The Magic Five

Welcome to Wellness Wednesday! 🙌⁠
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Introducing… The Magic Five!⁠
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Do you know what the Magic Five is?⁠
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Ok, well, that’s a tough question really as it could mean anything. Here at Sammy Satsuma, we have come up with a “Magic Five” system that you can follow to improve your wellness. 😁⁠ 

The list is as follows:
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1) Keep active⁠
2) Take Notice⁠
3) Connect⁠
4) Keep Learning⁠
5) Give⁠

Let me talk you through the list.

Let's start with keeping active!⁠

Keeping active is important to keep us fit physically and mentally. We have a game below that can help you be active and have fun at the same time. 

You'll need a few people to play this:⁠
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'PLANK RUN'⁠
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1) Everyone gets in a plank position along a horizontal line. (Sammy is showing you how to do the Plank in the picture above 😁)⁠
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2) On the “GO” command, the person in the back stands up and runs to the front of the line. As soon as this person gets back in a plank position, they scream “GO!”⁠
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3) The next person in the back of the line gets up and runs to the front. ⁠
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Since it’s a race, you have to mark the time at the first “go.” ⁠
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Then you mark it again when you’ve covered the whole distance, ⁠
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Whatever time you got, make sure that the next time you do this race, you beat it!⁠
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This is a good way to have giggles and keep active, the entire ⁠
family can join in, or you may have some friends over that can play.⁠

Number 2 on the list is 'Take notice'⁠.
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So, first of all, what does ‘Take notice’ mean?⁠
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“Becoming aware of something or someone”.⁠
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So, we are referring to our senses.⁠
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When you are either in your garden, out walking or just at home, try these things…⁠
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Find Five things you can see, it can be anything.⁠
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Ok, now find five different things you can touch that have different textures from each other.⁠
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Next, find five things that you can smell, and one thing in your kitchen that is a fruit that you can taste.⁠
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This exercise makes us take more notice of our surroundings, enhances our senses and calms our mind.⁠
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How did you get on with finding all the things to see, smell, touch and taste?⁠

Next on the list we have 'Connect'.

Connecting with others is important, so we can build strong relationships with people we love and care about.

A good way to connect is by spending quality time with friends and family.

You can do something you both like such as going for a walk, playing games or even cooking. Cooking with family and friends is a fun activity where you can share roles, work as a team and create something delicious together. Try one of our yummy recipes next time you want to spend quality time with someone you love.

'Keep Learning'⁠ is the next on the magic 5!
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What we mean by 'keep learning' is always try to learn something new each day. Never stop learning! ⁠
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Research has shown that learning new skills can improve your mental health and wellbeing, so we love learning new things here at Sammy Satsuma.⁠
But how do you keep learning every day? 🤔⁠
Well, each day can be different. Some days you can learn a new word or try a new yummy fruit or vegetable – that’s learning taste! 😊 It is all learning.⁠
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It can be so fun! Why not learn someone’s name at school that you didn’t know before? Or perhaps learn a new recipe from our wonderful book of delicious recipes! 😇⁠
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What about learning these 5 fun facts today?:⁠
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1) About 75% of your brain is made of water⁠
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2) Your heart beats about 115,000 times a day⁠
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3) Jupiter is the fastest spinning planet in the solar system.⁠
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4) The nearest star to Earth is 4.2 light-years away.⁠
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5) It is impossible for most people to lick their own elbow.⁠
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We have tried number five and it’s true 😊⁠
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⁠Lastly, we have ‘Give’⁠
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Evidence shows that helping and giving to others can benefit our own mental health and wellbeing.

For example, it can reduce stress and improve our mood, self-esteem and happiness! 😁⁠
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There are so many ways to help others as part of our everyday lives. Good deeds needn't take much time or cost any money.⁠
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We have 4 ways to give and help others for you to try!⁠
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1) Help your parents, carer, or grandparents at home with cleaning up or cooking. 😇⁠
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2) Help your teacher at school with handing out things for that day. This is giving your time as well as helping, so it will make you feel extra, extra happy by doing both.⁠
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3) What about giving someone a smile? When we smile, we feel happier and that makes others happy 😁 . ⁠We bet giving someone a smile will make them give you one back! 😁⁠
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4) Give someone a compliment. Tell your friends or family they are doing a great job. Better still, tell yourself 😊. ⁠
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We hope you try any of these five magic ways to improve your well-being!