Ladies! Gentlemen! Tarpers! Hoopers! Spinners! Wooks of all ages! It’s finally here: we are in the glorious throes of the 2017 summer tour, and the highly-anticipated Baker’s Dozen is nearly upon us. The announcement in January feels like it was years ago, doesn’t it? But the future is NOW, and it’s time to start making your last minute plans for this historic run! Part of success is taking care of your own self, and that’s what this post is all about.

Phish100 contributor PhishPhitness–a new, lighthearted health and wellness Twitter account–created a list of thirteen Phish-inspired tips to put together a guide to help us all survive this unprecedented stretch of shows! Don’t do your body a disservice–Read the Post!

Phish Fitness Health and Wellness Tips for the Baker’s Dozen

1. I Love Meatballs So You Better Get Ready: Nutrition contributes to 80% of fitness. Eat lean MEATSTICK proteins like fish, chicken, and turkey for your pre-show meal. You will feel full, and those proteins will work hard for you as you shake your tush all over the Garden.

2. Maggie’s Revenge: With so many fans attending so many shows in our tight-knit community, you’re likely to see someone who made you feel unworthy or tied down at some point in your life. That person is your WILSON. But don’t ever bring drama into the show with you. You’re stronger than that. Use that sighting as motivation to get healthy. They don’t call it a “revenge body” for nothing.

3. Stretching Out into the Sea: You’ll flail your arms better with a warm core. Stretch your oblique muscles with a side bend before and after the show (I even stretch during set break). To do a right side stretch, face forward and press palms together. Reach up as high as you can, HALFWAY TO THE MOON. Tip your torso left. Point your hips to the right until you feel a full stretch along the right side body without crunching the left side. Breathe deeply. Hold for 20 seconds. I like to repeat on each side 2-3 times.

4. Find Some Fried Eggs and Country Ham: Don’t stay holed up in the foggy CAVERN of a windowless NYC hotel room. Brunch is a great way to fancify day-drinking. Going to brunch can help you get moving and provide essential nutrients for another long day. Eat full meals every day, especially if you’re partying all night.

5. Gimme Little Drink: Sometimes the sensation of hunger comes from dehydration. Ensure you’re drinking lots of water before you start snacking. A glass of H2O should do the trick, and it’s calorie-free! PRO-TIP: bring Dasani bottle caps into MSG so you don’t spill your water! You will not have the benefit of drinking WATER IN THE SKY.

6. Before You Slip Into the Night: We’ve all been there: you’re dancing and grooving, and you have a snack attack. If it’s not a mealtime, try not to exceed 150 calories with snacks. SPREAD IT ‘ROUND when you’re starving. Post-show snacking is likely, but don’t turn it into a 4th meal. Your gut will thank you in the morning. So will the people sharing a hotel room with you.

7. Eat My Cashew: A good way to avoid packing on extra calories with post-show late-night pizza and salty snacks is to make your own trail mix in advance. People will make some jokes (it’s super crunchy to bring your own trail mix to a concert), but they will all come clamoring for your yummy almond, dried cranberry, sunflower seed mix by setbreak. Homemade trail mix not your thing? Perhaps you skip that step and honor STEALING TIME FROM A FAULTY PLAN with a Clif Bar and some cold green tea (get the kind without added sugar).

8. Atrophied Throughout: You’ve met your SHOW OF LIFE soulmate while waiting for your friend to get through the set break bathroom line. You want to hook up, but you’re so tired from dancing! Here are a few quick ways to wake up the body so you can get it on properly.
• Cardio—even a 15-minute walk—gets your blood pumping and moves oxygen through the body. Walk a lap through the MSG concourse.
• “Morning” Bend—Stand with feet shoulder-width, knees slightly bent, hands behind head. With your back flat, bend forward until your back is parallel to the ground, keeping weight in your heels and hips. Return to standing.
• Wall Angel—Stand against a wall with spine touching it from shoulders to hips, then raise your arms parallel to the floor. Keeping arms and back against the wall, rotate arms upward as far as you can, then down to starting position.

