Prayers at Disney World

Over the past week, I have been fortunate to enjoy some fun times down in Disney World with my family.  There is nothing better than to see the smiles on the kids' faces derived from all the rides and characters.  It also hasn't hurt being down here during a week in which New York endures another deep freeze!

From a professional perspective, I enjoy being at a place like this for all the great people watching.  I have witnessed all sorts of body types, gaits, disabilities and ages wind their way through the various parks.  It's like a big, free laboratory.  So while my wife and older kids waited on long lines, I willingly offered to wait with my one year old so that I could just observe.

One thing that I witnessed yesterday got me thinking.  I passed three people who were knelt down in prayer while people passed by all around them.  I would guess that these three folks were in their 50's.  Each of their positions demonstrated full ankle, knee and hip mobility.  I didn't stick around to watch them get up from the ground, but my guess would be that they could do so with ease.

Seeing these people in prayer made me wonder if there is sociological difference in the prevalence of back pain.  I wonder about people who never stop practicing the task of getting up and down from the floor because daily prayer requires them to do so?  I wonder about people who never stop squatting, because squatting is how they eat or go to the bathroom?  I am curious if these people experience the same high incidences of low back pain as do typical westernized folks, ones who spend most of the day sitting?

Years ago, my grandmother fell and fractured her hip.  She spent 24 hours on the floor before my aunt discovered her.  As is the case with many such injuries with the elderly, my grandmother's hip fracture was the beginning of her physical demise, from which she never fully recovered before ultimately passing away.  Now, I'm not saying that my grandmother would have been able to stand up on her own to get to the phone with a fractured hip.  But I would bet that had she been asked to get down to and back up from the floor on her own the day prior to her fall, it would have been impossible.

So, here's a little test for you.  Grab two minutes of free time today and try getting down on the floor.  Then try getting back up.  Did you struggle?  Was it harder than you thought?  Did you find yourself having to use your hands to push yourself up from the floor?  Did you find yourself reaching for some external support to assist you (e.g., a piece of furniture)?  Where you able to get up with equal ease to both sides, or did you notice an asymmetry in the ease of the task?

For many of you with a million things going on in your life, I'm sure getting up from the floor is the last thing you are concerned about.  But if you practice this simple life skill now while still able, then one day when called upon, your body will be there to respond.  Just think of it as an investment in your physical future.