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Bedtime Yoga | Best Restorative Poses to Promote Sleep

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Bedtime Yoga

One of the reasons we have difficulty sleeping at night is because we are over stimulated. Our brains are wired to process all incoming information from our five senses to predict the appropriate state for our body’s systems. “Should I be ready? Or should I rest?” These two autonomic nervous system states are called the sympathetic (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic (rest and digest).

Staring at screens and/or hearing loud noises automatically puts us into a state of readiness. This is why it’s so important to shut off our digital devices at least 30 minutes before bed and to follow the other “insomnia busters” we’ve detailed in previous posts. Another way to calm your mind and prepare your body for sleep is to use such tools as relaxation breathing or restorative yoga to promote our parasympathetic system, the state we need to obtain in order to sleep deeply.

Here are the four poses Katya recommends to do in order to prepare your body and mind for a perfect night’s sleep.

Legs up the wall

Legs up the wall pose

Begin by sitting on the floor or the bed with one hip against the wall. Swing both of your legs up the wall as you lay down on your back; your body should form a 90-degree angle with the wall. For increased benefits, slide a firm pillow or yoga bolster beneath your hips. Relax and belly breathe for several minutes.

Supported forward twist

Supported Forward Twist

Sit on the floor and have a firm pillow or bolster nearby. Bend both knees and swing your feet to the left side of your body. Place the bolster to the outside of your right hip extending away from you. Lengthen your spine and twist to the right. Lay your torso along the bolster, resting on one cheek. Breath into the sides of your body for 10 deep breaths. Repeat rotating the opposite way.

Supported child’s pose

Supported Child's Pose

Get onto all fours. Sit back on your heels, separating your knees so that they’re about shoulder-width apart. Place a firm pillow or bolster between your legs extending away from you. Fold forward from the hips, lengthening the belly along the bolster. Rest deeply as you breathe into the back of your body for one minute.

Reclined butterfly pose

Supported-Forward-Twist

Sit on the ground or the bed with several firm pillows or a bolster propped up behind you. Bring the soles of your feet together, allowing the knees to fall outwards. Support the knees if you like with pillows. Lay back on the pillows so that you are at a 45-degree angle. Place a folded towel beneath your neck for support. Place an eye bag over your eyes if you’d like and belly breath for several minutes.

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:

Men’s Health Features Mountain Trek

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Men's Health Feature's Mountain Trek

Men’s Health, one of the most popular men’s magazines and fitness websites in North America, recently featured Mountain Trek in an article entitled “The 7 Best Vacations For Your Body.” The story describes the “science-based program” and then quotes Brandon Mentore, an ACE-certified personal trainer, saying Mountain Trek offers everything you could want in a health and wellness retreat.

“The 7 Best Vacations For Your Body” article was recently published on MensHealth.com along with six other world-renowed health resorts. And of Mountain Trek, Mentore says, “Mountain Trek has one of the best balances of all the things you would look for in a health and wellness retreat. You’re not left to rough it out by yourself.”

The writer of the article, Paige Smith, goes on to say:

“The program manages to feel both like a spa vacation and structured workout camp, but beyond that…the service and support provided by the staff helps you stay on motivated and on track.”

Read Paige’s article: menshealth.com/health/healthy-vacations

Whether you’re a male or a female who’s interested in improving your own health, we recommend you book Mountain Trek and enjoy the amenities that only our all-inclusive resort can offer:

  • complimentary massages
  • delicious boutique spa cuisine
  • natural hot springs
  • infrared sauna, outdoor hot tub and cold plunge pool
  • a luxurious lodge in a natural setting far away from urban stressors

You’re also guaranteed to reach your fitness goals with our program that’s tailored to each individual. You can keep to your own pace but we’ll make sure you get results. We hope to see you soon!

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:

Easy Ways to Digital Detox

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close up of a group of people holding their phones around a table

“Digital detox” is a buzz phrase we’re hearing more of lately but what exactly is it and why should we do it? After all, isn’t technology meant to improve our lives, helping us keep more connected and freeing up time so we can concentrate on other things?

