Balance at Bonnaroo: How to Enjoy the Music Festival While Staying Healthy

Finding Balance at Bonnaroo

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If you’re anything like my crew and attending a major festival like Bonnaroo, chances are that you have a game plan. In our case, it was this: Eat, eat and eat some more. Have you sensed a trend by now? This girl—and this group—loves eating.

Food at Bonnaroo

But you can’t eat that much and not be a thousand pounds, so we also did something I’ve never done before over Bonnaroo weekend: We worked out. Not only did we work out every day without fail, but we even worked out twice on some days.

Who knew there were so many fitness options at ‘Roo?

Yoga at Bonnaroo

Alex and I had planned to cram in as many yoga classes as we could, but in the end we wound up going to my gym on the first morning due to timing alone. There were some other fitness options, like dancercise, that we really wanted to try but they took place in the morning when most of the good music didn’t get going until 4 or later—and we simply didn’t want to be hanging around all day long when we weren’t camping.

Bonnaroo 2015

Though we did find the Picker’s Vodka trailer, which is one way to beat the heat!

The second morning while I was working out with my trainer, Alex and the boys got up early to run the Third First Annual Roo Run 5K (and no, as a grammarian, I did not find the name the least bit funny!). They sweated it out while I pumped iron and then we headed back later in the afternoon to eat back all the calories we burned off.

Food at Bonnaroo
Food at Bonnaroo

Food at Bonnaroo

But the final morning is when we got our act together. The four of us got there just before 11am in time for an outdoor vinyasa class. Y’all, it was hot out, too. The first three days at Bonnaroo had been pretty mild as far as weather in June in Tennessee goes, but Sunday was a scorcher. I was drenched before we even started! Gives a whole new meaning to the concept of “hot yoga,” huh?

Yoga at Bonnaroo

The class was a pretty simple flow but set to live blues music. Alex and I had a blast. Heat aside, I could do yoga to music in every class! There were no arm balances (my favorites) or advanced poses since they were catering to everyone, but it was really fun nonetheless.

Yoga at Bonnaroo
Yoga at Bonnaroo

We grabbed lunch while we killed an hour before the acro demonstration. Alex has done acro yoga a time or two in the past, and I’d long wanted to try it, so we were intrigued to see what the “demonstration” entailed.

In a happy turn of events, it was actually an intro class and we got to get our acro on!

Yoga at Bonnaroo
Yoga at Bonnaroo
Yoga at Bonnaroo

It was actually a bit harder than it looked in terms of keeping your legs stable while basing, but Alex and I jumped right into flying without any trouble at all, and while I planned to base the whole time, she insisted on letting me fly, too. Given I’m a good five inches taller and quite a few pounds heavier, I did not think this was a great idea, but she would prove me wrong yet again. Yet another thing my younger traveling protege excels at.

Yoga at Bonnaroo

And of course, we also danced, danced and danced some more. Who needs dancercise class after all?

Food at Bonnaroo
Food at Bonnaroo
Yoga at Bonnaroo
Yoga at Bonnaroo
Yoga at Bonnaroo

By Sunday night, I’d say we earned that beer (or rather, plural).

Yoga at Bonnaroo

I’ve always said I could never do Burning Man because of all the drugs and the excessive drinking and the kind of lifestyles I’ve never embraced, but I bet some people say the same thing about Bonnaroo. So let me just tell you this: You can be any kind of person and enjoy the fest: The kind who likes to indulge in all sorts of activities, the person who likes to experiment or simply the casual music lover who wants to catch a live set here or there. This festival is for all kinds. And if you don’t believe me, just ask my parents who have never missed a year!

Yoga at Bonnaroo

Tell me: Are you a fitness-at-a-festival kinda person? Or will you be the shady character in the corner sipping a beer while we all bend our bodies into precarious positions? And lastly, who’s joining me in 2016?

Bonnaroo Music Festival

Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee
Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee

Bonnaroo Music Festival

Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee
Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee
Yoga at Bonnaroo
Yoga at Bonnaroo
Yoga at Bonnaroo

Bonnaroo Music Festival

COMMENTS
  • June 25, 2015

    I could totally get down with food, yoga and music!! Sounds like you guys had an amazing time. I’d love to go to Bonaroo! (At least my romper made it this year via Alex!)

    • June 25, 2015

      You were totally there in watermelon spirit!

  • June 25, 2015

    okay, i’ve never been a bonnaroo person because, like you noted… not my lifestyle or life choices. haha. BUT, two things in this post are making me reconsider: 1) the fitness stuff and 2) is that a hot dog with potato sticks on it? if so, i’m in for 2016.

    • June 25, 2015

      I talked Beth (Eats) and Jesse (Food Sheriff) into coming down this year and they had a blast—so much so that Jesse came back Friday, Saturday AND Sunday! Definitely is fun for foodies and fitness buffs alike…you should join me next year because YES those are fried potato sticks on a dog =)

  • June 26, 2015

    The FOOD, the yoga, the beer, the dancing…. looks like SO much fun! Definitely been wanting to go to Bannaroo for a while now. You guys are adorable 🙂 and I’m a beer + yoga kinda gal (lol can you choose both??) hehe

  • June 26, 2015

    Love these photos (and memories!) so much! And that picture of me taking a selfie is hilarious. Great capture!

  • June 27, 2015

    Novel concept, you know, pre-burning those calories. I’m taking notes!

  • June 27, 2015

    How much fun does acro yoga look!

  • June 27, 2015

    Exercise + beer + food is my idea of a good time

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