Your home: the most underrated movement tool you have

24 Jun

In the modern world, our homes are designed to make life easier - aka, to reduce movement. Easier often means less: less often, less effort and less range of motion than if the chairs, sofas, high beds, countertops and tables weren’t there.

So what would our bodies have had to do without them? We’d need to get down to the floor to prepare meals, wash clothes, play with children, rest, and sleep.

You might now be thinking, “She’s not actually going to ask me to get rid of all the furniture, is she?” Don’t worry, of course not! But once you recognise how much movement our furniture removes, it’s easier to see why it can become harder over time to do things like get to the ground and back up again when we haven’t had to for a long time.

Yes, your activity levels and types of exercise play a role, but even people who walk regularly or play upright sports often notice their range of movement narrowing over time. This is why how we move in the other 15+ hours of the day matters more than we're told.

When we simply move more often; changing position, walking about, we often feel more energised, less stiff and mentally sharper, which is a great start.

But there’s a missing piece: it’s not just about how ‘much’ you move, but ‘how’ you move. Are you using your full range of motion? Are you loading your muscles, bones and joints in different ways? Are you creating shapes that counteract the upright and chair-bound shapes most of us find ourselves using often for long hours?

As I said, I’m not suggesting you ditch the furniture (although I know some who have, with great results), but I am asking you to really shine a light on what your environment may be taking away from your daily movement.

So what can you do?

Get intentional, and just a little creative, with the space you’ve already got. That’s what I’ve done since I realised just how important the way I move throughout my day really is for long-term health.

Start by creating a small ground-level space, around 6ft square, on a carpet, rug or yoga mat with blankets and cushions. By doing so, you make the floor more inviting. Now, getting down and back up becomes a bodyweight strength and mobility practice without you even having to remember to add it in. You’re resisting gravity, using your joints through fuller ranges than the ‘chair shape’ ever asks of you.

If one method of getting up and down is tricky, there are plenty of others. (See my free ebook ‘Making the ground your friend for life’ - it’s available for now by clicking here, but it’s changing soon!)

And once you're down there? Just sitting in different positions and shifting between them is powerful. Your joints and muscles respond well to this variety. To build the habit, I suggest pairing it with a regular task; scrolling, reading, folding laundry and committing to doing that task on the ground each day for a week or two. Notice how your body feels by the end. Has it become easier? More comfortable?

And every time you follow through with it, congratulate yourself. You made a great choice. One that, done consistently, will serve you long-term. Because the truth is, there are no quick fixes. You can’t hack adaptation. Anyone telling you otherwise is ‘leading you up the garden path’.

Another simple but powerful idea is to lower your centre of mass (around your middle) toward the ground in a wider variety of ways, more often. We often bend down by rounding our spine, which can feel lovely and is not a bad thing to do, but if that’s your only go-to, we miss chances to recruit hips and knees. Try crouching down and sitting back on your heels (the Deep Knee Bend), or side lunging with one leg extended, on both sides. Or explore wide and narrow leg Deep Squats (a.k.a. the “Asian Squat”) with your heels on the ground. Not easy for many, but progress is possible with consistent practice. (You can start by clicking here to link to a useful YouTube.)

And don’t forget your upper body - especially your shoulders and spine. Many of us go through the day without ever lifting our arms overhead. Then one day we try to put a bag in the overhead train rack, feel a twinge and wonder why.

Shoulders, like hips, are ball-and-socket joints. They need rotation and range. Reaching overhead, reaching behind and rotating are essential movements for long-term function. One easy shift? Keep a medium-heavy pot or item you use regularly on a high shelf, so you’re encouraged to reach overhead daily.

And your spine? It thrives on movement; twisting, arching, side-bending and curving. Yet in modern life we often avoid greater ranges of movement by moving our whole body to face what we’re doing, instead of just the upper body to reach. Add gentle twists, side reaches and flowing spinal motions to give your whole system the variety it craves. You can even do this whilst sitting at your desk.

A few simple home-based ideas to get started:

Use your sink, a bedframe, or even door handles as anchor points for stretching your shoulders, back, and hips and even lowering your body down to a supported Deep Squat.
If you’re balancing, place one or two fingers on a surface for support until you no longer need to.
Your stairs are a goldmine: try calf raises and lowers on the bottom step, different ways of stepping up and down (try side stepping!), or even crawling.

Your environment already holds so many opportunities - if you know where to look. Use your home to get creative, make it playful and turn movement into a habit, not a chore.

Because if we want to remain mobile and useful to ourselves as we age, movement has to be intentional. And your home can help you get there - with no renovations required.