CONDITIONING!
Prepare your body for the BAND!
It's a workout. No other way to slice it...it's a workout. Long hours, fast movements, breath control to supply your body and for the wind instruments, visuals, being razor sharp and snappy? All of that becomes MUCH much more approachable when your body is properly conditioned. After reading this, if you have any questions, reach out to Mr. Turner or any of your instructors and we got you!
Prepare yourself with (and continue to use) these exercises to put your body in top shape. This will help limit the amount of exhaustion, the potential for injury, and make your showing up and showing out that much more powerful!
Fuel...your...BODY!
The human body is a machine. Take like a car, for example. In order to drive a car, you need gas, good tires, brakes with good pads, fresh oil, plenty of coolant, etc. to keep it running right. The same is said about your body.
Fresh oil/coolant = WATER...in ABUNDANCE! Your body needs fuel, as in food of course, but its LARGEST need is undoubtedly water. Dihydrogen Monoxide! :P About 60% of your entire body is made of up H2O. Without replenishing it, especially when outdoors, in direct sunlight, heat, with physical exertion...you can suffer a lot of bad things. You can suffer from heat exhaustion. You can pass out which leaves you vulnerable to injuries...especially to your noggin! Water is THE most precious resource in becoming and remaining physically fit all day, every day, regardless of your activities. It just becomes 1000x more important when you are putting your body though its paces. DRINK.............WATER..............A LOT! How much do you need at a minimum? Here's some math for you that will tell you how much YOU specifically need: Your weight x .5 = water in ounces you need. So if you weigh 200lbs, you need about 100oz or about 3L of water per day with no exercise. You need to ADD, yes ADD about 12oz for every 30 mins of exercise. Not just being awake but actual exercise. On the field/lot running, marching, learning drill, etc.
Ex. 200lb x .5 = 100oz + (12oz x 1.5hrs) = 118oz or ~3.5L of water!
EASY math! Let's do one more for a marching band specific one. We're at camp for this lol:
200lb x .5 = 100oz + (12oz x 6.5hrs) = 178oz or 5.25L!
DRINK. IT. SLOWLY. THOUGH. Don't pound through 5L of water or something bonkers like that. That can actually do great harm to you. Keep drinking throughout the day and reach that target number by the end of it all. No smashing of water!
If you can, definitely get one of the water buffalo backpacks, like a...well...Waterbuffalo or a CamelBak. Yes, you can march with them at practices and at camp! It also means you have water on demand! #lifehack
Good tires/brakes = PROPER shoes. Tennis/running shoes are 100% the best. DO NOT WEAR CROCS, BOOTS, SANDALS, FLIP FLOPS, HEELS, or anything else other than tennis shoes. Why specifically tennis/running shoes? Because they are designed to support your feet, your knees, your back, heck, even up to your shoulders and neck. No, converse are NOT tennis shoes. They provide zero support at all. Crocs?! NO! Crocs may be "comfy" but they do not support you PROPERLY when walking/running/spending long periods on your feet. Protect your feet and you will be prepared!
Gas = FOOD! For those of you who "skip meals"...we recommend you stop that lol. The path to healthy living, plenty of energy, longevity, and power on-demand is a proper diet. Eating very very little or skipping meals can actually hurt you more than you think. Our bodies were DESIGNED to consume food. When you don't consume food, your body goes in to a "survival mode" where it will try and store anything it can to provide itself with length of life over quality of life. Your body will forgo things like giving you daily energy so that it can protect your vital organs...like your HEART...and your BRAIN! If you are constantly tired at practice, its very likely that you don't have enough fuel. Some of you in other sports might recognize when a coach tells you to "carbo-load" before a game/event. Why? Because your body uses those carbs as energy to perform! Same for marching band.
Simple science lesson. Two types of carbs. Simple and Complex. Complex carbs have complex sugar molecules. They are things like breads, potatoes, bagels, beans, fruits, rice, oatmeal (Google it...there are A LOT of options for you). These are digested more slowly and are a more stable source of energy than simple carbs. Simple carbs are like sodas, donuts, cakes, cookies, chocolate, etc. These have simple sugar molecules and are burned off VERY quickly in your body. They can be good for a quick jumpstart or a faster recovery after an event but they are NOT to be used as a primary source of food. Fuel your body properly!
Workout videos to follow
Now you are fueled up, oil is fresh and doing its job, and you have great tread on those tires. Now its time to tune that engine for the LONG race. Watch these videos and follow along. Do the exercises that are tailored to the needs of a Marching Band. These are some geared exercises to get your body READY for the rigors of the field!
Final side note, VERY important: Also protect said body! SUNSCREEN. WEAR...SUNSCREEN! A fueled and properly conditioned body is great. Severe burns that can lead to TERRIBLE things like skin cancer are easy easy to avoid. Sunscreen. Get on the boat. The Banana Boat...or whatever product you like lol.
Which SPF to use? Use this chart to help you make an informed decision:
