My mother never owned a gym membership, never bought a meditation app, and definitely never paid $30 for a “grounding mat.” Yet somehow, she managed to stay more flexible, centered, and connected to her body than most people half her age scrolling through wellness TikToks.
Turns out, she was practicing what we now call “lifestyle medicine” decades before it became a buzzword. Here are four simple practices she taught me that modern science is finally catching up to—and that you can start implementing today without spending a dime.
1. The Floor is Your Friend (Not Your Enemy)
While most of us treat the floor like lava—something to avoid at all costs—my mother lived down there. Folding laundry, eating meals, watching TV, having conversations. She wasn’t trying to be trendy; it was just practical.
What she unknowingly mastered was something movement specialists now call “movement nutrition.” Every time you transition from floor to standing, you’re performing a complex movement pattern that engages your core, improves hip mobility, and maintains functional strength. It’s like doing mini workouts throughout the day without even realizing it.
Research shows that people who can sit on the floor and stand up without using their hands have significantly better longevity markers. My mother was essentially doing longevity training disguised as daily living.
2. Malasana: The Squat That Built Civilization
Before ergonomic chairs destroyed our hip mobility, humans spent significant time in a deep squat position—what yoga calls malasana. My mother would shell peas, sort lentils, and chat with neighbors in this position for hours.
This isn’t just about flexibility; it’s about digestive health, pelvic floor function, and maintaining the ankle mobility that keeps you stable as you age. While we’re paying physical therapists to help us regain basic human movement patterns, cultures that never abandoned floor-sitting maintain these ranges naturally.
The malasana squat opens your hips, lengthens your spine, and massages your internal organs. It’s basically a pharmacy in a position—if you can access it.
3. Gardening: The Original Mind-Body Medicine
My mother’s hands were always in soil. Not because she was following the latest research on the microbiome benefits of dirt exposure, but because she understood something fundamental: growing your own food connects you to natural cycles and grounds you literally and figuratively.
Modern research confirms what she intuitively knew. Direct contact with soil exposes you to beneficial bacteria that support immune function and mental health. The repetitive movements of gardening improve fine motor skills and provide gentle resistance training. And there’s something profoundly calming about working with the earth that no amount of screen time can replicate.
Plus, squatting to tend plants, reaching for high branches, and carrying watering cans provide functional movement patterns that keep your body capable and strong.
4. Sunshine: The Daily Dose She Never Questioned
Every morning, my mother would step outside with her tea, face the sun, and take a few deep breaths. No vitamin D supplements, no light therapy devices—just an innate understanding that humans need light to function properly.
She was naturally syncing her circadian rhythms, supporting her mood through natural light exposure, and getting vitamin D synthesis without thinking about it. Modern life has us so disconnected from natural light cycles that we need apps to remind us to see sunlight, but she never lost that instinct.
The morning sun exposure she prioritized is now recognized as one of the most powerful tools for improving sleep quality, energy levels, and mental health.
The Pattern Behind the Practices
What strikes me most about these practices isn’t their individual benefits—it’s how they all share common themes:
- They’re free and accessible
- They connect you to natural elements (ground, earth, sun)
- They integrate movement into daily life rather than compartmentalizing it
- They work with your body’s design instead of against it
My mother wasn’t trying to optimize her health metrics or hack her biology. She was simply living in alignment with patterns that humans evolved with over millennia. Sometimes the most profound wellness practices are hiding in plain sight, disguised as ordinary life.
The real wisdom isn’t in the individual practices themselves—it’s in the understanding that health isn’t something you achieve through expensive interventions, but something you maintain through simple, consistent daily choices.
Stay Nimble and Stress Less Action
This week, pick ONE of these practices and integrate it into your existing routine:
- Spend 10 minutes sitting on the floor while watching TV or reading
- Practice malasana squat for 1-2 minutes while waiting for coffee to brew
- Put your hands in soil—even if it's just repotting a houseplant
- Step outside for 5 minutes of morning sunlight before checking your phone
The goal isn’t perfection; it’s rediscovering movement and connection patterns your body remembers but modern life has made us forget.