Natural Movement Hacks for the Holidays

The holiday season can be full of wonder and joy, but it can also be BUSY! To maintain healthy habits when I am short on time, natural movement hacks are essential for me during the holidays. Personally, I just finished a long session of wrapping gifts, so I was reminded to share one of my most useful hacks for this time of year. This hack is so simple that it almost seems silly to write about but it is so helpful that I must highlight its value. My natural movement hack today was to SIT ON THE FLOOR INSTEAD OF A CHAIR.

Reasons to Sit on the Floor (a.k.a. Avoid the Chair!)

1. More Movement – The floor is farther away, so there is no way to get there (and back up!) without moving more. When we sit in a chair, we are only going about halfway down.
2. Variety of Movement – While there are technically several ways we can sit in a chair, most of us default to the standard way of sitting in a chair. This offers us minimal variety in our movement. When we sit on the floor, we have lots of options for seated positions – the floor is sort of like a blank canvas for movement!
3. Frequency of Movement – Again, we tend to maintain the same position when we are in a chair, especially if it is a comfortable one. On the floor, our body will naturally urge us to shift positions much more frequently. All of these shifts in position equal more frequency of movement, which is great for our bodies!
4. You don’t even need to sit on the floor to get a benefit. If sitting on the floor doesn’t work for you, just choosing something other than a chair to sit on (such as a bolster, pillow, or small ottoman) works, too. You are still adding variety and more range to your movement.

You can check out my video below for more on this topic (and to see my gift wrap station on the floor:

Of course, my favorite thing about this natural movement hack for the holidays is that it is simple and takes no time at all! Happy Holidays!