It is true that technology has vastly improved certain aspects of our day-to-day. But our relationship to digital devices is changing at a rapid pace and it’s important to notice the specific impacts on your life. And to do this, we need to take a step back and discuss toxins, detoxifying, and the role of digital media and devices in all of this.

What is Toxic Load?

A toxin isn’t just a form of poison that enters your body. Toxic-load can also be mental or emotional. It is the result of stagnation through repetition. When there is a build-up of patterns that block energy, we become inflamed and constricted – we lose the natural flow state of expansion and contraction. This could be the increasing interruptions from the constant repetitive information signals to our brain from our digital devices. It could be the build-up of bio-waste and chemical compounds in our body due to the repetitive sitting we do, which limits circulation and elimination. Even our social world can become stagnant if we are not going deeper than social media for our heartfelt interactions.

Why is Detoxifying Important?

Detoxifying is the process of supporting a flow state in our whole being. When we take a break from ongoing patterns and habits, we recalibrate and become “lighter of being.” Our mind, body, and emotional states are interconnected. By taking a break from incessant incoming notifications, not only does our mind get a break from vigilance, but our stress hormone cortisol gets a chance to lower; which in turn supports sleep, appetite, and energy levels. When we move our body (ideally 10,000 steps a day), our circulation, lymph drainage and elimination organs (liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, and sweat glands) release waste and unhealthy chemicals. And on an emotional level, having an intimate conversation with someone we trust allows the weight of our concerns to be released.

What’s the Best Way to Digital Detox?

Digital detox goes beyond just spending less time in front of a screen. There are other aspects that can be incorporated to ensure a full detox experience. Here are three easy ways to do it:

  1. Electronic Devices: Shut all electronics down one hour before bed. This will allow your Cortisol to drop and will support better sleep. Take that hour to do some restorative yoga, have an Epsom salt bath, or give and receive a massage, all of which aid in toxin release and deep regenerative sleep.
  2. Move More: It’s not enough to be away from your devices for a while and then just sit there waiting for the chance to check them again. Get up! Dance, walk, skate, swim. Keep the blood pumping, Breath deep. All of this will help your elimination system, decrease inflammation and increase a flow state.
  3. Eat Veggies: It may seem odd to mention food when discussing digital detox but the fact is by eating more vegetables, which contain more fiber and antioxidants, you’re helping your elimination system and supporting a lean and clean body. In other words, the more veggies you eat, the more you’ll want to move around, meet friends in person, get outside, and generally enjoy a fuller life.

Of course, the best way to digital detox is to take a break from your day-to-day life and immerse yourself in nature. Click here to learn more about how Mountain Trek supports digital detox through its program.

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:

10 Tricks to Stick To Your New Year’s Resolutions

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closeup of a person writing on a table

Halfway through January is when most people start falling off the wagon and foregoing all the resolutions they made on New Year’s Eve. But with these 10 easy-to-follow guidelines, you can have a better chance of sticking with your resolutions and watching them become healthy habits you’ll enjoy for a lifetime.

1. Be Specific

Don’t be vague. If you resolve to lose weight, write down your fitness goals. How many pounds do you want to lose? What number of steps will you take in a day? How much more flexible do you want to be? Exactly what do you wish to achieve out of your yoga practice?

2. Be Positive

Not just optimistic. It’s easier to eliminate a bad habit when you replace it with a better one. So, if your resolution involves “no more chocolate bars at work,” make “pack a healthy snack to take to work every day” part of the resolution.

3. Write Down Your Goals

There’s an air of permanence when you write something done. Plus you can review them whenever you want to help stay on track.

4. Hold Yourself Accountable

Tell your friends about your resolution, join or form a like-minded group, score yourself on a chart– whatever works for you to make yourself feel accountable for success and failure.

5. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help

This can be tough for many of us, but when we do ask for help, help comes. Our tasks become easier. What a relief!

6. Allow Yourself a Trial Run and be Flexible

Not every resolution is perfect right out of the gate. Give yourself a two-week or one month trial run to work out the kinks. This allows you to stumble a bit and tweak your goals to something better suited for success.

