Last weekend was the 5th anniversary of a music/camping festival local to Georgia called Imagine Music Festival. Some of my close friends and I have made the trip for the last few years and needless to say it was an absolute blast! If you live in Georgia you already know that summer in the south is still going strong with highs in the 90’s. This made camping challenging as it was quite hot. Luckily I had a few tricks up my sleeve to make my friends and I feel our absolute best throughout the weekend. I thought it would be fun to share some healthy tips and tricks that you can use whether you attend music festivals, camp, or spend time embarking on outdoor adventures in general! Here we go:
First, plan ahead. A little bit of forethought goes a LONG way when it comes to planning these types of trips. A few days before leaving, I made a list, headed to the grocery store, and prepped a few essentials for the weekend. Some items I made included: greek pasta salad, hard boiled eggs, and roasted asparagus. Pro tip: When you are going to be eating out of a cooler for the weekend, it helps to have everything already cooked/ready to eat. That way, items can stay cold over ice with no cooking necessary. If you are feeling ambitious, camping stoves can be a great tool for preparing hot meals, but we didn’t utilize one during this trip. I also purchased some ready cooked and cut-up chicken breasts for quick protein options. Below are a few typical meals I ate throughout the weekend.
Roasted asparagus, greek pasta salad, grilled chicken breast
Whole grain bread, avocado, hard boiled eggs
Next, snacks are important. Quality is key here. It’s so easy to grab bags of chips, cookies, pretzels, etc. and while these things are yummy at times they don’t fill us up and give us sustained energy (especially when you’re at a music festival walking 10,000+ steps & dancing to tunes all day). What I recommend: fruit, quality bars, nuts, trail mix, guacamole + crackers, etc. Also, fresh, cold fruit in the heat tastes AMAZING!
Perfect Bar + apple
I probably sound like a broken record here, but hydration is KEY. We all know how much water helps us function optimally and I get that plain water isn’t always the most exciting. Before our trip, I made one of my favorite drink recipes from a fellow dietitian I absolutely adore! It’s a blend of refreshing herbal teas, lemon, and fresh mint. Check out the recipe here, I guarantee you will be obsessed! This tea gives our liver an extra boost to do what it naturally does best: detoxify + metabolize.
I also brought lots of kombucha and fresh watermelon juice. Watermelon juice is rich in essential vitamins/minerals such as potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. I often see a lot of electrolyte/sports drinks being consumed especially in the heat. Interestingly enough, watermelon juice has almost 6x the amount of potassium compared to popular sports drinks. (Potassium is crucial for aiding muscle contractions, maintaining normal blood pressure, and fluid regulation).
What do you do to get ready for camping/music festival/outdoor trips? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Xx Happy travels,
Mary Claire
