How to Survive Music Festivals
Hey friends,
With music festival season taking place in Australia and as ticket sales are commencing for festivals in North America, I thought I'd give you a few tips on how to survive them.
We've all been there. As fun as they are, music festivals have a way of destroying you. How many of you have ended up bed-ridden for a week after the fact? I know I have.
Unfortunately, life doesn't sit and wait around for you to recover from your festival bender. Here is how I avoid the horrible post-festival comedown most of you have probably experienced.
♬ Bring in a water bottle. Hydration is SO important, but who wants to drop ten bucks on aqua? Ensure you bring in a water bottle that you can fill up throughout the day. My favourite water bottle is this bad boy that I bought from MEC. It fits a whole litre of water and can be rolled up super small to fit in your pocket or bag when you're done. 10/10 recommend.
♬ Make sure you eat. I know, seems like a no brainer. Alas, surprisingly it is quite easy to forget. Who has the time to wait in lines and spend $84594 on a slice of pizza from a festival vendor truck?
I always bring snacks in with me. Protein bars are great, highly nutritious meal replacement shakes are better. Get in alllllll your nutrients to help prevent that hangover, these shakes are a GAME CHANGER.
For more information, check out my article on them.
♬ Immune system boosters are key if you're like me and get sick quite easily. Ensuring to stock up on even one of the following will be sure to go a long way in preventing post-festival illness. Here's a list of all of my faves:
Vitamin C // This is a great immune system booster. Take a high quality Vitamin C for maximum health benefits and absorption.
Oil of Oregano // Oil of oregano is incredible for when you can feel yourself getting sick. It will kill a lot of that bad bacteria. I bring it in capsule form to make it easier to transport.
Garlic Tablets // These are good to take every day or when you feel a bug coming on. They will help strengthen your immune system and has natural anti-bacterial properties.
Probiotics // Probiotics are healthy bacteria. They are very important for your gut health and certainly aid in keeping you healthy overall. They are great to take when you're taking oil of oregano and garlic tablets in order to ensure you still have a good amount of healthy bacteria in your body. Take them at least two hours apart from garlic tablets and oil of oregano because you don't wanna go killing all that good probiotic bacteria.
Immune Support // I have an awesome little travel sized immune support + zinc spray. It is designed to quickly deliver immune-building ingredients such as zinc, colostrum, echinacea, reishi mushroom, bilberry, and blueberry.
♬ Something to replenish your electrolytes. There's a pretty high chance you're going to be dehydrated and a taaaad hungover, so to prevent that I always chug a big glass of electrolytes first thing in the morning and as soon as I get home. Here is my go-to!
Why consume electroytes?
• They support proper hydration (which you will certainly need)
• Helps sustain endurance (to keep you going all day into the night)
• They maintain balance to support normal cellular activity (very important when you're actively killing a lot of those cells)
• Replaces electrolytes and nutrients that are lost (and trust me, a lot of them will be lost)
• Helps aid recovery (which I'm pretty certain you'll also need)
Why opt for this instead drinks like Poweraid?
Unlike popular "sports drinks" that contain ridiculous amounts of sugar, sodium and that get their taste and colour from some pretty unhealthy ingredients (such as sucralose, acesulfame K, and artificial colors), the all-natural electrolytes I use are jam-packed with vitamins and nutrients. The whole point of consumption is to make you feel better, so why put harmful ingredients in your body instead?
♬ Bring a pair of earplugs. Trust me. I went to University for Radio and Television Arts and one of the first things they drilled into our heads is how ear damage is irreversible. Personally, I opt for the super fashionable bright orange dollar store type, however you can get clear ones that are fitted to your ears for more of a low-key vibe. Loud music is one of the leading causes of ear damage, the fact that it can't be repaired will really affect you in the long run. Save yourself a major regret and take care of your ears! You only have two of them and they're pretty hard to replace.
♬ A high quality nutritional blend is a great tip for those of you who are especially health conscious. At every festival I go to, I ensure to chug at least one big glass of water per day mixed with a blend of my favourite liquid supplements: Cleanse, Ionix and Greens.
Cleanse does exactly what it sounds like; cleanses all of the toxins out of your body. Something your liver probably will need. Ionix contains natural adaptogens that balances your stress and hormone levels, helping with those Sunday scaries and that post-festival depression. Lastly, Greens. Because we all know you're not getting in your veggies between sets.
So there you go, my festival must-haves. Even following a few of these suggestions will help your recovery dramatically- you'll see.
Happy festival szn~~ please be safe!
xx Ellis