One of my favorite parts of summer is the opportunity to attend music festivals. Some of the big ones are: Coachella held in L.A. near the end of April, Bonnaroo held in Tennessee mid-June, Summer Fest held in Milwaukee last week in June through the 4th weekend, Essence Music Festival held in New Orleans at the beginning of July, and Lollapalooza first weekend in August in Chicago. Having attended a few of these festivals I wanted to encourage music heads to go.

When one decides to attend one of these massive concerts how comfortably you plan to sleep should be the main focus. Most venues have a hotel with shuttle bus taking concertgoers back and forth, an RV campground, and a tent campground. I don’t mind getting a little dirty, but I do need: my A.C. (I have allergies!), electricity, non-public toliet, cheap food, and to be within walking distance of the shows. So when I attended Bonnaroo in an RV that was the best option for me, which allowed me to have these amenities with my friends at a reasonable cost. It all depends on how much you want to spend on your adventure. I would highly recommend you bring clothing and shoes you don’t care about destroying, a bathing suit, sunscreen, and tons of WATER!!! Other costs to conisder include: transportation, food and beverage, tickets, souveniers, bug spray, CD’s/DVD’s, and whatever else your heart may desire.

My sister calls me a hippie whenever I describe my love of festivals, and who knows… maybe I am. However, there is something to consider when you have thousands of people in one place all there to have a good time listening to great music. It is an amazing feeling. Can you think of another time when there is a mass of people peacefully enjoying each other? Another great reason to attend aside from the experience is knocking out acts you havent been able/willing to pay to see thus far, for one price. Last year I saw great shows (Common, Blackalicious, Atmosphere, Damien Marley, Tom Petty, Radiohead and more for $200!!) took pictures, went backstage, enjoyed exposure to bands/acts not within my favorite generes, and met all kinds of people for the price of what it would have been to see 4 acts. If you still decide that you don’t want to attend these fests, because they’re too expensive, then I suggest that you try something cheaper. Many cities have these types of activities going on throughout the summer, such as Chicagos’s Blues Fest, Jazz Fest or Taste. They all have music, food and fun, and many are free or under $20.

As we embark on summer I encourage you to attend a festival at least once in your life. It’s a great place to relax and de-stress yourself. Lose yourself in the moment. Enjoy the peaceful vibe and of course, Be Safe.

If you’re living anywhere north of Kentucky this week you’ll notice that we’re slowly thawing out (looking out my windows I can see that Lake Michigan is less of a glacier!). It is around this time of the year that we begin to realize we may have put on some winter weight. I know I’m guilty of this with my birthday, Christmas and New Years all occurring the last 3 weeks in the year. It’s even harder to motivate yourself to work out when there is a blizzard going on and you don’t have access to a gym inside of your residence. So I came to a crossroads as the reality hit that winter is almost over, spring is on the way. I knew I desperately needed to find something I enjoyed doing and wouldn’t mind putting into my routine to get my “summer body back”. I found the answer in Bikram Yoga.

My co-worker and my boyfriend both did Bikram last summer. I wanted to, but was unable to do so. So last week I decided to give it a shot. Bikram is INTENSE exercise and should not be done for those who tire easily and have an aversion to sweating and working hard. The general gist is this: you go do 26 poses within a 90 minute time frame in 105-115 degree heat. The reason for the heat is so that you are more flexible and you sweat the toxins out. When you attend your first class they encourage you to sit or lie down if you feel dizzy, faint, weak or light-headed (a normal reaction to the heat). They also recommend you have your mat in the back rows so you can watch all the yogi’s who can do the poses correctly. As you begin with a simple breathing exercise you start to sweat. I’m not kidding. The further you get into the class the more sweaty you will become. Note: this class is NOT for those who don’t want their hair to look jacked up- you will sweat through all of your clothing to the point you can wring it out afterwards. As my boyfriend had described to me there will come a point during the class where you will realize “this is hard as hell and it really sucks!!” I got to that point, but I kept going and ended strong. How could you not after you already accepted the challenge?

The results of my hard work began to pay off almost immediately. I left the class feeling energized rather than exhausted like I do after other workouts. When I tried it one morning last week I was in an AMAZING mood that lasted for most of the workday. By Friday I made it through an entire class without taking any breaks. I am also more aware and considerate about what I put into my body so I have inadvertently put myself on a diet causing my next big accomplishment of the Bikram: my weight loss of 13lbs in my first week!! I know, that after hearing that many YBPs are going to jump at the chance to do the yoga. Here is my word of caution: don’t use my testimonial as a guarantee for losing weight. It will come over time as it does with anything. Try the yoga as something that ties the mental, physical, and spiritual together. It is a time to focus completely on yourself for 90 minutes. In todays hectic world it’s nice to have a comfortable place to relax, workout, and focus on YOU.