Floors aren't just for feet. They can also be a seat.
Photo by saskia fairfull on Unsplash
We all do too much sitting these days. Some of us also combine this sitting with too much biscuit eating. To be clear, I am categorically not referring to myself here. No way. And when get my hands on whoever left these hobnob crumbs on my keyboard... well, there'll be some strong words I can tell you. Buy your own bloody hobnobs mate.
But there's sitting and there's sitting.
You see, when our ancient ancestors sat, they sat on the floor. There may have been the odd fallen log that would have acted as a chair. But the floor was where it was at, seating-wise.
When we climbed out of the trees and stood up, it stood to reason that the transition from walking on all fours to walking on two would mean that we were twice as likely to get tired legs and would have to sit down for half of the time.
One day I will find some scientific evidence to back up that statement. But what is beyond doubt, is that we upright apes are hardwired to sit down whenever possible to conserve energy between each woolly mammoth hunt.
So I'm not dissing sitting. Yet it's widely acknowledged that sitting at a conventional desk all day causes musculoskeletal issues, knackered eyes, repetitive strain injuries, and a host of other doom-laden symptoms. This is chiefly down to us not moving about as much as we should. But it's a lot to do with not getting our posture right too.
And posture not only affects our physical health, but there's also a correlation with our levels of mental energy too.
Put simply, getting posture right equals efficient alignment of bones, joints, muscles, blood vessels and all your other bits and bobs. This in turn promotes good blood circulation and oxygen uptake, which helps you feel brighter, less sluggish, and thus - in my experience anyway - can provide you with a creative kick up your seated arse.
Okay, you can theoretically achieve better sitting posture with an ergonomic assessment of your work desk. Fine.
Or you can sit on the floor. Maybe give it a quick hoover first.
I would stress that I'm talking cross-legged sitting here - yoga style - not hugging your knees like a kid who's just been told off.
The thing I find about sitting on the floor with my legs crossed is that I've almost got no choice but to engage my core and sit upright. Otherwise, it's a choice between really comfortable or pretty uncomfortable. By getting it right, the spine feels in proper alignment. Therefore the good posture you need is achieved without any faff. And then all that good stuff can start to flow.
Give it a try. You never know. To be honest I only discovered this after sitting on the floor one day whilst in a huff about not feeling creative. But I sat down and started having ideas (not about hoovering the carpet - creative ideas) and I've been using it as a technique ever since.
Turns out I'm not alone in thinking all this. CNN did an article about it - so expect their newsreaders to start broadcasting with their butts on the floor any day now.
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