Getting up off the floor without your hands

Practise getting down to the floor and back up every week, so you keep the strength and balance to do it when it matters.

An older woman sitting on a mat on the floor, stretching. — Photo: Yan Krukau / Pexels

Area: BodyFrom age 10Time to learn: Some people can do it today. Others need a few months of twice-weekly practice, depending on strength and joints.

You will be able to test and train the sit-and-rise movement, and know the safe way to get up after a fall.

SafetyIf you have a hip or knee replacement, severe joint pain, dizziness or osteoporosis, ask a doctor or physiotherapist first and keep using your hands. After a real fall, if you may have hurt your head, neck, back or hip, or you cannot get up, call for help or 911. While you wait, keep warm and, if you can, change position about every 30 minutes.

Why it matters

Getting off the floor uses leg strength, balance and flexibility all at once. In a study of 2,002 adults aged 51 to 80, each extra point on a 10-point sit-and-rise test was linked to about 21% better survival over roughly six years. That is a link, not proof of cause. It is also the skill you need after a fall.

How to do it

Wear socks or bare feet on a non-slip floor. Clear the space and keep a sturdy chair or couch within reach.
Cross one foot in front of the other.
Lower yourself slowly into a cross-legged seat on the floor without using your hands, knees, forearms or the sides of your legs.
Lean forward over your feet, push through them and stand up the same way, without hands.
Score yourself as researchers do: start at 10 (5 for sitting down, 5 for standing up) and take off 1 point every time a hand, knee, forearm or the side of a leg touches down for support. Take off half a point for a clear wobble or loss of balance.
If you cannot do it yet, build up: stand up from a low chair without hands 10 times, then from a lower step or cushion, then from the floor using one hand.
Practise at least twice a week. CDC and Canada's 24-Hour Movement Guidelines advise muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 days a week, and CDC advises adults 65 and older to add activities that improve balance.
Learn the safe way up after a fall: first take a couple of minutes to check for pain or injury. If you feel able, roll onto your side, push up to hands and knees, crawl to something sturdy, put one foot flat on the floor, stand slowly while holding on, then sit and rest.

Common mistakes

Dropping down fast instead of lowering with control.
Practising with nothing sturdy nearby to grab.
Treating a low score as a diagnosis. It is a fitness signal you can train.
Getting up too quickly after a real fall.

You can do this when …you can sit down cross-legged and stand back up without your hands, knees or forearms touching the floor, three times in a row.