Tips & Advice

Get Tips and Advice from the guides at Mountain Trek. Nutrition, Hiking, Sleep, Detox and Fitness are just some of the topics we cover.

3 Ways To Show Yourself Some Love This Valentine’s Day

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Show yourself some love this valentine's day

Romantic candlelit dinners with that special someone, heart shape boxes of chocolates from a secret admirer, mailing red and pink envelopes to loved ones…seems to us that Valentine’s Day is all about showing others we care, but what about ourselves?

We thought it high time that in addition to all the romantic gestures we will do for others this February 14th, that we do some truly loving gestures for ourselves, too!

Here are 3 ways to show yourself some love this Valentine’s Day:

1. Get yourself some flowers

Don’t wait for him or her to do it, when was the last time you bought yourself flowers? Research shows, that beyond the numerous health benefits of being in nature, bringing a little nature into the home has many of the same effects. A study by Kansas State University compared patients in the recovery wing of a hospital; those who had plants or flowers in their rooms, and those who did not. Patients in rooms with plants requested less pain medication, showed lower blood pressure and heart rate, experienced less anxiety, and were released from the hospital sooner. And, since most of us are in the middle of winter, that added vitality and pop of color inside may be just the ticket.

Buy yourself flowers

Related Article: 14 Ways To Pamper Yourself This Valentine’s Day

2. Spa treatment

At the day spa or in your own home and bathrobe, give yourself the deluxe treatment. Engage in a full-body dry-brushing. Draw a bath, and using your favorite relaxing essential oils (i.e. lavender, chamomile, rose), have a de-stress soak. Use pure oils to moisturize afterward, leaving yourself dewy and baby soft. Include a detox sauna, if you have access to one. Get or give yourself a facial / face massage. Get a full body massage or give yourself a hand and foot massage (elbows can be helpful here), spending some real-time on every part of your hardworking hand/foot. Besides offering release and relaxation, many spa treatments have numerous health benefits, including improving circulation, immune system function, and sleep quality, stimulating the lymphatic system, reducing depression and anxiety, and the benefits go on.

Enjoy a spa treatment

3. Do something you enjoy

This may seem like a simple one, but really, in the everyday scheme of things, when do we make the time for ourselves to do one of those things we really love that truly recharges our batteries? Schedule an appointment with yourself, and keep it like a real appointment, no interruptions (after all, your time is valuable), and have guilt-free you-time. A time for you to pick up that novel you’ve been dying to sink your teeth into, try that new yoga studio you’ve been meaning to get to, refurbish that beautiful old chair you bought last year, write poetry. Whatever it is you truly enjoy and will leave you feeling relaxed, and fulfilled.

Do something you enjoy

With this inspiration, we hope that you feel the love from everyone around you, including yourself – maybe not just today, but year-round! Happy Valentine’s day, from all of us at Mountain Trek!

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:

8 Tips to Manage Temptations during the Holidays

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christmas holiday decorations

It’s impossible not to indulge, and in many cases, overindulge in all the treats on display around you during the holidays.

Absolutely everywhere you go – from office parties to dinners at your in-laws, there are juicy, buttery, sugary food items tempting you. It can be challenging to stop the parade of plump turkeys, Swiss chocolates, endless eggnogs, mountains of mashed potatoes, and seasonal micro-brew ales from sliding down into your warm, inviting belly. Heck, you’ve worked hard all year; you deserve some downtime and a few treats. After all, food and festivity is the essence of the holidays.

Related Article: How To Stay Healthy During the Holidays

But there is a way to enjoy all the deliciousness that the season has to offer, without gaining 10 pounds of excess weight and guilt along the way.

Here at Mountain Trek, we’ve come up with some simple, effective tips to help you avoid the dreaded overindulgence, while still having fun and enjoying the festive season.

8 Tips to Manage Temptations during the Holidays

1. Keep exercising

You don’t need to maintain the same schedule as you did throughout the rest of the year, but you don’t need to stop exercising altogether as well. Often you’ll find you do have some extra time over the holidays, try snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, jogging or to a yoga class. Ask your relatives to go for a walk with you. That way you’re getting some exercise and so is your favorite uncle.

2. Stick to your regular meal times

Healthy snacking is good but it’s easy to eat full meals at every party you attend. Try eating dinner at one party and then a few hours later, desert at another party. Spreading out your meals will mentally help you to avoid overindulging.

