Have you ever noticed how nice it is to take a big stretch in the morning when you wake up? If not, try it tomorrow morning! After lying down in one place, it usually feels really good to move your muscles a little bit to help wake up your body and your mind. This can also be true after a long morning of sitting down at school. You can hit the refresh button for the mind and body during your Mindful Midday by Moving your Muscles after your Mindful Lunch Choices. Mindful Lunch Choices will give you the energy to Move your Muscles and wake up your mind and body so you’re totally refueled and ready to finish up your school day.

There are so many different ways to Move your Muscles, depending on how much time you have and what you like to do. You can look at some of our past activities for ideas, which include: Walking Nature Meditation, Tree Pose, Mindful Steps, and our Mindful Movement activity.

What are some ways you like to move that we haven’t learned in this blog?

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If you eat a big lunch, and plan on moving a lot, it is probably a good idea to wait a little bit before you Move your Muscles so that you can digest. Leaving time to digest is important so your body can take in all the nutrients from your Mindful Lunch Choices.

Notice how you feel before and after you Move your Muscles. If you feel good, it looks like you’ve found a way to move that is right for you. If something you tried out didn’t make you feel very good, try something different tomorrow, or the next time you’re at school. Every day is different, and our bodies might need to move in different ways depending on how much energy we have, and how much lunch we’ve had too!

Teacher’s tip: if you know there are resources available like basketballs, soccer balls, hula hoops etc., consider suggesting that more athletic students help their peers learn how to play these games to Move their Muscles. This can be a good team building activity, and an alternative for students who don’t want to practice the suggested activities, or don’t know what to try.

Student tip: it can be fun to Move your Muscles with your friends. Playing a team sports game or even going for a walk around the field while you talk can be great ideas.