Are you scared of falling? Or scared of not being able to get back up?

Most people don’t think about falls until one happens. The truth is simple: unless you stay in bed all day, there’s always a chance of falling. All ages fall. It could happen to any of us.

There are courses that teach you how to fall “better”. Useful, yes. So, attend one if you get the chance. However, as one lady said to me recently, “I’ve learnt how to fall backwards safely, but that didn’t help when I landed on my knees!” And she’s right. You can’t predict the direction, the surface, or the shape of a fall.

What you can build is confidence in getting back up.

Build confidence

In Get Fit 4 Life sessions, we work on these skills:

• How to get down safely

• How to get back up in different ways

• How to be able to move around on the floor

  
  

And no-one has to get all the way to the ground. Some might start with using a chair, lowering part‑way, and simply practising the movement pattern. Bit by bit, strength builds. Technique builds. Confidence builds.

From there, we explore other options (these skills are also worked on in other classes):

• Getting up using hands on the floor

• Getting down without using hands

• Finding your way — the way your body prefers

There’s no single “correct” method. There’s only the method that works for you.

Cross-legged test

A few years ago, there was a trend claiming that if you could sit down and stand up cross‑legged without using your hands, you’d live longer. Well, truth be told, I can’t do it comfortably — my ankles simply don’t enjoy it. Could I train it? Yes. Do I need to? No.

I know plenty of other ways to get down and back up. Will avoiding that one technique shorten my life? I doubt it.

Longevity isn’t about one magic move. It’s about staying mobile, confident, and capable.

To me, the most important thing is this: don’t stop practising getting down and back up. If you struggle, break the movement into sections. Work on each part. Then put it all back together again.

And don’t forget the floor‑based skills that matter just as much:

• Can you crawl?

• Can you bottom shuffle?

• Can you roll to reach a support?

• Can you get off your back or front into a position to stand?

These are the real-life skills that help you recover from a fall.

A real example

Recently, a lady in one of my classes fell. This doesn’t happen often — but when it did, something brilliant happened.

She got up by herself.

No panic. No fuss. Just confidence, technique, and practice paying off.

The takeaway

Falls happen. They’re part of being human. But the fear of falling doesn’t have to control you — especially if you know you can get back up.

So keep moving. Keep practising. Keep your confidence. Your body is capable of more than you think, and every time you work on these skills, you’re building independence, resilience, and peace of mind.