Every weekday, millions of American schoolchildren throw away their half-eaten cafeteria lunches so that they can run outside to play. The traditional placement of lunch before recess, coupled with the recent decline in overall recess time to meet academic time constraints, forces children to choose between two essential needs: (1) food; and (2) exercise. A lot of schools have cut recess with the mistaken notion that it will improve their academic performance. They are going in the wrong direction. Kids learn better when they have opportunities to move throughout the day. And placing recess before lunch improves the quality of their eating. When they are hungrier, they eat better; then they are better ready to focus in the classroom.