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How to Stay Healthy(ish) at a Festival

Jul 3, 2013 | Uncategorized | 5 comments

Festival season is well and truly here. With Glastonbury last weekend and the Isle of Wight festival the previous weekend, many are packing up their tents and wellies and heading into the countryside to listen to awesome music and have fun with their friends.

But festivals are not the healthiest of places. I have come home from Glasto feeling a little fragile and I know I didn’t hit it as hard as many others. Here are my tips to ensure that you enjoy the festival as much as possible, and are able to come home without feeling too disgusting (showers are up to you!).

Make sure you drink enough
I’m talking about water, although I also kept topped up with ciders, gin and tonics and my new favourite, Lageritas! I made sure I drank enough water throughout the day and kept a bottle in my bag. Lots of walking, drinking, sitting in the sun, and consuming salty snacks means you may become more dehydrated more quickly than you usual. I consumed at least one or two Nuun tabs each day to keep me feeling perky and hydrated!

Take your Vitamins
It can be much harder to get your 5-a day at the festival, and a lot of the food feels like it is not very nutrient rich! Whilst at Glasto we topped up our daily vitamins by drinking a sachet of MultiVitality Boost each morning- it’s a ‘energy-enhancing nutritional drink to help you recharge your batteries’. Perfect! They come in orange and mixed berry flavour and are full of vitamin B, C, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Zinc and Guarana- a natural stimulant. Drunk with a bottle of water each morning this helped us re-energize each morning, alongside a tea or coffee! Something like a Berrocca or equivalent would work just as well.

Pick your Food Wisely
There is a plethora of food stands available at festivals now, ranging from the burgers and sausages to falafels and salad bars. I tried to eat healthy lunches from a range of stalls, I even tried an Ostrich burger! Apparently Ostrich is one of the healthiest meat to eat, although it was a little dry. It is low in fat and cholesterol, and rich in iron and protein (source). I steered clear of processed meats as much as possible, chose high protein options that would keep me full, and looked for stalls that looked popular! It’s also worth scoping these out before you’re starving and opt for the first stall without a queue that you see!

We particularly liked the Yeo Valley yogurt stand, a Greek stand that served amazing chicken and houmous wraps, and the Fat Boxes of Healthy Stuff– look out for it if you’re going to a festival this Summer! They do deliveries of salad boxes around London and Surrey too!

Get Some Sleep
I know that you haven’t gone to the festival to sleep, and tents are not the comfiest of places to get some kip. But I do recommend getting as much sleep as you can whilst you’re in your tent- bring a pair of earplugs and an eye mask with you. I used this delicious lavender seed eye mask and it certainly helped me lie in during the mornings.

Be Prepared 
Bring snacks and drinks with you, this will save you money as well as providing healthy options. We brought cereal bars, apples, rice cakes, smoothies, and cans of Gin and Slimline Tonic (obviously had our priorities right!). Many festivals don’t allow you to bring in alcohol, so make sure you check before stocking up. At Glastonbury you can bring in alcohol as long as it’s not in glass bottles.

Keep Active
You’ll do a lot of walking, standing and dancing, but you may also find other activities on offer at the festival. We tried our hand at hula hooping in the Healing Fields at Glasto, although missed out on yoga, Tai chi, and meditation sadly.


Antibacterial Hand Gel
Use it, a lot of it.

Have a brilliant time, and remember you’re only at the festival for a short time, so enjoy it. You can always make up for it the following week!!

Are you going to any festivals this Summer? I wish I was after having such a blast at Glastonbury!

I was provided with complementary MultiVitality Boost, all opinions are my own. 

5 Comments

  1. Noni Juice

    I like your article and I think juice is good for health.

    Reply
  2. FitBits Tess

    We took loads of oranges and tinned mackerel for snacks. Worked pretty well, although we did also have two boxes of wine, a 70pint keg of Somerset cider, 2 crates of Magners and half a litre of gin too, so we worked hard on the boozy hydration at least!

    Review on my blog 🙂 x

    Reply
  3. Lucy @ Lucy On The Lookout

    Great post! I admittedly failed to bring a few essentials when I went to a folk festival in Wales (namely ear plugs) and drank far too much booze, but we tried to redeem ourselves by taking big bags of apples, carrots, and pears. And thankfully festivals only last for a few days so not long enough to do too much damage!

    Reply
  4. Ffion

    I always bring apples and a few bars to festivals, they are a godsend! I have to say that Glasto was great for healthy options when I went, but Leeds festival not so much, you really had to go out of your way to try and be healthy there. I love ostrich!

    Reply
  5. Michele

    We love the Michigan Renaissance Festival…thankfully the giant chicken leg is decently healthy- as long as we don’t go during the “sweet endings” weekend, I’m all good!

    Reply

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