7. Visualize The End Result

Focus on the carrot, not the stick. If you’re having trouble staying motivated, focus on what you’ll get from your end goal—whether that’s feeling better at a lower weight, being able to impress your friends with your new drumming skills, or just being able to take a deep breath now that you’ve quit smoking. Staying positive seems like common sense, but it can be hard when you’re in the middle of a big plateau.

8. Choose Goals That Are In Line With What YOU Want

Your resolutions should be deeply valuable to you, first and foremost. When we set resolutions that are driven by our desire to please others, we are doomed to fail.

Bad resolution: “My wife thinks I’m lazy, so I resolve to wake up earlier and exercise before work.” Good resolution: “I’ll wake up earlier and exercise before work because it makes me feel great throughout the day.”

9. Learn Something New

Step out of your comfort zone. If your goal is to exercise three or four times a week, take a risk and enroll in a fitness class you’ve never taken before. Or if you want to improve your marriage or partnership, consult with a relationship therapist or life coach.

10. Book A Life-Coaching Session

Whether a professional athlete, career professional, or a professional mom, we all need coaching to be our best. While at our retreat in British Columbia, our caring staff and remote location make it easy to immerse into a genuine health transformation. However, back home, without accountability, it’s easy to fall out of a healthy routine.

Mountain Trek is now offering Balanced Health coaching with our program director, Kirk. If you are struggling to maintain your health back home or feel like you need a partner to work through things and hold you accountable, sign up for a free 30-min consultation to see if Balanced Health coaching is right for you.

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:

Back pain? Read This Before Getting A Back Brace

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woman holding her lower back pain

If you suffer from lower back pain, you may be considering using a back brace for your workout. It’s common to see braces being used in the gym; however, a back brace may be doing more harm than good. 

Nearly 80% of North Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. For many, the injury is triggered by a strenuous activity, like gardening or weight lifting. Others simply bend down to pick up a pencil and their back gives out.

Build Your Core Muscles

Although the pain may have started after gardening or a long workout, it’s likely the cause has been building for years. Most people have weak core stability which leads to poor posture. When going about day-to-day activities with poor posture, over time this puts incredible strain on the back. By simply leaning over incorrectly, pressure can increase on your back by 50%. 

Building strong core muscles helps maintain good posture, takes the pressure off nerves, and reduces back pain. 

At Mountain Trek, we are constantly encouraging guests to engage their core to protect their backs, maintain balance, and increase power. Learn how to strengthen your core muscles to stabilize your body and keep your back pain-free for life.

Should I Use a Back Brace for Workouts?

Unless your doctor or healthcare professional has prescribed a back brace for a back injury, we do not recommend using one for your workout. The brace hinders the muscles that should be providing stability, and over time they can weaken. Prescribed back braces are typically meant to be used sparingly during healing so your body doesn’t become dependant. If you are thinking about using a brace, seek advice from a professional to help build a plan for your long-term health. 

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:

Spafinder Names Mountain Trek Best In Canada

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We're excited to announce Mountain Trek has been named "Best in Canada" in Spafinder's 2016 Global Wellness Travel Awards.

Recently Spafinder announced the results of its 3rd annual WTA awards, which recognize hotels, resorts, destination spas and retreats offering the best wellness vacations and experiences on six continents and in 41 countries. This year, 388 finalists competed for top honors, and consumers cast over 130,000 ballots for their favourite properties, more than twice as many as last year. Mountain Trek Fitness Retreat and Health Spa was recognized as the best health retreat in Canada and was also named #1 in the following categories for Canada:

  • Best for fitness
  • Best for nutrition & healthy cuisine
  • Best for outdoor adventure and activities
  • Best weight-loss program
  • Best for going solo

“This has been a record-setting year for Mountain Trek in terms of the number of awards we've received, which means the benefits of our program and our lodge's incredible setting is truly being recognized," says Program Director Kirkland Shave. “And to be named Best in Canada by Spafinder is such an honour. We pride ourselves that we're a Canadian retreat located in one of the most beautiful areas of the country."

