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: