My 10 secrets to Staying Healthy at a Music Festival

#1. Keep moving

Dancing around for hours is epic cardio. SHAKE IT and your step count will be well over the usual! Most festivals offer yoga and advice on local walks/hikes too. At Shambhala in BC for example, festival goers hike to the top of a local river and take a floaty to ride it back down to camp! Double win.

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#2 Stay hydrated

Music festivals (including Shambhala, Coachella etc) are often set in the HOT summer months, so you body will be demanding more water. Don't forget you'll be dancing around too - so you need to keep your water intake higher than normal. We're talking in the region of 4 litres, baby - more if you're on alcohol or caffiene. Try to focus on eating water dense foods such as veggies and fruits too.

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#3. Don't forget your engine room

Your mental health is just as important and your physical. There's a number of ways you can help yourself - meditation, endorphins from moving (see #1) or even hugging people (!) helps to release happy hormones and keep your mental health in check.

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#4. Take Power Naps

It's likely you're not going to get the best sleep at a festival. Sleeping on a blow-up mattress with blaring music and rowdy neighbours isn't usually the way to get the best shut-eye. Not to mention the epic acts that decide to come on in the middle of the night that you JUST CAN'T MISS. To make sure you're resting + digesting properly, take as many power naps throughout the day as you need. OFten the daytime is a lot more chill, so it's a good time to recharge the batteries!

#5. Pack Earplugs + and Good Eyemask

Cheap earplugs and your old free aeroplane eye mask isn't going to cut it here guys, soz. Light and noise at any festival will be NEXT LEVEL and you'll seriously struggle to get any shut-eye. You won't regret upgrading for quality versions of both. Alternatively, if your a back-sleeper, over-ear noise-cancelling headphones can do the job.

#6. Wet wipes

I think we can agree there's few things more vile than using a shared toiled that has zero flushing facilities for THREE whole days in the heat. Take bio-degradable wet wipes for everything - including a 'student shower' if you have to - by wiping them allllll over yourself. Also awesome for wiping dust and dirt off everything you own, and removing that heavy festival makeup.

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#7. Invest in Good Quality SPF.

Please protect your pretty skin. Living with sun damage is a biatch, not to mention HUGELY increases your risk of skin cancer. Your SPF needs to be high protection, long-wearing and preferably water resistant (in the case of rain, sweat, bodily fluids?!). You might want to invest in a foundation that also has SPF for an added bonus. Bonus: take a cute festival umbrella and wear sunnies ALL THE TIME.

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#8. Pack your own non-perishable snacks

If you can't be bothered to whip up a storm, opt for nuts, apples, and turkey jerky. Anything nourishing that can withstand the heat for a few days. They need to be small enough to fit in your pocket though - no one wants to be trudging back to their tent to eat a tin of beans.

#9. Stick to your goals

Many people around you might be engage in activities you don't agree with - be it alcohol, drugs or otherwise. Stick to your guns - you absolutely do not need to partake to have a good time. You're there for the happy vibes and good tunes - so tell your crew in advance of your intentions. If you can, grab a friend who can be your sober support buddy. There are also a number of sober tents popping up at festivals for additional support and sense of community! Make use of those #noregrets.

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#10. Get LIT

Please pack a torch. No one wants you stumbling around field number 873 trying to find the toilets in the middle of the night and pierce your foot on a tent peg. In fact, ensure you get ANY injuries seen to as soon as possible - don't leave until after the next set. Adrenalin might mask the pain of a very serious injury - so let the specialists assess it.