From The Side of the Road… health tips for your World of Bluegrass experience

In past several years when we get to this month of the calendar, I have talked over snooze, exercise, and diet regime procedures for getting a safe and healthier IBMA Earth of Bluegrass. For the uninitiated (most of the population), this is bluegrass music’s most important function of the year. It is Christmas, Hanukkah (never you dare bring up the Hanukkah channel once more!), Halloween (primarily based on some attendees’ outfits selections) and Tax Working day all rolled into a single. There’s a trade exhibit, small business convention, several awards displays, showcases, jam classes, and a good deal of waiting around for elevators.

Even in advance of we had been working with COVID-19, this was an party that was regarded for getting its toll on attendees’ actual physical health. Lots of folks still left the function ill with some ailment or other, and the primary host lodge, no matter which lodge or in which metropolis it was, was constantly blamed. “It’s the air flow,” was the usual cry. Absolutely it could not be sleeping two hours a evening, shaking a good deal of sweaty fingers, and packing on to an elevator with 23 persons.

Every thing we have discovered to do in the previous two many years is specifically the reverse of what we have typically accomplished for up to a 7 days at the IBMA WOB.

I will, of class, leave the amount of money of COVID chance you intend to choose up to you (which will help you save this feedback part from blowing up like bag of hand grenades), and we’ll just focus on the diet and fitness element.

A large amount of new details has occur alongside considering the fact that we last reviewed this, these types of as the new disdain for tomatoes, intermittent fasting, and the introduction of the Keto Food plan (named for Common Maximilian Keto of Flanders, who was slender and profitable, but continue to craved donuts).

The Environment of Bluegrass diet program is famously awful, and typically is made up of marginally stale cake from the Marriott Starbucks, delivery pizza, and no matter what is put out for treats in the Pickin’ in a Large Field pageant showcase space.

Intermittent fasting is not a trouble due to the fact we occasionally just forget about to eat for 16 hrs at a time, anyway. We just have to be aware of it and comprehend that it is okay. 

Here’s a prompt Tuesday thru Saturday IBMA World of Bluegrass Diet. There are a lot of food items alternatives in easy strolling length of the convention heart, and you can also go grocery browsing, so every thing on this checklist is reasonably simple to obtain. It just involves a small organizing. Just use the identical variety of firm you use to show up at your chosen showcases and seminars. Maybe which is not a good example.

The eating plan:

Tuesday

Breakfast: Biscuits and gravy. Side dish: cantaloupe.
Keto different: gravy
Vegan option: cantaloupe

Lunch: Beef, bean, and cheese enchiladas. Aspect dish: Mexican rice and tiny salad
Keto choice: Beef and small salad
Vegan alternate: extensive dialogue with anyone about choose shapes

Meal: Chicken and waffles. Aspect dish: waffles
Keto alternate: Chicken and waffle-formed chicken
Vegan option: Vegan waffles. Facet dish: Same

I’m previously fatigued of this meal-preparing. That need to perform for a few days, if you never brain a biscuit and waffle-centered diet plan.

Fitness is a different challenge, but we can just take some action to strengthen the week for our bodies. If you are ready to get away from the prolonged-winded personal who has you trapped by the convention registration (“So then I reported to Béla, why really do not you call your band ‘the Flecktones,’ and he claimed . . .”), you almost certainly create up a great deal of actions all through the meeting. It’s just that individuals measures aren’t usually steady and they occur with heaps of interruptions. 

I advise, managing it like a circuit, anything like this: 

Start off at the Raleigh Conference Heart conference registration booths, then head upstairs to the first seminar room, where by the “How to Be a More Arrogant Bandleader” seminar is taking place. Poke your head in, but quickly move on, heading downstairs to the exhibition hall. Stroll immediately by every booth, sampling their candy and acting interested in their product or service (acknowledged as the “Costco strategy”), but never ever stopping anyplace for extra than 5 seconds. Head again upstairs, then wander outside the house to the Marriott, go straight to the bar, act like you’re on the lookout for another person, then wander back out, head to the Sheraton and do the exact. Stroll back again to the conference centre and you’re completed. Do this when a working day.

In buy to continue to keep your momentum going, nevertheless, you will have to learn the “IBMA walk,” which I may possibly have mentioned in a past column. If not, I must have. To steer clear of staying stopped by someone alongside this circuit, you have to wander in a brief and purposeful method, as if you are late for a seminar or have remaining your mobile phone someplace. Even though undertaking this, take it easy your gaze until absolutely everyone looks blurry and a tiny like Lester Flatt sporting pajamas. This way, you will appear to not recognize everyone because you actually won’t (it cannot be the true Lester in pajamas, following all, or it’s not likely), and your established walk will prevent most individuals. The occasional search at your watch would not damage.

Alternatively, you could acquire your cellular phone out and pretend to be having an important dialogue, perhaps even an argument:

“No that was not J.D. Crowe, it was Sam (Porky) Hutchins . . . Indeed, particularly . . . Okay, but really do not ignore to get it out after an hour and baste it . . . Positive . . . Superior luck . . .” (Just some concepts really feel free to occur up with your possess script).

Lastly, there is the difficulty of slumber, which is in really limited offer for the duration of this 7 days. New studies from the IFMB (the Institute for Fake Clinical BS) advise that high quality of snooze may well be just as essential as amount. To put that in IBMA WOB terms, two hrs of reliable, restful sleep could be just as very good as four hours of fitful interrupted sleep. To accomplish this sort of revitalizing relaxation, it’s recommended that you minimize alcohol and caffeine use perfectly right before your 4:00 a.m. bedtime (I really don’t make these procedures), prevent looking at your telephone one hour ahead of rest, and try out to retain from listening to disturbing tunes, like The Very little Woman and the Dreadful Snake, The Ghost of Eli Renfro, or Down the Road.

I’m wishing you a happy and healthier IBMA World of Bluegrass.