Let’s do a warm up before we get into our main activities! Warm ups will help you better perform a movement/activity while also greatly reducing your chance of injury.

Depending on what activities you are performing, choose one of the following warm ups, or you may do a combination of them.

Press the following tabs to access the warm ups.

Full body

• Jogging: Let’s start off with a relaxed jog for 5 minutes. You can jog in one place or back and forth in your space.
• Jumping jacks: Now do 10 jumping jacks! To perform a jumping jack, position your body straight up with hands to your sides. Then jump and spread legs apart and bring arms above the head. After that, jump back into starting position.
• Toe touch: Time to touch our toes! Have your body straight up. Then lean and bend forward and try your best to touch your toes. Hold the position for 10-20 seconds, return to straight upward position and repeat 10 times.
• Sit-up: Now do 10 sit-ups! To set-up a sit-up, lay on your back and bend your knees to form a ‘V’ shape with your legs. Bend your upper body towards your knees to perform the sit-up.
• Mountain climber: Finally, do the mountain climber for 60 seconds. To perform the mountain climber set yourself up in the push up position, then bring each knee forward as if you were climbing.

Upper body

• Neck Tilts and Rotations: Slowly tilt your head side to side 10 times and then slowly and carefully rotate your neck 10 times in each direction.
• Arm Circles: Straighten your body and put your arms straight out to the sides. Then start forming circles in one direction, start with small circles and work your way up to large circles. Do this 10 times and then repeat with the opposite direction.
• Chest Expansions: Straighten your body and put your arms out straight to the sides with palms of hand facing forward. Bring your hands together in a clapping motion slowly, then return to the starting position. Do this 10 times.
• Wrist Circles: Clasp your wrists together and start to circle your wrists in one direction. Do this 10 times and then repeat with the opposite direction.
• Shoulder Rolls: Put your arms to the side keeping your posture straight. Rotate your shoulders forward to make a circle. Do this 10 times and then repeat with the opposite direction.

Lower body

• High Knee Jog: Standing straight with shoulder-width apart perform a jog but raise your knees to about waist level. Do this for two minutes.
• Side-to-Side Hops: Standing straight with hands to side and feet hip-width apart hop side to side quickly. Do this for two minutes.
• Lunges: Stand straight with feet hip-width apart and arms grabbing the side of your hips. Take a step forward and bend your knees so that you form two 90-degree angles with your legs with one leg forward and one leg behind. Hold the position for 20-30 seconds then switch legs and repeat. Do this three times.
• Squat Side Kick: Go into a squat position so that your feet are shoulder-width apart and your hips are back. Then gradually get up and shift your weight towards one leg so that you can lift your other leg out to the side in a slow kick motion. Then return to the squatting position. Do this 10 times for each leg.
• Lateral Leg Swing: Stand upright, holding onto a wall with one hand for support and the other hand placed on the side of your hip. Swing one leg in front carefully across your body from side to side for 10 times. Then repeat with other leg.

Lacrosse, along with other sports played by Indigenous peoples, were created with a purpose to develop the players in a way that would benefit the individual as well as the community. Games and sports were holistic and sought to teach young people to behave and treat others in a good way. Sports and games regularly included teachings around the healthy development of the mind, body, emotions, and spirit. Through games and sport, players would be able to build their individual and collective skills. For example, certain sports could improve hunting skills, improve cardiovascular abilities and endurance, pass on cultural knowledges and traditions, and also could teach cooperation and social skills amongst the players.

As you learned in the Minds On section, the modern game of lacrosse originated from games played by Indigenous peoples (more specifically the Haudenosaunee) as early as 1100 CE. It’s important to note that although the game originated from Indigenous peoples, from the 1880s to early 1900s Indigenous peoples were often banned from playing the game competitively. It wasn’t until the late 1900s that the Haudenosaunee was formally welcomed into the International Lacrosse Federation and given the right to compete on the world stage as their own separate nation.

To the Haudenosaunee people, lacrosse is a gift from the Creator. This game in the past and in present day has helped heal and keep the peace between communities as well as strengthen culture, identity, and relationships within oneself and with other nations. Lacrosse, in this way, is medicine for those who play it for their communities.

