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Abandon the Heels for a Heath Retreat

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Cynthia Dial Alpine Lake

Cynthia Dial shares her health retreat vacation experience at Mountain Trek

Full disclosure:  I was a daily walker, not a hiker.

 

Give me a pair of Jimmy Choo’s with 4 ½ inch heels and the directive to cross Manhattan’s Midtown and consider it done.  But put me in a pair of hiking boots and I’m out of my element… would I be able to keep up, or would I be the “one” out of her league?

The bottom line is I needed a tune-up and was ready to graduate from morning walker to all-day hiker.  However, a statement on the spa’s site sealed the deal: “If you can climb four flights of stairs without stopping and walk on undulating ground for a minimum of two hours, you can do this program.” Sold.

Here, my friends, are the details…

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:

King Kale

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King KaleBy Jennifer Keirstead, Holistic Nutritionist

Kale seems to be the new, up and coming super food. One reason is it’s loaded with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. Kale is a great source of vitamin C, beta carotene (vitamin A) and also contains various B-vitamins. It’s loaded with minerals, including bone-loving calcium and magnesium.  It contains plenty of trace minerals and will provide valuable toxin-busting antioxidants to your diet.

This humble green, leafy vegetable can be found in any grocery store and even better news, grows well in the cooler temperatures of fall and even California winters, so you’ll likely see it fresh and perky, waiting for your purchase, at this very moment.

When shopping for kale, it should be brightly colored and quite firm. Take a pass on kale that’s faded in color and wilted. If it looks yellowish in color, it may mean it was harvested too late. Avoid bunches that have bruised leaves, as this means they’re already slowly decomposing. Remember, leafy greens should always be purchased organic since they’re very vulnerable to absorption of toxic sprays.

Consuming dark, leafy greens like kale on a regular basis can help with gentle, daily detoxification.

How to Use It

Cooked Kale

These greens can be used in any soup, stew, or side dish where you would use Swiss chard or spinach. You can also lightly steam the greens and add a little fresh lemon and sea salt – yum!

Salads
Slice the green leaves as thinly as possible to create the best texture. Kale by nature, is a tough vegetable. Thin slicing makes it easier to consume raw.

Commercial Kale Chips
These chips you increasingly see in the stores are dehydrated at very low temperatures, so they are qualified as a raw food. They make a great snack for adults and kids!

Homemade Kale Chips
Why not make your own? Baked kale chips are quick and easy. Bake only as much as you plan to eat in a sitting as these chips lose their crunch in a few hours. Google “kale chips” and you’ll find plenty of recipes to choose from.

Smoothies
Green leafy vegetables make an excellent addition to your favorite smoothie. Start off by adding just one or two leaves and see if you even notice it. A small handful of kale leaves with the stems removed (or not) boosts the nutrition of any smoothie. Try our Green Goddess Smoothie after your next workout.

Enjoy your kale!

How is Sprouted Grain Bread Different?

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Sprouted Grains

Now you can Have Your Bread and Eat it Too

Sprouted grain bread is becoming increasingly mainstream, and for good reason.

Sprouting is the practice of germinating seeds. This process makes the seeds come to life, as they literally begin to grow little shoots, making their nutrients more digestible.

Whole grains naturally contain valuable vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, and phytochemicals. When grains are sprouted, it makes these valuable nutrients more bio-available; offering more absorbable nutrients.

A wise teacher once told me, “You are what you absorb, not what you eat.”

Dr. Mary Enig explains how sprouted grain breads contain enzymes to effectively break down gluten and other difficult-to-digest wheat components. She notes, that “if you’re diabetic, sprouted breads have a lower glycemic index and won’t cause post-meal blood-sugar levels or blood-fat counts to spike upwards.” Enig also points out that if you’re reducing calories, sprouted wheat breads provide ounce-for-ounce, more protein and nutrition than many pre-packaged, highly-processed “diet foods.”

Sprouted grain differs from other whole grains in 3 important ways:

  1. Sprouting activates live enzymes;
  2. Sprouting increases vitamin content;
  3. Sprouting neutralizes anti-nutrients like phytic acid, which bind up minerals, preventing your ability to fully absorb them.