3. Make healthy food choices

With all the delicious treats around you it’s easy to forget about vegetables, salads and fruit. And if you’re the one doing the cooking, try using fresh, lean, organic ingredients. Instead of frying, grill your food. And remember, there is a host of low-fat, vegetarian and vegan dishes (including desserts) that can compliment the usual turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoe dinners.

4. Leave what you don’t want

Despite what our parents may have instilled in us as children, don’t feel obliged to clear your plate. When you’re feeling 80% full, stop eating. Simple as that.

5. Budget your food choices

If you can’t stop yourself from overindulging on turkey and stuffing, then skip the ice-cream and apple pie.

6. Be mindful of your alcohol intake

Remember, drinks have calories too. Alcohol can make you hungry and weaken your ability to say no to overindulging. Alcohol is a depressant and can add to feelings of stress or sadness, thus leading you to make poor food choices. And if you drink too close to bedtime it can interfere with getting a good night’s sleep.

7. Stay strong

Be assertive. Don’t feel as though you have to say yes to everyone that offers you food and drink. If you are not hungry, then politely say so. Do not let yourself be bullied by your auntie or grannie, into eating something that you really don’t want.

8. Don’t over schedule yourself

While this may not necessarily stop you from overindulging, it will help you to focus on what’s most important about the holiday season–spending quality time with loved ones. And remember, everything in moderation.

Happy holidays from everyone at Mountain Trek!

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:

Healthy Gift Guide: 6 Gift Ideas to Support a Healthy Lifestyle

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a mug mittens thermos and gift box in the snowIt can sometimes be a challenge to get that special someone just the right gift, never mind a gift that promotes well being! We’ve thrown together a few gift ideas that are easy to incorporate into your healthy lifestyle. These are sure to inspire your loved ones to embrace wellness too.

Gift Ideas For a Healthy Lifestyle

Re-useable Containers

What could have previously been thought of as an unexciting present, is now the catalyst to healthy snacking and meals throughout the day! A Tupperware set will provide lots of little pots, perfect for your cut up veggies, nuts, and dips. We recommend ‘Her Lunch Set’  by  Tupperware. A thermos is also a great idea to bring a low calorie, highly nutritious and warming meal on the go.

Nordic Trekking poles

Nothing says “join me on a hike” like a set of trekking poles. With that added support while hiking, and added calories burned from their use, these are a great gift for any hiker; from seasoned to novice. We recommend poles with shock absorbing springs.

Fitness balls, mats, and bands

Get into the fitness groove with the help of some simple, inexpensive, yet super effective exercise equipment!

Aromatherapy and healing salts

What better way to wind down from the day than a bath with oh-so relaxing lavender oil and Himalayan healing salts? Engaging in these relaxing rituals can help put us in a frame of mind that takes us away from stressors, and ready for a restful night’s sleep. You could even get your giftee an essential oil diffuser, allowing the aroma to better fill their space.

Spa Voucher

Who wouldn’t love a trip to the local spa for a relaxation massage or detoxifying infrared sauna?

Wellness retreat

You could of course go all out, and get that special and deserving someone the gift of a rejuvenating retreat at Mountain Trek! What better gift than getting to feel your absolute best!

Supporting each other on this journey towards vitality and continued wellness is so much easier, and so much more fun when we can be engaged together. Give the gift of facilitating health and wellness this holiday 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, 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:

Embracing an Attitude of Gratitude

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thank you written in tiles on a wooden table with a hand holding a heart tile

A steaming hot mug of peppermint tea. Sharing a good laugh with your best friend on the phone. Going for a hike on a crisp, clear, fall day. Thanksgiving; a time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for! But is putting gratitude on the calendar one day a year enough to embrace this attitude?

In a recent study, two groups of people were asked to journal 5 things each day over a two week period: group one, 5 things for which they were grateful, and group two, 5 things that were a hassle. The benefits for those who jotted down their daily appreciation were clear. These grateful people showed more alertness, optimism, enthusiasm, energy, and determination. They showed lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels, lower blood pressure, and reported less depression, better sleep, and a higher likelihood of achieving personal goals. Not to mention the positive impact on the way they think and feel! In essence: expressing gratitude regularly contributes to overall happiness in a big way.

Seems like recognizing our blessings is a worthwhile activity! But how can we go about feeling and showing our thanks? Here are some simple ideas to get your attitude of gratitude flowing.

