Gain important tips from the guides and staff at Mountain Trek. Improve your health, wellness and increase weight loss with these helpful tips and ideas.

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There are only TWO BAD FOODS

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Sodas (pop) and artificial sweeteners (Aspartame and Splenda, or Sucralose)

Whoa, did I, as a registered Dietitian just write that? The position statement of both the Dietitians of Canada and of the American Dietetic Association is that Aspartame and Splenda are safe, acceptable sweeteners useful for weight loss. But when we graph the pop/soda consumption in the USA and Canada from 1970 till now, the increases in consumption are a mirror reflection of the increases in body weight and obesity observed in North America’s population.

No other food, product, or habit shows as precise a correlation to our society’s weight gain as soda consumption

Interestingly, diet sodas are the populations’ leading source of aspartame, high fructose corn syrup and now Splenda, or Sucralose.   Regardless of whether diet or regular soft drinks are consumed, the result has been the same – predictable weight gain in the 400 million Americans and Canadians in direct relation to soda consumption.   In research, correlation does not mean cause, however, 400 million people over 40 years of empirical measurements showing this matched, direct relationship is very, very convincing.

Why is this?  It appears that the chemical salts that makeup sodas are the main culprit – they inhibit the ‘detox effect.’

Detox is the successful excretion of various heavy metals, chemicals and the like from fat cells. If we are unable to unload and excrete these things, we maintain a higher fat mass in our bodies.  Thus, soda and artificial sweetener consumption means you maintain more fat mass since you are prevented from excreting the things that help create and maintain the fat cell in the first place. So, regardless of whether or not the soda has calories, the mechanisms of fat storage from sodas are also the result of chemical interference in our fat storage system.

Our advice: avoid sodas of any kind as much as possible.

What is Mountain Trek?

Mountain Trek is the health reset you’ve been looking for. Our award-winning health retreat, immersed in the lush nature of British Columbia, will help you detox, unplug, recharge, and roll back years of stress and unhealthy habits. To learn more about the retreat, and how we can help you reset your health, please email us at info@mountaintrek.com or reach out below:

The Royal Wave

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With all the fanfare of recent days with the Queen of England’s visit to Canada, I watched with interest as she greeted the Canada Day crowds with her Queen’s wave; elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist….which made me giggle as “the wave” here at Mountain Trek  in beautiful British Columbia  has quite the different movement!

One of the key components of  core training is strengthening the pelvic floor. In Mountain Trek terms it’s the wave, in yoga (Sanskrit) Mula Bandha, and in the medical community they are known as Kegels.

What is the pelvic floor?  The pelvic floor has been described as a group of muscles that form a sling from the pubic bone to the coccyx bone.  The pelvic floor muscles support and surround part of the rectum, vagina, uterus, urethra, bladder and the prostrate.

Strengthening the pelvic floor has many benefits.  It can help prevent incontinence as well as stabilize the spine and improve balance and posture which ultimately improves athletic performance.

What can you do to strengthen the pelvic floor?  Do the WAVE; using your breath as the trigger, exhale with a “tuu” sound then contract the pelvic floor muscles by imagining you’re stopping the flow of urine.  Start at the posterior of the anatomy and work towards the anterior (rectal, vaginal. urerthral), hence the WAVE action.  Hold for 5 seconds, then relax for 5 seconds.  Repeat 5 times.  Eventually build up to 5 sets, holding the contraction for 10 seconds each time.   The beauty of this exercise is it can be done anywhere…brushing your teeth, doing the dishes, standing in queue, sitting at your computer……

Elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist….

Cathy, MT fitness director

Getting Good ZZZZZ’s

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If you’re like me, you know when you’ve had a rough night of sleep. I’m usually not on my game, my energy is lower, my temper is shorter and people ask me “Are you tired?” The proof is on my face. Now imagine the impact of nights upon nights of poor or interrupted sleep? Vampires were right when they say that sleep is good for the blood, it’s also prevents heart disease, mental decline and overeating.

There are four stages of sleep, the deepest called REM. This is the deepest stage of sleep and important to experience in order to feel rested when you wake up. Deep sleep is also needed in order for the body to release the human growth hormone (HGH) known as one of the  anti-aging hormones. Benefits of this hormone include increasing lean muscle mass, a balanced weight, and feeling good. No deep sleep, no growth hormone output. Exercise also helps with HGH release, as taught at Mountain Trek.

Tips to help with a good night’s sleep? Turn down the lights a few hours before retiring (this includes no TV watching) as it can be too stimulating. Late night eating can create digestive disturbances, and need we mention caffienated beverages should be avoided?

Reinventing Aging : Reduce or Managing Stress

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Looking for a way to easily reduce stress? Walk into any bookstore and the opportunities are boundless, dozens and dozens of experts expounding research supporting the ill effects of aging. Everything from heart disease to getting fat around the middle to wrinkles is attributed to stress. Looking to accelerate the aging process? Just add stress.

In MT’s last newsletter, a yoga pose was described for restoring and rejuvenating when stress is causing you to lose your cool and calm. The backbone of this pose, actually of all yoga or meditative practices is the breath. If you do one thing, remember to breathe and breathe deeply and slowly. Take 20 seconds now and simply close your eyes and take in those big breaths.

See…feeling more calm and centered instantly. Simple and effective. And it works every time!

Reinventing Aging – Part 1 – Inflammation

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Years ago, I had a discussion with a medical doctor regarding what we thought contributed to cellular breakdown in the body. We both agreed it was chronic high blood sugar as well as constant inflammation in the body. Inflammation occurs as a response to something foreign or broken in the body. Think of your finger when you get a sliver, how immediately the body responds to the area by swelling. This is system is self regulated meaning the inflammatory response will start reactions to stop further inflammation. However, when our bodies are overwhelmed with “irritants” (creating by foods we eat, environments we are exposed to, stress, as well as the ability for our body to detox to name a few), our inflammatory response is continually “on”. It’s like your body is constantly on fire. This adds to tissue breakdown. Tissue breakdown (without adequate repair) can lead to an increase in the aging process ie. increase in wrinkles, longer recovery times, more illness.

Okay, now that we know, briefly, what inflammation is and the problem it can create, what’s the cure? Remember, the body has an amazing capacity to rejuvenate. Lessen inflammation in your body. There’s great references out there that discusses inflammation in great depth (ie. more science), however it comes down to a few simple steps…increase the amount of plants in your diet (colorful food is recommended), reduce processed foods, adopt stress busting strategies which work for you, and make sure you incorporate detox practices weekly.