5 Ways To Staying Healthy At The Summer Festivals
It’s hard not to start getting excited about summer right now. Easter is done and dusted, the May Day holiday is closing in and if that isn’t enough – the sun is shining!
Summer time means festival time, so if you are thinking of getting your hands on those all-important summer tickets, here is our handy guide to staying healthy before, during and after those manic weekends!
While we give serious consideration to the clothes and accessories needed for three days of camping in the sunshine – hopefully! – it can also pay to make some plans to ensure wellies and sleeping bags aren’t the only essentials on your pre-festival list.
1. Alcohol – pace yourself!
Nobody wants a lecture on the perils of drinking at a festival and while we aren’t here to tell you alcohol will improve your experience, it’s a basic fact most of us will enjoy a tipple over the course of the weekend.
2. Take your time
Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and getting from Friday evening to Sunday is a long journey. Drink plenty of water throughout the day and eat at regular intervals to help avoid being stuck in your tent feeling sorry for yourself when the band you’ve waited so long to see are doing their thing!
3. Listen carefully
you go to a music festival to listen to really good music with excellent acoustics and adequate volume. The bands on stage have their sound levels perfected but when you are back on the campsite, avoid being the person left sitting or standing next to the makeshift sound system of some amateur DJ!
There are many hidden problems in doing so and sites like HiddenHearing can give you a lot more information on certain remedies such as hearing aids – for those of you who might have already made the mistake of standing too close to the sound systems before!
4. Wear sunscreen
Baz Luhrmann had a lot of good advice in his epic one-hit wonder but the main thrust of his argument still rings true. If you are lucky enough to get sunshine for three days, then take precaution. Using a sun cream with a minimum SPF15, and applying it regularly, will give you protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays. Re-apply throughout the day.
If you do get burnt, get that after-sun on and drink plenty of water to ensure you stay hydrated. When soaking up that festival sunshine for hours on end, why not accessorize with a trendy festival hat? Look good and avoid sunstroke! Who knows, it might even lead to some festival romance!
5. Help station
when you arrive, take some time before the party commences to find your nearest first aid station. Remember, first aid staff are not allowed to hand out medication except over-the-counter remedies such as paracetamol, so if you are on prescription meds, bring them with you.
Make your tent the prepared one by having a pack of plasters and a small bottle of disinfectant for minor grazes and cuts that might occur, as well as over-the-counter medication for headaches and stomach upsets over the three days. You won’t regret this bit!
Foot relief – if you’re taking in a festival for the first time then trust us – appropriate footwear might just be the most important thing you do!
If the sun shines, you want some flats by your side but DO NOT go to a festival without your wellies. It is best to assume it will rain. If it doesn’t, it’s a bonus. There are tons of affordable and fashionable wellies available on the market and again, trust us – everyone else will have them!
Avoid any new shoes for this weekend as the last thing you’ll want is a blister.
