indicator of healthy aging and longevity. Research has found that middle-aged and older adults who can sit down on the floor and rise without support have lower risk of mortality. Strength, mobility, and balance aren’t just fitness goals — they’re longevity skills.
FITNESS SIMPLIFIED
Getting up and down from the floor is one of the best real-life tests of how well your strength and mobility are working together.
Fitness Tip for a Stronger Future
Practice Exercises that Build Everyday Strength & Mobility
Can you sit on the floor and stand back up without using your hands, knees, furniture, or another person for help?
If it’s difficult right now, don’t be discouraged—
💪 This is trainable!
Practice lower-body exercises like squats, lunges, step-ups, and hip mobility work to build the combination of strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination this movement requires.
And practice the actual skill itself!
Start with support if needed and gradually use less.
The goal isn’t to pass a test—
👉 it’s to keep your body capable of navigating everyday life with confidence.
If you’re looking for a place to start, try these👇 moves to activate the muscles needed!
Strength & Mobility to Get Up from the Floor
- Narrow Stance Squat (10 reps): Feet close together, then squat as deep as possible
- Split Squats (10 reps/side): Keep your forward knee pointing straight ahead
- Quad + Hip Flexor Stretch (4-6 deep breaths/side): Lay your back foot on a chair if your hips & thighs feel extra tight
Extra Tip: Practice these movements in small doses throughout the day—even just a few reps at a time. Frequent practice helps your body build the strength, mobility, balance, and coordination needed to make everyday movements feel easier and more natural.
Did You Know...
- Your core plays a big role in getting off the floor. Strong trunk muscles help stabilize your body so your arms and furniture don’t have to do the work.
- If you stop getting on the floor, you may gradually lose the ability to do it easily. Strength, mobility, balance, and coordination all respond to practice—so keep using them!
- Your workouts should prepare you for real life. Squatting, lifting, reaching, rotating, balancing on one leg, and getting up from the floor are all movements worth training regularly. (FYI - I’m going to be teaching ALL of these in my 7-Day Everyday Strength & Mobility Challenge, which is FREE! 👍)
NUTRITION SIMPLIFIED
Healthy eating gets much easier when you make fewer food decisions—not more.
Nutrition Tip for a Stronger Future
Simplify Meal Planning with the 3-3-3-7 Rule
Step away from Pinterest! 😜
You don’t need dozens of recipes to eat well.
Instead, follow a simple rule 👉 The 3-3-3-7 Rule.
Choose 3 go-to breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 snacks, and 7 dinners you enjoy,
then rotate them regularly.
For even more flexibility, make your three options include something hot, something cold and quick, and something grab-and-go.
Think veggie scramble, yogurt and berries, or a smoothie for breakfast;
leftovers, a protein-packed salad, or an easy snack-style lunch.
Fewer choices mean less decision fatigue, easier grocery shopping, and a much better chance you’ll have a nourishing options ready when life gets busy.
Click the link below to try one of my 7 go-to options for dinner. This one is kid and parent approved!
Coconut Chicken Strips
More ideas to Simplify Meals
- Switch up your 3-3-3-7 options every season for more variety
- Batch cook your lunch proteins ahead of time — lentils, chicken, steak, beans, etc.
- Make one of your 7 dinner options also work as one of the 3 lunch options (slow cooker soup = lunchtime leftovers)
MINDSET SIMPLIFIED
Motivation feels great when it’s high—but it’s not a reliable plan for long-term success.
It’s easy to set BIG goals when you’re feeling inspired.
But motivation comes and goes, and eventually you’ll have a day when you simply don’t feel like working out, cooking dinner, or doing the healthy thing.
That’s normal!
Instead of building your goals around your most motivated self,
create habits that your least-motivated self can still accomplish.
Maybe that’s a 10-minute workout, one home-cooked meal, or a few minutes of mobility work.
(Or simply getting down on the floor and back up again 5 times 😏)
You can always do more when motivation is high—but establish a minimum you can maintain when it’s low.
Small actions you actually repeat will take you much further than big plans you eventually abandon.
Consistency is the KEY!
Mindset Tip for a Stronger Future
Set Goals for Your Least-Motivated Days
THE TAKEAWAY
A stronger future isn’t built through complicated workouts, perfect meals, or endless motivation—it’s built by making the healthy choice easier to repeat. Focus on everyday habits that keep your body capable, your nutrition simple, and your goals realistic enough to stick with through life’s ups and down. What feel manageable today can add up to remarkable strength and confidence for years to come.
- Practice Exercises that Build Everyday Strength & Mobility
- Simplify Meal Planning with the 3-3-3-7 Rule
- Set Goals for Your Least-Motivated Days
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Self Care Simplified podcast
SELF CARE SIMPLIFIED PODCAST EP No. 336 The All-or-Nothing Sabotage: Secret HACKS Eliminate it for Good
SELF CARE SIMPLIFIED PODCAST EP No. 320 Outsmarting Self-Sabotage: Avoid These Mistakes for Sustainable Results this Year!
SELF CARE SIMPLIFIED PODCAST EP No. 212 The 3 Most Common Mistakes When Setting Health & Fitness Goals
SPECIAL RESOURCE
Got creaky knees? Sometimes those painful knees can be the reason you avoid getting down on the floor. This video guides you through some simple, micro-movements that you can do to improve the strength of your knees. Try this one today!
Daily Micro-Movements: Keep Your Knees Pain Free All Day Long!
Until next week... Be strong
