Built to Move summary

Let’s begin by stating the obvious: We all move, all the time.

And let’s state another obvious fact: We’re all not moving enough. And we’re all not moving well enough. 

Sitting at a desk for hours on end, guzzling caffeine, staring at screens all day – you don’t need to be an expert to recognize that modern life isn’t working out so well for our bodies. Too many of us are stiff, sore and in pain.

The good news? Taking care of your body is way less complicated than you think. We’re not talking about weightlifting, yoga, or pilates. Our keyword is “mobility”. 

Mobility, a popular fitness industry term, can be broken down like this: being able to move in the ways nature designed us to move.

So without much ado, let’s do the first movement! It’s called the Sit-and-Rise test. Stand barefoot and cross one leg over the other. Lower yourself to the floor until you sit in a cross-legged position. Now, get back up the same way. Try to do this all without using your hands.

Start with a score of ten, and subtract a point every time you struggle or need an assist – for example if you lose your balance. If your score is between three and six, you have some work to do. If it’s between seven and nine, that’s pretty good. Ultimately, you want to shoot for a ten. 

Why is this important? Well, the ability to get down and up off the floor is a key indicator of health and longevity. You may have noticed that little kids sit on the ground all the time.

But as adults, we sit on chairs – often many hours at a time. This is a problem. Chair-sitting can cause tight hips, tight hamstrings, and serious back and knee pain.

The remedy? Sit on the floor! There are tons of ways to do so – cross-legged, with your knees bent in a 90/90 position, with both or one leg stretched. Do what feels best for you, and switch it up often.

Your new goal is to sit on the floor for 30 minutes every day. Do this for a week, then redo the Sit-and-Rise test. You’ll notice the difference – promise!