When examining the nutrient density of sprouted wheat to un-sprouted wheat on a calorie-per-calorie basis, you’ll find that sprouted wheat contains four times the amount of niacin and nearly twice the amount of vitamin B6 and folate compared to un-sprouted wheat. It also contains more protein and fewer starches than non-sprouted grain, making it more suitable for those suffering from blood sugar issues.

As you may already know, we love Sprouted Manna bread at Mountain Trek! Try one of the sprouted grain breakfasts we offer our guests.

 

Letting the Body Heal

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By Jennifer Keirstead, Holistic Nutritionist

Close-up of a woman hiking with poles and backpack

Listen to your body’s cues for health.

Listening for Clues to Health

The body’s ability to heal itself has always amazed me. I suffered from asthma my entire childhood and now I’ve been puffer-free for over 15 years. I attribute my healing to listening to my body’s cues. These are the little, hidden messages that your body gives you and is its way of communicating. My asthma was a clue, a sign of my body’s obvious distress–but I just wasn’t listening.

I had never linked my need for steroid puffers to my food choices.

We all have our own unique needs. Some of the most common barriers to healing I see in my practice are food-related or stress-induced. While inadequate sleep, food allergies, and toxic overload can be contributing factors as well.

Most people suffering from chronic pain and disease are handed a prescription. I believe the self-healing approach to illness involves identifying the cause of the pain; emotional or physical. My experience has been that addressing the cause of the pain at all of the emotional, mental and physical levels brings about the most successful long term results. By addressing the underlying causes, rather than chronically masking the symptoms with medications we allow our body to heal itself.

Taking Time to Heal

There are several approaches one can take to heal themselves naturally. One important component is to remember that true healing takes time.

Begin by seeking out a healthcare professional to help discover what the root causes are. From there, create a day-to-day approach, integrating/removing one thing at a time. This tends to be less intimidating than trying to navigate everything, all at once, on your own.

Symptoms are gifts

Like life itself, our body sends messages to us daily. This feedback conveys valuable information. Listening provides insights and a deeper understanding of ways to improve our own personal health.

Drugs and other medications, which suppress symptoms, can convey a false sense of healing. Then, we may not bother to search for reasons, or to ask “why?” While drugs may certainly have a place for certain cases, pharmaceutical drugs come with their own side effects.

Just think how comforting it is to know and trust in the fact that the body is inherently programmed for healing. But, to let the body do this important work, we must allow it time and we must be patient. We do our part by adopting a sense of trust rather than fear, as we provide for ourselves simple healing balms like good food, rest and sleep, fresh air and sunshine, exercise, as well as a sense of gratitude – as well as enough time and space to connect with ourselves.

“The body is a master at self-healing. Its natural blueprint of healing wisdom is far too complex for us to completely unravel. And, that is good. It allows us to replace fear with trust. All we need is to appreciate that simple nutritional and lifestyle habits attuned to nature can do much to restore and support the body’s inherent harmony and congruency.” –Carol Kenney, Ph.D. in the Science of Natural Health

We can all heal our bodies naturally. The key is to listen to what it needs.

What is Mountain Trek?

Mountain Trek is the health reset you’ve been looking for. Our award-winning retreat, immersed in the lush nature of British Columbia, will help you 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:

Be the Change: 10 Tips for Transformation

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Action expresses priorities.

What do you envision for yourself?

It’s pretty easy to get into a rut – eating patterns, inactivity, stress and lack of adequate rest all settle into a predictable rhythm. Each January, many of us plan to transform our lifestyle, but those high hopes can fizzle.

Here are 10 tips to help you make transformation a reality.

