Research Has Proved These 10 Unbelievable Benefits of Sitting and Eating On the Floor
Do you know that in India and Japan, it is considered a tradition to sit on the floor and eat? Before you go ughh, In India it is customary for guests and family to take off their shoes before entering a home. Hence, the floor is always clean. Traditional ethnic weddings and gatherings are considered grand events where food is served to people sitting on the floor. Tables and chairs are a westernized concept and fairly new inventions but an integral part of life. People have grown use to eating at a table but early man or even your ancestors never did so. They always ate on the floor and did you know that there are several healthy benefits of eating on the floor?
1 Improves posture
Yes eating on the floor can improve your posture which is an integral part of your health and well being. It prevents injuries and spinal misalignment. Moreover sitting on the floor avoids wear and tear in muscle and skeletal structure. In most western countries, people suffer from poor posture due to slouching, hunching and slouching at tables. Sitting on the floor keeps your spine straight and relaxes your shoulders to help you maintain a good posture.
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2 Improves Digestion
Sitting cross-legged on the floor and eating like the Indians and people from Southeast Asia is actually good for digestion. Your body needs to bend at an angle to eat food; the movement of eating and bending forward activates abdominal muscles during the meal which helps in secreting digestive juices. This improves metabolism and digestion of the meal.
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3 Lubricates the Hip and Knee Joints
As per the Indian author PS Venkateshwara who wrote a book on Yoga healing, the yogic poses called padmasana and sukhasana are two amazing seating postures that mimic the posture of eating on the floor. These have great health benefits and improve the flexibility of joints especially the knees. There is also a reduced risk of degenerative bone disease like arthritis and osteoporosis.
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4 Improves heart circulation
Sitting on the floor makes you feel warmer and a bit sweaty. This is because one of the elements of good digestion is increased and improved metabolism where your food is being burnt faster. The heart is then in high circulation mode to meet the requirements of such a process. Hence sitting on the floor improves heart circulation. The result is improved blood flow oxygenating all your organs. Sitting at a table, all your blood goes to your legs.
5 You Are Automatically Doing Yoga
Sitting on the floor and eating is actually doing yoga by default. Apart from the earlier mentioned poses, Swastikasana and siddhasana are also two yogic poses performed when seated on the floor. The cross legged position is one of the first postures to practice meditation. You relax and your breathing slows down releasing the tension in your muscles. Thus eating on the floor is also associated with such ancient Indian practices.
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6 Teaches You to Be Humble
Monks never sit on a chair; they meditate always while sitting on the floor. This is because spiritual and religious beliefs state that when you are on the floor, you are on the same level as the Earth and all living creatures. This practice preaches humility and to be humble in life.
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7 Our Bodies were never designed for Chairs
Human evolution may have advanced in many ways however our natural practices were not designed for items like tables and chairs, such items were invented only 200 years ago and in earlier days, people preferred eating on the floor as it reduced stress too.
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8 Improves Family Bonding
Among the many benefits of sitting on the floor and eating is the bonding time you get with family. You all are on the same level including kids and to bond on an emotional level is easier. Communication is simple and here is a healthy exchange of feelings and opinions.
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9 Loses Weight
Sitting on the floor and eating contributes to weight loss. Sitting with your legs crossed clams down your brain. It is thus centered more on eating and digesting. The posture satiates your system faster so that you eat less. This means no gaining extra fat. Most people overindulge in eating because they do not know they are full and just carry on gorging. This is due to the vagus nerve that acts as a transmitter between the brain and the stomach telling you if you are full or not. When you sit on the floor, it transmits efficiently and the floor position helps you eat slower than usual to prevent overeating.
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10 Helps You Live A Little Longer
As per research in the European journal of preventive medicine and cardiology, those who sit on the floor and get up without requiring support actually live longer. It takes flexibility and strength to do that. The benefits of eating on the floor have also been proved as the study also showed that those who can’t do that invited a 6.5 times the risk of dying earlier.
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