Before the phone, before the kettle: five minutes on the floor. The morning stretch needs nothing but a patch of rug or bare boards and the body you woke up in, tight at the hips, short at the back of the legs, shoulders still curled from the pillow. It is the smallest habit worth keeping and usually the first one dropped.
A night of lying still leaves you stiffer than you were, and most mornings then go straight to a desk, a screen or a steering wheel. A few slow movements undo what the night set. Kept up, the benefit is quiet but real: a back that copes with a long drive, hamstrings that let you tie a lace standing on one leg and a calmer first hour. It needs no gym and no kit.
five minutes on the floor
Do the same sequence every day, slowly, breathing through the nose. On your back, pull one knee to your chest, then the other, half a minute each. Roll onto all fours and move between arching and rounding the spine, ten times. Sit back on your heels, arms long on the floor ahead of you, and stay for a minute. Then stand, fold forward with soft knees and let your head hang heavy before rolling up slowly. Never bounce. A thick cotton rug or a folded wool blanket under the knees is all the comfort it asks for.
Leave your phone outside the bedroom tonight, and reach for the floor before the screen.