Footbag is a sport that involves keeping a beanbag off the ground for as long as possible by kicking it. The modern and most popular form of footbag (also known as hacky sack) is attributed to a Native American inventor. One of the inventers who popularized the sport, Mike Marshall, had learned the game from an Indigenous person in America. Many Indigenous nations throughout the world had some sort of kickballs that were used for racing and footbag types of games. In Australia, the Wiradjuri people invented the game of Woggabaliri, a game that very closely resembles modern-day hacky sack or footbag. However, it is also important to note that there were similar games that existed in traditional east Asian cultures.

Explore the carousel for how you might send, receive, and retain a footbag.

Now it’s time for a cool down! It’s important to allow your body to gradually return to a resting state after intense physical activity.

Remember to perform your safety check before you begin.

Depending on what activities you are performing, choose one of the following cool downs, or you may do a combination of them.

Press the following tabs to access the cool downs.

Full body

• Jogging: Begin with a jog and transition to a walk. Do this for 2-5 minutes.
• Wide Toe Touch: Now do wide toe touches for 60 seconds. To perform a wide toe touch, position your body in the shape of a star, then bend forward and reach with one arm to touch the opposite foot. The other arm which is on the same side as the foot is pointed upwards. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds, then return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.
• Quad Stretch: Stand up straight and shift your weight to one leg. Then lift your other leg backwards towards your butt and grab it with the arm on the same side. Hold it for 20-30 seconds and repeat with the other leg. Do this 5 times for each leg.
• Child’s Pose: Do the child pose for 30 seconds. To perform the child pose, get down on your knees and bend your body forwards stretching your arms out. Your forehead should be resting on the floor.
• Abdominal Stretch: Now, do an abdominal stretch for 30 seconds. To perform the abdominal stretch, lie face down with legs straight up and place your arms in a push up position. Push upwards and slowly lift your torso holding the position.

Upper body

• Shoulder Stretch: Bring one arm across your chest bend your other arm to help support it into position. Hold the position for 30 seconds and then do the opposite side. Repeat three times.
• Triceps Stretch: Bend one arm up and behind towards your shoulder blade. Use the other arm to help support it into position. Hold the position for 30 seconds and then do the opposite side. Repeat three times.
• Overhead Stretch: With your body straight interlock your fingers and bring your arms above your head. Have your palms facing away from you. Hold the position for 60 seconds.
• Torso Stretch: With your body straight fold one arm behind your back and use the other arm to help support it into position. Then bend your torso towards one side. Hold the position for 30 seconds and then do the opposite side. Repeat three times.
• Chest-Cross Arm Swing: With your body straight put your hands horizontally straight out to the sides and then swing your arms to make an ‘X’ shape back and forth for 60 seconds.

Lower body

• Flutter Kick: Lie on your back with your hands to the side. Lift your legs and perform a kicking motion, alternating the legs back and forth. Do this for one minute.
• Side-Lying Leg Lifts: Lie on your side with one arm supporting your head and one arm bend in front supporting your body in position pushing against the ground. Lift your leg slowly and gradually return it back. Do this five times and then switch to the other leg.
• Single Leg Hug: You can do this lying on your back or standing straight up. With your arms hug your thigh to bring one knee towards your chest. Hold the position for 20-30 seconds then gradually release and switch sides. Repeat three times.
• Butterfly Stretch: Sitting on the floor bring both feet together so they are touching. Use your arms to safely move your knees towards the floor. Hold the position for 20-30 seconds and then release gradually. Repeat three times.
• Hip Flexor Stretch: Kneel on one of your knees and bend your other leg in front of your body at approximately a 90-degree angle. Shift your weight forward until you feel a stretch. Hold the position for 20-30 seconds and switch sides. Repeat three times.

Take some time to reflect on the following questions:

• How do these games/learning these skills help to develop my mind, body, emotions, and/or spirit?
• Were there any other skills I learned in the process when participating in these physical activities which weren’t just movement skills? For example, consider how these games may have involved skills such as patience, perseverance, and resilience.