  1. Focus on one or two resolutions instead of many; dividing your mental energy in many directions makes it harder to stay on track.
  2. Choose your focus carefully; take time to sit quietly in a space free of distractions, and have a tool on hand to record your thoughts.
  3. Take time to mull over your resolution wishlist; if you can’t choose just one, begin with them all, and over the course of the month let some fall naturally away so the key ideas can emerge.
  4. Visualize your success; if you want to feel healthy, envision what that will feel like and what some of your new habits will be.
  5. Vow that you won’t stop short of attaining your goal; this can be a personal promise, with the support of friends, or to a higher power but the act of taking a solemn vow has been shown to have real benefits.
  6. Break your resolution into smaller, achievable parts; drink water instead of soda, exercise three times a week and take the stairs instead of the elevator, eliminate processed food from your cupboard are some examples.
  7. Track your progress; a journal or app will make it easier to see progress and strengthen commitment.
  8. Focus on the joy of your new habits instead of missing the old ones; remind yourself of your goal every day to keep it fresh and alive.
  9. Embed at each level; although transformation can take a long time, each step of the way is a new normal. Notice the positive habits that make each place happen and enjoy them.
  10. Celebrate your success! Choose a reward that doesn’t undermine your achievement and share your victory. Some people share in a big way, others might celebrate by taking a beloved dog for a walk.

A change of scenery like a fitness retreat of adventure vacation can be the catalyst for lasting transformation. Above all be kind to yourself as you progress. You might backslide, but bravely face getting started again. You are worth the effort.

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:

Sleep Tips for Beating the Winter Blues

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Sleep better and peacefully

Nothing could impact our health, mood, and vitality more than a good night’s sleep. Without it, we simply can’t function our best.  Less sleep directly compromises our immune system, lowers our stamina, and promotes the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (“SAD”).

Our sleep-wake cycle is regulated by the “drowsiness” hormone melatonin, which is produced by the pineal gland. Melatonin levels are higher in the winter due to decreased sunlight, and without bright morning sunlight, it lingers longer in the morning. This makes it difficult to wake up.

Tips for Regulating Melatonin and the Sleep-Wake Cycle

Keeping your batteries replenished through the darker winter months is achieved by keeping your sleep-wake cycle similar to other times of the year.  Here’s how:

  • Maintain a regular sleep schedule as much as possible, even on the weekends.
  • Try to get as much natural light as possible in the morning hours before 8 am, to help lower melatonin levels.  Sit by the window or go for a morning walk.
  • Use a lightbox for phototherapy to help balance your circadian rhythm and combat SAD. This full-spectrum light can be placed next to your bed and programmed on a timer to get brighter in the mornings, to mimic sunrise. This helps shut off the production of melatonin. However, it’s important to use lightboxes according to the natural pattern of summer sunlight, because too much bright light at the wrong times can result in insomnia. So use them to stimulate dawn (6 am – 8 am) every morning for the duration of the winter.
  • If you take melatonin supplements, do so in consultation with your physician, and take it around 8 pm to avoid staying up too late, and sleeping in too late.
  • Keep active with exercise!  Not only does it release endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine hormones to lift your mood, but tiring your body with healthy exertion will naturally contribute to a restful sleep, and keep your energy levels higher during the day.

Although melatonin is the hormone that regulates hibernation in animals, we don’t have to spend the winter months drowsy and holed up in our houses. You can maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle through the winter, and get out and enjoy the season!

What is Mountain Trek?

Mountain Trek is the health reset you’ve been looking for. Our award-winning retreat, immersed in the lush nature of British Columbia, will help you unplug, recharge, sleep deeply, 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:

Greek Feta and Turkey Stew

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bowl of soup with garnish and napkin

Our Greek Feta & Turkey Stew is the perfect fall lunch recipe. Packed full of protein, fiber, and vitamins, this soup is a great recipe for Thanksgiving leftovers. Use fresh feta atop your stew to add a layer of depth to the flavor profile.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

  • 16-20 oz turkey breast
  • Olive oil
  • ¾ c. onion, diced
  • 1 c. celery, diced finely
  • 4 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 ½ c. zucchini, diced
  • 1 c. grated carrots
  • 2 tbs. minced fresh parsley
  • 1 ½ c. diced Roma tomatoes
  • 3 c. fresh baby spinach
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. oregano
  • 1 pinch black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ c. white wine
  • 4 c. veggie or turkey stock. For added protein and collagen, use turkey bone broth.
  • ¼ c. feta cheese crumbled – 1 Tbsp. per serving

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Rub your turkey breast in olive oil and bake until cooked through (internal temp of 165 F). Meanwhile,
  3. In a large soup pot sauté oil, onions, garlic, celery, oregano, salt, & pepper until onions are translucent.
  4. Add white wine, cook for 5 minutes more.
  5. Add zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, stock, and bay leaf; simmer 45 minutes.
  6. Prior to serving, pull apart turkey breast and add to the stew along with fresh parsley. Remove bay leaf before serving.
  7. Serve topped with feta.