9. You Can Heal the Symptoms: Well they say TIME LOVES A HERO. Use Sunday to create healthy munchies for the week. Rice cake balls, kale chips, Sriracha chickpeas…the options are endless. You will be worn out from the Friday and Saturday shows, so your body will need nutritious treats as fuel. You’ll be the hero this time.

10. I’m Just Standing Still: Don’t lock your knees when you stand for long periods at a show. It allows blood to pool in your legs. Not a good GRIND for your heart and brain. You could pass out or worse. Instead, keep a slight bend in your knees. It will feel weird to stand like this at first, but no one will notice, and it’s what your body needs.

11. Walk Away: You’re enjoying your 5th or 6th night of Baker’s Dozen in a crowded hotel room with a bunch of dudes, some of whom are masking the fact that they haven’t showered in days (a faint whiff of sage or patchouli is a dead giveaway). Get out and go for a walk. New York is one of the most walkable of all CITIES. It’s a good way to fit in some cardio. It’s a good way to warm up the body. It’s also a good place to get some thinking done.

12. Waking Up Dead: Get plenty of SLEEP. We’re all guilty of occasionally going to a post-party or an aftershow and end up playing through until sunrise. That’s okay; just don’t do it two days in a row. In fact, if you’re trying to be healthy enough to do all 13 shows, you need to get plenty of SLEEP. That’s when the body recovers. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t rest.

13. If You’re Moving On You’ve Got to Leave it Behind: It doesn’t matter much how fabulous you feel if you ain’t got swagger. Everyone has their own unique CAMEL WALK, so strut your stuff.

Honorable mention Twitter tip from @phishphit follower, @ErieGreenDeep: A lot of back pain is psychosomatic. Some bliss Phish might chill that out.

The creator of Phish Phitness is neither a trainer nor a nutritionist, but she did consult both while making this list.

Article first published at Phish100.com. Twitter: @Phish100blog
Enjoy the Baker’s Dozen everyone, and STAY HEALTHY!

-Sam Boone & Brian Weinstein

[cover photo: screen shot from 8/15/15]

If you’re heading to New York for Phish’s 13-night Baker’s Dozen run at Madison Square Garden, don’t miss all the incredible late night shows going on in the City during the run! Check out Our Official Guide To Baker’s Dozen Late-Nights for all the info.

Live For Live Music Phish Baker’s Dozen Run Late-Night Shows

July 21 – The Werks @ American Beauty (tix)
July 21 – The Motet @ BB King Blues Club (tix)
July 20, 21, & 22 – Twiddle @ Irving Plaza (tix) *
July 22 – The Werks @ American Beauty (tix)
July 22 – Circles Around The Sun @ Gramercy Theatre (SOLD OUT)
July 23 – Circles Around The Sun (early brunch show) @ Brooklyn Bowl (tix) #
July 25 – Turkuaz at Irving Plaza (tix) *
July 28 – Dopapod @ Gramercy Theater (tix) *
July 28 – James Brown Dance Party  – 2 Shows @ Highline Ballroom (early tix/late tix) *
July 29 – Dopapod @ Gramercy (tix) *
July 29 – Perpetual Groove @ BB King Blues Club (tix)
Aug 2 – Matisyahu @ The Cutting Room (tix) *
Aug 3 – Greensky Bluegrass w/ Marco Benevento @ Ford Amphitheatre At Coney Island Boardwalk (tix) **
Aug 4 –  “Kraz & Taz” – Eric Krasno Band w/ Brandon “Taz” Niederauer Band @ The Cutting Room (tix)
Aug 5 –  Spafford @ BB King Blues Club (tix)

* (L4LM & CEG Presents)

**(L4LM & Live Nation Presents)

# (L4LM & Brooklyn Bowl Presents)