Getting down to, and up from, the ground challenges nearly every part of your body, which makes it great for mobility.

It’s well established that we all spend too much time sitting, and that really isn’t any one person’s fault; society makes it hard not to.

Many people work desk jobs where they sit for eight-plus hours each day, lots of folks commute in cars or trains for hours each week and most people live in areas that require them to sit down and drive from point A to point B instead of walking.

Unfortunately, sitting in one position too much can tighten up our joints and weaken our mobility. One way to combat the negative effects of sitting, though, is by getting into different positions, including lying (and sitting) on the floor.

Increasing flexibility and mobility by lying or sitting on the floor — or, moving around in general — can help you avoid joint pain, said Jennifer Kostik-Johnson, a physical therapist at West Virginia University Health System.

There are also other benefits to getting yourself down to the ground from time to time (as long as you safely can). Here’s what to know:

Lying on the floor on your stomach can help combat the tightness that comes from sitting all day long.

“Our hip flexors get tight when we sit,” said Rachel Prusynski, a physical therapist and spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association.

And you probably spend most of the day sitting down, whether at work, on the couch or in the car. “Lying on your floor on your stomach is kind of the opposite of that,” she added.

“It stretches out those hip flexors. It gets our low back and our hips........

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