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:

Mother Nature is the Pill for Real Health

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Snowshoeing for Fitness
Guests at Mountain Trek learn about the importance of time spent in nature for good health. Now there is a growing body of evidence showing exposure to nature is the root of good health and wellness. At Mountain Trek, we witness over and over the stress reduction and improved well-being of our guests each day, which contributes to increased fitness and weight loss.

Nature is cheaper and has fewer side effects than medications.

The reason we have our guests spend 5 to 6 hours outside every day is that nature has healing qualities.

The term “Nature Deficit Disorder” was first coined by writer Richard Louv in his book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder”. This book brings together a growing body of research indicating that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development, and for the physical and emotional health of children and adults. Louv directly links the absence of nature in the lives of today’s wired generation to some of the most disturbing childhood and adult health trends: the rise in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. You really can’t dispute his theory; the reduction in stress and an elevated sense of wellness experienced by our guests who spend each day in nature, directly supports his findings.

Many of the Mountain Trek staff have worked as park rangers and wilderness survival instructors, and we’ve noticed over the years how different people are when they are outside.

Ninety percent of our guests live in urban centers and deal with sensory overload on a regular basis.

Sound, visuals, light, movement, and smells are all way too intense in the city and get filtered out and dumbed down to minimize the stimulus. It’s not until at least three days of being in nature 4 hrs per day that the senses reawaken and guests start to hear the birds, notice the wind rustle through the trees and feel it on their skin.

Our findings at Mountain Trek are echoed in an article in Newsweek by Dr. Andrew Weil, on Nature Deficit Disorder that says “the human body was never designed for the modern post-industrial environment.” Weil suggests that the sedentary lifestyle that humans spend indoors, industrial food altered from its natural sources and an unprecedented overload of information and stimulation affect health in the way of depression, reduced physical activity, and overconsumption of processed food.

Spend some time at Mountain Trek and you’ll find your senses reawakening in nature and you’re stimulated to work harder on your fitness goals. Passing wild heather in the mountain alpine, we’ve noticed eyes bulge and hikers get lost in the smell and sensation, ignoring the burning of their thighs. And you just can’t experience that in your office.

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:

Detox Your Mind

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Fed up with the steady onslaught of bad news and anxiety in the world?  With the depressing media stories and global strife which creates worry over things you have no control over, the daily news does not often support a peaceful and relaxed state of mind.

Thanks to technology, bad news is everywhere now, and taking a break from the negativity of it is essential to your health on all levels; physically, mentally and emotionally.  Feeling clear, balanced and good in your life is not just a fanciful memory of way things used to be, but a state of being that with intention, only you can create for yourself.

Along with the fitness and weight loss benefits of vacationing at a Wellness Retreat, the rising trend of “healthy vacations” is answering the need for allowing people to unplug from their stressful lives, the TV and computer, unhealthy habits, and  cram-packed schedules that leaves little time for self reflection and adequate sleep, let alone feeling full of vitality.

Guests Hiking

Detoxification is any process that removes injurious substances from your body.

If you’re regularly being exposed to unpleasant news, or barely manage to juggle an overloaded schedule of too many obligations and deadlines, have you considered taking a detox break from that lifestyle as well?  The effects of these stressors is far reaching, such as skyrocketing Cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which wreaks havoc on your metabolism, immune system and hormones.  And we won’t mention the bad moods, irritability and depression.

If you’re of an age to remember the days before computers, email and smart phones, than part of you longs to return to that way of being, if only for a short while, and if only to remember what it feels like to be yourself again without gadgets, technology and a long list of to-dos.

If you’re feeling overburdened in your body and mind, you’re certainly not alone.  That’s why more people than ever are turning to Fitness Retreats as their answer to distressing, detoxing, losing weight, and unplugging from their busy lives.