One of the reasons Mountain Trek received the award is because it's a boutique luxury fitness retreat and health spa program that guarantees results for its guests. The dynamic boot-camp-style retreat helps people of all fitness levels literally change their lives while immersed in the breathtaking beauty of British Columbia.

Beginner Workout Mistakes to Avoid

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As the Fitness Director at Mountain Trek, Cathy Grierson receives a lot of questions about exercise: when to do it and how often; what the best techniques are; and how to avoid injury. Recently she received a question that we thought warranted its own post-follow-up as it’s important for most guests of Mountain Trek Fitness Retreat and Health Spa: “What are some common workout mistakes that all beginners should avoid?” Cathy believes this is a big and important subject and so wrote the following in the hopes we can all learn from it.

close up of a person's legs running on a treadmill at mountain trek

Mistake #1: Only Doing Cardio

Many people, particularly women, believe the antiquated idea that cardio will make them slim and strength training will make them bulky. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Building muscle helps to raise your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and create a favorable metabolic environment for fat loss. Plus strength training strengthens our bones, improves our posture, and reduces the likelihood of injury.

close up of a person's legs stretching

Mistake #2: Neglecting the warm-up and cool-down stretch

Jumping right into a vigorous workout without warming up puts you at risk of injury. Instead, take at least 5 minutes to warm up the body, using lower intensity movements that mimic the exercise you are about to perform. Avoid static stretching during the warm-up and instead, use dynamic or moving stretches. Save the static stretches to restore worked muscles to their original length for about 5 minutes post-exercise.

a group fitness class

Mistake #3: Forgetting About Fun

It’s really hard to stay dedicated to something that you don’t enjoy. Thankfully, there are endless modes of exercise and there’s certain to be something out there that you will enjoy. Keep your expectations realistic. You do not need to be an iron-pumping bodybuilder or a marathon runner in order to reap the benefits of exercise. Think about the things you like and start with that. Is it music? Being outdoors? Spending time with friends? Build those things into your workouts to add some fun!

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:

7 Tips to Help You Sleep Better

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Sleep. It’s Not Just a Guilty PleasureEdit Entry

There are few things that feel better than getting a good night’s sleep. And few things worse than lying in bed with insomnia when we have an early meeting the next day. In fact, as we get older, getting deep, restful nights of sleep begins to take priority over a night out of socializing.

There’s a good reason for this. Not the passive state many people once considered it to be, sleep is now known to be a highly active process during which the day’s events are processed and energy is restored.

Sleep is an integral factor in living a well-balanced and healthy life— one full of vitality. Most studies show that the average human needs between 7 and 9 hours. And science is increasingly showing us that sleep deprivation and poor sleeping habits affect both our body’s AND our brain’s ability to function properly. Want to function at peak capacity and your memory to serve you? You want your sex life to be full of vitality? Then sleep better! Below is a list of common sleep problems and ways to fix them and sleep better. At Mountain Trek we call these tips “Insomnia Busters” and they are core to the success of the guests at our award-winning health retreat.

Common Sleep Problems

Snoring

Weight is usually the main cause of snoring so shedding excess fat around the neck will stop extra pressure being put on the airways.

Sleep Apnea

Apnea is caused by the same muscles that cause snoring. It occurs when the muscles of the soft palate at the base of the tongue and the uvula (the small fleshy piece of tissue hanging back of the throat) relax, partially blocking the opening of the airway. However, sleep apnea is more dangerous than snoring in that it alters normal breathing patterns.

Insomnia

A prolonged and usually abnormal inability to obtain adequate, uninterrupted sleep. Symptoms may include having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early in the morning, feeling unrefreshed. The consequences are unpleasant, leaving sufferers feeling exhausted, irritable, and unable to concentrate on simple tasks.

Restless Leg Syndrome

a tingling, itching sensation, and unexplained aches and pains in the lower limbs.

