by John C. Griffin, MSc
As people get older, they lose mobility. It is the first area where most older adults become impaired or disabled. In fact, De Brito and colleagues (2013) found that the ability to rise from the floor was a significant predictor of mortality in 51- to 80-year-olds. That means that people who could not get up after sitting on the floor were more likely to die early than others in their age group.
When you start to have trouble with certain tasks or activities, it is called a preclinical stage. The preclinical stage is a critical time for intervention. You can slow this down! Mobility problems can take one of three courses:
Aging makes it harder to get down on the floor to do things like play with a child, clean out a cupboard, or do a floor exercise. We may have decreased upper and lower body strength, less range of motion, balance issues, or all three. We fear that we cannot get back up again without looking clumsy or losing our balance.
But researchers have described a technique that makes getting up off the floor much easier (Moxley, 2012). It might work for you, unless you have had a total knee or hip replacement or some other serious issue.
This chart shows the decline of physical function with age
For safety: Place a sturdy chair nearby for support or in case you get dizzy.
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References:
de Brito, L.B.B. et al. 2013. Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 2014 July; 21(7):892-8.
Griffin, J.C. 2015. Client-Centered Exercise Prescription. Third edition. Champaign, Il.: Human Kinetics, www.HumanKinetics.com.
Moxley, C. 2012. Floor freedom: How to get up from the floor. Functional U (ICAA) 10(5): 1-10.
About the Author
John C. Griffin, MSc, , is an award-winning retired professor, private consultant, speaker, writer, and coach. He has authored more than 100 publications, including Client-Centered Exercise Prescription and chapters in the grade 12 Exercise Sciences and Healthy Active Living textbooks. Recently, he has conducted research on the functional mobility of older adults and developed a screening tool and exercise prescription algorithm. John worked with the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology on the national certification for personal fitness trainers and is a national course conductor and examiner. Working with the National Fitness Leadership Advisory Council, John co-authored the first national standards for exercise leaders in Canada.