How to Make Space for Gratitude

Gratitude Journal

Just like Oprah suggested way back when, get yourself a journal, and as a great addition to your morning or evening ritual, jot down 5 (or more!) things for which you are grateful. This gratitude can be for ANYTHING, big or small! Your loving partner, the particularly delicious apple you ate earlier, existence, the kind smile from the old lady in the line up at the grocery store, anything. If you’re short on time, this needn’t be a hassle – keep a small notebook with you, and in those in between moments when you’re waiting for your dentist appointment or your daughter’s Judo lesson to wrap up, make that time count by writing some notes of thanks.

Gratitude Rock

A gratitude rock is a small keepsake or memento, and the idea is that when you touch it or see it, you take a moment to feel gratitude and say thanks. You can keep it in your pocket, your purse, in the console of your car, the table in your entranceway where you drop your keys when you walk in the door, anywhere that works. And of course, this doesn’t need to be an actual rock! It can be a small figurine, your key chain, anything that works for you to initiate those thankful thoughts.

Consistently acknowledging and appreciating the people who make a difference in our lives

Sometimes we feel gratitude towards someone for doing a special something for us, or just for being who they are. Instead of keeping this feeling within, why not take a moment to express this gratitude, and let them know we appreciate their presence? As William Arthur Ward said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” This can be in the form of a phone call, a quick email or text, or even taking the time to write a thank you note or card. And by the way, acknowledging the people who make a positive impact in our lives includes appreciating yourself!

It seems as though we could all benefit from counting our blessings and adopting an attitude of gratitude! So, as we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, what are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving from Mountain Trek!

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:

Cathy Grierson, BPhEd

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Cathy has developed a fitness program at Mountain Trek that complements the hiking intensive. Her positive, upbeat manner inspires and motivates our guests; she is a true role model. For 25 years as a certified hiking guide, the outdoors have been her “office” where she has worked as a park ranger, an Outward Bound instructor, an avalanche technician, ski patroller, rappel forest fire fighter and a Wilderness First Aid instructor. On the trail or in the gym, Cathy’s vitality and vigor are contagious.

 

Melanie Robin

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Melanie Robin Guest Services2

The newest member of the Mountain Trek Team is Guest Services Coordinator, Melanie Robin. After receiving her M.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Ottawa, Melanie set out to explore all the world had to offer.

Before deciding to settle down in the Kootenays, she spent three years in New Zealand where she worked in guest services roles for various hotels, as a marine tour guide, and even a sailor.

Melanie brings her sense of adventure, an infectious love of outdoor activity, and a finely tuned sense of warm hospitality to her new role here at Mountain Trek.

In her spare time she can be found hiking the local trails with her partner and two dogs… rain or shine or snow. Because, in Melanie’s words, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes!”

JENN KEIRSTEAD, RHN, BA Psych

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You’ll always eat your veggies after you’ve spent some time with Jenn! Her whole hearted approach to food and diet is both passionate and inspiring. Jenn has been practicing and teaching about the healing qualities of whole foods for the last decade. With a background in psychology and nutrition, she delves deep into diet, lifestyle and emotional aspects of food, offering insightful and practical changes that garner huge results.

Although Jenn grew up in a swimming pool, competing all over Canada, she’s most at home experimenting with food from her garden and pursuing backcountry adventures with her dogs.

Anna Topf

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Energetic and passionate about health and fitness, Anna has been working in the field of wellness for over 10 years. Anna has taught yoga for many years and has spent the last seven working as a kinesiologist in exercise therapy. She is a Medical Exercise Specialist, (MES) and a Certified Chek Exercise Coach. The Chek philosophy focuses on finding your body’s potential through core strength and posture, a perfect complement to Mountain Trek’s program of integrated health. Anna spends most days outside hiking, biking and playing in the dirt.

Katya Hayes

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katyaresize

Katya Hayes has been a dedicated yoga teacher for 15 years. She owns her own studio, and teaches classes ranging from gentle yoga for beginners to Power Vinyasa. Katya became the first western woman to receive certification by the International Korean Yoga Association. She has studied the ancient teachings of yoga and Buddhism and the traditions of Iyengar, Ashtanga and Vinyasa flow. For 12 years, Katya has been one of our primary yoga instructors and has produced a DVD entitled “Anywhere Yoga – A Gentle Practice” for everyday living. Katya spends her free time exploring the wonders of the mountains with her three children, husband and small, super dog.