A recent study in the journal Sleep shows that one night of sleep deprivation is associated with signs of brain tissue loss. In addition, a brain imaging study from the University of California, Berkeley, showed that a night of sleep deprivation affected the brain’s decision-making and reward areas, and also led to study participants craving higher-calorie foods. Writing in the journal Science, University of Rochester scientist Maiken Nedergaard describes how during sleep, cerebral spinal fluid is pumped around the brain, flushing out waste products like a biological dishwasher. She believes that this cleaning process is more active during sleep because it takes too much energy to pump fluid around the brain when we’re awake.

7 Ways To Sleep Better, Naturally

1) Develop a routine

Regularly go to bed early (9 or 10 pm) and get up 8 hours later (even on weekends). This helps set your internal sleep-wake clock and reduces the amount of tossing and turning required to fall asleep. It also helps counteract the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

2) Exercise

Doing some form of aerobic exercise 3 to 5 times a week will improve your sleep. But make sure you do your exercise several hours before bedtime so you’re not revved up.

3) Change your diet

Cut out food and drinks that contain caffeine—such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate—by late afternoon. Make dinner your lightest meal and finish it a few hours before bedtime. Skip spicy or heavy foods, which can keep you awake with heartburn or indigestion. Eat magnesium-rich foods like fish, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens.

4) Cut out the nightcaps

Alcohol disrupts the pattern of sleep and brain waves that help you feel refreshed in the morning.

5) Turn down the heat

A temperate room gets you a better sleep than a tropical one, we recommend keeping the room temperature at 65°F or 18°C. Striking a balance between the thermostat, your blanket, and your sleeping attire will reduce your core body temperature and help you drift off to sleep.

6) Make your bed a No-Work-Zone

Your bed is for sleep and sex—not work, food, or TV. If you wake up during the night, skip turning on your computer or TV and do something soothing like meditating or reading until you feel sleepy again.

7) Cut out the gadgetry

Turn off your TV, computer, phone, iPad, and video game at least an hour before bedtime. Light from these devices stimulates the brain, making it harder to wind down for sleep. You can also download the free software F.lux to your various devices and it makes the color of your computer’s display adapt to the time of day: warm at night and like sunlight during the day.

If you’re still curious about how to improve your sleep, contact us below, or come visit us for a week of unplugging, resetting, and sleeping deeply.

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 sleep retreat, and how we can help you reset your health, please email us at info@mountaintrek.com or reach out below:

You Deserve To Reward Yourself – Seriously

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woman laying on a massage table in a spa

In our modern-day society, it can be seen as selfish to reward yourself, and yet this action is important to build healthy habits. To achieve your long-term wellness goals, it’s imperative you treat yourself regularly. The behavioral psychologist that helped us build Mountain Trek’s Habits To Health app says we should all be rewarding ourselves at least once a week. After all, we deserve it! 

Life isn’t supposed to be all work and no play. At Mountain Trek, we encourage everyone to let loose occasionally otherwise our day-to-day can become too stressful. Have that glass of wine on a Saturday night. Treat yourself to that 90-minute massage. As long as you ensure your “rewards” don’t become unhealthy habits then indulge! In fact, we believe that as hard as you’re working to accomplish your health goals, it’s just as important to be rewarding yourself for your effort to do your best.

Reach Your Goals With Positive Reinforcement

Treating yourself is important – even if you don’t achieve your health goals right away. When we reward ourselves for doing our best, we support the journey to our success. Rather than punishing ourselves for failing along the way, we can celebrate the intentions to do our best.

Building a new habit or breaking a bad habit can be hard. That’s why it’s important to keep perspective and to give yourself a little treat, a kind of pat on the back if you will, just for staying the course.

How to Treat Yourself

Rewards can be anything positive, as long as they don’t involve sweets or salty indulgences. Here are a few of our favorite types of rewards, but the sky’s the limit!  

  • Get a massage
  • Sleep in on Sunday
  • Treat yourself to a manicure or pedicure
  • Make a wildflower bouquet for yourself
  • Indulge in a hot bath with Epsom salts and essential oils
  • Attend a local art exhibition
  • Take a class in something you’ve always wanted to try
  • Buy some new, quality bed sheets

For more ideas and to learn how to incorporate rewards into an overall health and wellness strategy, feel free to reach out about our balanced health and wellness program.

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: