Improving your personal health may mean the need for weight loss. Get advice, program ideas and activities From Mountain Trek to make you a weight loss success story.

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Delta Sky Magazine Features Mountain Trek

Delta Sky Magazine

Delta Airline’s popular inflight magazine Sky has featured Mountain Trek in its most recent issue. Called “Getting Back on Track,” the article describes writer Susan B Barnes’s experience attending a one-week fitness program at Mountain Trek’s lodge near beautiful Nelson, British Columbia.

The Health Reset I Needed

The story appears in the September 2016 issue of the monthly Sky magazine that’s published by Delta, which flies into Spokane, the closest US airport to Mountain Trek. (A free airport shuttle is provided for guests arriving by air.) In the article, Susan mentions why she decided to enroll in the program in the first place:

“After months of indulging much to much while traveling, I had made the decision to get my fitness and eating routines back on track and was confident that the Mountain Trek program – the only mountain-based hiking, fitness and weight loss program in North America–would whip me into shape.

“Most of our time during the weeklong stay was spent on the nearby hiking trails, some of which took us into provincial parks and all of which presented challenges over the three- and four-hour-long daily hikes. The scenery was stunning— secluded forests, creeks carving through rock formations hundreds of feet below, glacial-fed lakes—but the hiking was intense and we didn’t linger to admire the sights. After all, we were there to work—hard.”

Susan goes on to say that “At the end of my week, I felt stronger and healthier than I had in quite a while. My cardio stamina increased. I was happy, well-rested and invigorated. And, as a bonus, I lost eight pounds.”

To read Susan’s article in its entirety, download the PDF of it here: Delta-Sky-Mountain-Trek-article

Whether you’re a resident of BC or a visitor, 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:

Should You Eat Breakfast? Our Nutritionist Vs. The New York Times

A recent New York Times article cited a study published this year by James Betts, an associate professor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Bath in England, stated there is “no difference in weight change…between people assigned to eat breakfast for six weeks and those assigned to skip it.”

The article went on to say, “Dr. Betts said that, unlike randomized trials, observational studies of breakfast consumption could be misleading. They show, for example, that people who eat breakfast also follow other behaviors associated with good health. They tend to drink and smokeless, consume less sugar, eat more fiber and exercise more than those who skip a morning meal.”

The premise of the article raised some flags for us here at Mountain Trek because one of the main beliefs at our award-winning health retreat is that eating breakfast within thirty minutes of waking is essential. Doing so helps kickstart your metabolism and gives your body the energy it requires throughout the day. So, we sat down with Mountain Trek’s nutritionist Jennifer Keirstead to review the article and report carefully and then discussed the factors the study was missing and whether breakfast is, in fact, good for you.

You’ve had a chance to read the New York Times article. What was your first impression?

I was really surprised. I know there’s a movement right now with “Bulletproof” coffee which encourages people to put two tablespoons of coconut oil or grass-fed butter in their coffee every morning and that’s supposed to act as their breakfast and boost their metabolism. That concept, as well as the concept of skipping breakfast entirely, goes against a lot of what we teach at Mountain Trek.

What would be your retort to this article?

From a common-sense aspect if you start your day with a healthy meal it sets the stage for the rest of the day. I hear time and time again from our guests that when they skip breakfast and just end up picking at sugary things and jacking themselves up with caffeine and coffee it leads to over-eating later in the day when you’re less likely to burn those calories off.

So breakfast is important?

Absolutely, for those reasons I’ve already mentioned but also for metabolism. At Mountain Trek, we encourage people to balance their hormones to support their metabolism and by eating breakfast they can boost their anabolic (their good, calorie-burning) metabolism by 15% because it helps keep cortisol levels down which is that stress hormone that leads to catabolic hormonal responses. By keeping that cortisol hormone down it’s a way of communicating to the body that, “I’m going to feed you and look after you and you don’t have to go into that famine response when you store and hold calories and you’ll have sustained energy throughout the day.”

Perhaps the study cited by the Times needs to be put into better context?

I read the New York Times often and some of my favorite writers and health experts write for them. I guess I just don’t agree with the idea of this particular story that not eating breakfast is going to benefit someone’s weight and overall health long term. Also, the question needs to be asked, what are the people in the study consuming instead of breakfast? Just coffee? Caffeine has a dramatic effect for a third of the population by increasing their cortisol levels. For another third of the population, it suppresses appetite, which people might think is great for dieting but really if you’re suppressing your appetite in the morning when you’re metabolism is its highest you want calories coming in at the earlier part of the day because you’re more likely to burn them off than eating a late lunch and a huge dinner before bedtime.  And finally, caffeine affects a third of the population and their ability of insulin to unlock glucose and stabilize sugar. So we believe there are different negative effects caffeine has on people and if that’s all you’re having for breakfast and you’re not taking in whole foods then there’ll be long-term impacts.

So it sounds like this article and the report aren’t telling the whole story.

Yeah, it’s taking a snapshot and showing a small portion of people who didn’t gain weight when they skipped breakfast for six weeks. But what it’s not showing is the quality of life and energy levels after that time period. Your energy levels are going to drop when you skip meals and that’s going to affect your thinking. You won’t be as productive at work. You won’t have the energy to do that brisk walk around the park at lunchtime.


What is Mountain Trek?

Mountain Trek is an award-winning health retreat immersed in the lush nature of British Columbia. Our one or two-week program—featuring daily hiking, yoga, exercise classes, time in our state-of-the-art spa, and of course, delicious, healthy cuisine—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:

Mountain Trek Is The Perfect Bachelorette Destination Say 2 Writers

Friends-hiking-together

Mountain Trek has been featured in two articles recently that describe our health program as the perfect fitness-focused destination for brides-to-be. In her recent JetSetHerBlog.com article, Jamie Gaul writes that you’ll leave your bachelorette party at Mountain Trek “feeling like a new woman” and Alison Lewis writes in her HealthyTravelMag.com article that Mountain Trek is “the perfect retreat just before the big day!” Both place a spotlight on the hiking and how brides and their bachelorette parties can get fit before the big day, rather than derail all their hard work.

In her article Gaul writes, “Every time I get a wedding invite, I know a bachelorette party is in store and that means too much wine, too much food and a week-long hangover. Bachelorette parties don’t have to derail all the hard work you’ve done to get your wedding day bod. These locations are fun, relaxing and have your wellness in mind. So long, Vegas!”

Gaul then goes on to describe Mountain Trek saying, “A true backcountry experience, Mountain Trek offers the bride-to-be and her bridal party a dynamic ‘boot camp’ vacation. Yes, I know bootcamp and vakay aren’t exactly synonymous but trust me, you’ll emerge from this bachelorette party feeling like a new woman. Set in spectacular natural landscapes, guests spend time hiking, practicing yoga, indulging massage therapy and have access to a variety of fitness, detox and nutrition classes Average weight loss for a one week program ranges from 4.5 – 6.5 lbs per week for women. You may even need your wedding dress taken in after this trip!”

In her article entitled “Health Inspired Bachelorette Destinations” Alison Lewis writes, “Set in the most spectacular natural landscapes, (Mountain Trek) guests are treated to an ultra personalized program and spend time focusing on activities including hiking, yoga, massage therapty, detox treatments and a variety of fitness and nutrition classes.”

Mountain Trek has hosted many groups of women throughout the years and we even wrote our own article about “Why Mountain Trek is the Perfect Girls Getaway.” Here are just a few of the reasons why a healthy bachelorette party at Mountain Trek is such a good idea:

  • Spend some much-needed time with your friends away from all the distractions of your daily lives
  • Enjoy the world-famous hotsprings five minutes from our lodge
  • Lose weight before putting on that wedding dress and look beautiful on your big day
  • Learn healthy habits that will stay with you long after you leave our luxurious lodge
  • Have a guaranteed support network when you get home

To see Jamie’s story in its entirety, please click this link: Bachelorette Destinations Inspired by Health, Not Hangovers. And to see Alison’s story, please click here: Health Inspired Bachelorette Destinations.

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Yoga For Weight Loss

Yoga Instructor Sage Leboutan

One of the best features of the Mountain Trek Lodge in British Columbia is the beautiful, large yoga studio with a wall of windows that look out over Kootenay Lake and the Purcell mountain range. It’s easy to spend time in that room yet many guests ask us why it is we do gentle yoga every morning before we head out hiking for the day.

3 Reasons Why Yoga Benefits Health

  1. Yoga limbers up our bodies and gets them ready for a day’s worth of outdoor activity.
  2. When combined with intentional breathing, yoga helps to calm the mind and allows you to start the day with intention: it’s easy to put your work and home cares aside and just concentrate on you.
  3. And finally, we do yoga for weight loss.

Yes, that last one’s correct. Yoga actually helps with your weight loss program. This may surprise many people because yoga is such a gentle, slow, methodical experience and it’s not as obvious a fat flush activity as Cathy’s evening cardio fitness regime. Yet yoga for weight loss is a key component of the Mountain Trek program because it’s integral to moving your body and boosting your metabolism.

Who does yoga?

Yoga For Weight Loss – How Does It Work?

Metabolism is the rate at which your body uses energy and burns calories. You can learn more about it in our blog post about metabolism but, in short, it describes the process of serving our body’s energy needs – if we’re expending a lot of energy (high metabolism) then we’re burning up the calories we’re consuming. And, in the case of Mountain Trek’s program, we’re rebooting the body’s metabolism and not only burning calories consumed each day, but also energy stored in our fat cells.

In other words, by waking up and doing a 45-minute gentle yoga session, we’re getting our bodies to move immediately and boosting our metabolism so that we start burning calories. We then maintain that movement throughout the day so that by the end of your stay at Mountain Trek, your metabolism is functioning at a higher level and you’re burning more calories on a daily basis.

To tell us more about yoga for weight loss and, specifically about Mountain Trek’s yoga program, we spoke with Sage Leboutan who is our resident kinesiologist as well as a yoga instructor and guide. She grew up in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia (where Mountain Trek’s lodge resides) and, in between getting her Degree of Kinesiology from UBC in Vancouver, she taught yoga in Central and South America.

Mountain Trek Yoga Instructor Sage

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us Sage. How long have you been doing yoga and why did you get into it?

I have been practicing yoga for 8 years, originally I started in my first year of university for stress and weight management. It was my 1.5 hours / day I used to unwind and connect to myself.

Is yoga for everyone?

Can anyone do yoga?

Yes, definitely anyone can do yoga regardless of shape, size or experience level. What’s most important is an open mind and willingness to try.

Nowadays there are so many different styles of yoga to choose from; including chair yoga which is suitable for people with reduced mobility or suffering from injury.

Yoga at the Mountain Trek Lodge in British Columbia

What type of yoga is offered at Mountain Trek?

At Mountain Trek we offer ‘Hatha’ yoga. The sequence is designed to specifically target sore, tight muscles from all the hiking we do every day. It begins with gentle stretches lying or sitting on the mat and gradually builds. Guests find themselves in standing positions partway through the class and then it finishes with a cool down gentle stretch and a “savasana” – lying on your back, breathing deeply and letting all your muscles relax.


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:

Review Magazine Features Mountain Trek

lodge at mountain trek in british columbia

Mountain Trek has been featured in Review Magazine’s “Exercise Escape” article. Writer Leigh Doyle interviews our program director, Kirkland Shave, and discovers why more people are turning away from beach lounging and choosing instead to “unwind at fitness retreats to kick-start healthy new habits.”

In the interview, Kirkland is quoted as saying that people, typically urban professionals, visit Mountain Trek because “they want to change their body look and feel because that’s a visceral experience that their lives are back on track.”

The article goes on to detail the experience of a Mountain Trek Alumni guest named Jean Aldridge, who’s a financial planner in Orange County, California. She attends Mountain Trek every six months because:

It gives “her insights into how to make her day-to-day life healthier, and it also helped her lose about 10 pounds…it even helped keep her active after she returned home. She added more Pilates classes to her schedule, began walking after dinner and used her infrared sauna more regularly. She’s watched the extra weight disappear and, months later, has kept it off.”

Mountain Trek has good company in the piece as The Ashram in California and the Men’s Fitness Boot Camp Vacation in Florida are also listed. But unlike the other spas and resorts, Mountain Trek’s program guarantees fat loss, while also targeting sleep habits, improved fitness levels, and detoxification.

Writer Leigh Doyle goes on to say in the article, “For people looking to lose some weight, a week-long fitness vacation can get the ball rolling…it can kick-start motivated individuals into making serious changes by showing them how regular exercise, proper eating, and dedicated de-stress time can do the body good.”

Enjoy the amenities that Mountain Trek Fitness Retreat and Health Spa offers:

  • complimentary massages
  • delicious 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

To see Leigh’s story in its entirety, click this link: Mountain Trek Featured in Review Magazine


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:

5 Ways Alcohol Hinders Weight Loss

a glass of white wine

No single food item affects humans in so many varying and differing ways than alcohol. How it affects you specifically depends on genetics, diet, gender, potential ‘sensitivity’ to it, and your habits.

While enrolled in the Mountain Trek program, we ensure our guests avoid alcohol to help with detoxification and weight loss. That’s not to say we recommend completely avoiding alcohol altogether! But it’s important to get to know its impact on your body in order to make good decisions about when you do decide to have a drink.

To that end, below are five ways alcohol hinders weight loss.

1. All Alcohol Is Full of Calories

At seven calories per gram, alcohol supplies almost twice as many as protein and carbohydrates. In fact, alcohol has only two fewer calories than fat, which has nine per gram. It must also be remembered that the calories in alcohol lack the nutrients beneficial for a healthy metabolism and will therefore hasten fat storage.

The calories found in the average alcoholic drink are quite concentrated compared to many foods, and this actually causes one to inadvertently take in many more calories than would otherwise be consumed. Alcoholic drinks also contain calories from other sources, which add to overall caloric intake. Certain cocktails, for example, contain fats. Wine and beer both have high carbohydrate content. Although the effects that these calories have on the body are different: carbohydrates release insulin, which can hasten fat storage (unless we are active after imbibing), while fats will be stored directly in the fat cells. Thus, the overall result is added body-fat.

Related Article: My Body Feels Toxic, What Should I Do?

An example of how many calories can be easily consumed can be seen with a small glass of wine. A 5-ounce glass of wine will typically contain 110 calories, 91 of which come from the alcohol itself (13 grams), with the remaining five grams coming from carbohydrates. Beer contains more carbohydrates (except for “light” beers, which have a carb content similar to a glass of wine) and less alcohol than wine, but is seen as being more fattening, due to its higher calorie content.

2. Alcohol Loosens The Inhibitions

While drinking, people will not usually stop to consider the impact alcohol is having on their bodies; such is alcohol’s affect on loosening the inhibitions. The result of this relaxed thinking could mean more food consumed and extra body fat gains. Those that drink often might also eat more of the wrong kinds of food, without thinking of the consequences.

3. Alcohol Increases Appetite

Alcohol can increase appetite, making the combination of alcohol and a fattening meal worse. In fact, a hormone linked to increased hunger, particularly hunger for high-fat foods, has been linked to cravings for alcohol. According to Medical News Today, a study conducted at Princeton University showed that the hunger-increasing hormone, known as galanin, is produced when alcohol is consumed. Though the effect of increased galanin on appetite and eating behaviors varies amongst individuals, there’s a good chance your consumption of alcohol increases your desire for high-fat foods.

4. Alcohol Can Damage The Stomach, Lessening Its Efficiency

Given alcohol is a by-product of yeast digestion; it can have an irritating effect on the lining of the stomach and gradually weaken the kidneys and liver, leading to serious health problems. Any weakening of the stomach will lessen the rate and efficiency at which food is digested, which ultimately interferes with a healthy metabolism and the weight loss process.

5. Alcohol Lowers Testosterone

Testosterone, which has a powerful fat loss effect, is reduced whenever alcohol is consumed; thus halting its full potential as a fat burner. Also, testosterone as an anabolic hormone contributes to gains in lean muscle mass. Lowered testosterone means fewer muscle gains, and less muscle means a lowered metabolic rate.


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:

21 Reasons To Visit Mountain Trek in Beautiful British Columbia

What a Spring this has been! We can’t remember the last time we’ve had such a beautiful, sunny and warm start to the season here at our lodge in British Columbia. The days have been averaging +18°C (64°F), wildflowers are blooming and the rest of the environment is fresh, green and revitalizing.

BC is so incredible this time of year but don’t just take our word for it. We’ve compiled 21 photographs into one article about all the reasons why the Kootenay Rocky Mountains are one of the most beautiful areas in the world. Do yourself a favor and come visit us to enjoy all the things listed below. We’ll still be savoring the mild Spring weather and you’ll be inspired to kickstart a healthy and happy summer. We look forward to seeing you and we’re sure you’re looking forward to enjoying these wonderful activities that make up the Mountain Trek program in BC:

Enjoy perfect weather and temperatures

Perfect-weather-temperatures

Lounge on beaches

Lounging-on-beaches

Soak in natural hot springs

Hotsprings

Savor locally-grown food prepared by a master chef

Locally-grown-food

Take in the unbelievable mountain scenery

Mountain-Scenery

Spot baby wildlife

Wildlife-spotting (1)

Breathe in the fresh clean air

Clean,-fresh-air

Spend time on the many beautiful lakes here

Canoeing-lakes

Visit some of the many local streams and rivers

exploring-streams

Enjoy bird watching

Bird-Watching

Explore historic towns

Historic-Towns

Swim in an alpine lake

alpine-swim

Stop to smell the wildflowers

Flowers on the hiking trail

Watch unbelievable sunsets

Stunning-sunsets

Be invigorated by an inspiring environment

Invigorating-environment

Connect with friendly people

Friendly-People

Hike a mountain then rest on a beach

You-can-hike-a-mountain-in-the-morning-and-sit-on-a-beach-in-the-afternoon-

View beautiful waterfalls

Viewing waterfalls

Meditate and find inner peace

Meditate

Practice your photography

practice-photography


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:

Five Weight Loss Must-Haves for Every Kitchen

No doubt you have a fair few gadgets in your kitchen but there are really only a handful that are needed in order to ensure you stick to a healthy weigh-loss regimen. Here they are:

#1. Kitchen Scale

If you really want to get serious about weight loss then it’s important you understand portion size. Purchase an inexpensive food scale and weigh your food before you eat it. You’ll be surprised by how much you underestimate the amount you eat.

yellow-retro-kitchen-scale#2. Smaller Plates

Of course you can hold onto your larger plates for when you’re entertaining guests but for your regular, daily meals you should have a stack of plates handy that are no more than 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter. That way you’ll ensure your portion sizes aren’t too large.

selection-of-plate-sizes-and-bowls

#3. Good Measuring Cups and Spoons

Like the kitchen food scale, these items are essential for maintaining portion sizes. You can be more free-form with the spices, but when it comes to fats, proteins and carbohydrates, it’s best to measure.

pink measuring cups and silver measuring spoons

#4. Water Jug

Having a beautiful looking jug on your counter top that’s always filled with room-temperature water will encourage you to drink more of it.

Three-glass-water-jugs

#5. Pedometer

OK, technically this isn’t a kitchen gadget but if it resides in your kitchen where you spend a lot of your time, then you’ll be more inclined to use it. Pedometers come in all shapes and sizes and most are inexpensive. Keep one around your kettle or breakfast food area so that when you wake up in the morning it’s there to remind you to get in your 10,000 steps per day.

pedometer

Bonus: A Tablet

Like the pedometer, this one isn’t exactly a kitchen gadget either, but with a tablet (or laptop or smart phone) you’ll be able to access recipe sites and social media sites, such as Pinterest, that offer excellent, delicious and interesting dishes to try. And in the near future there will be a Mountain Trek app that you’ll be able to use as well. Stay tuned for more about that exciting development!

tablet-in-the-kitchen

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Cinnamon Granola Recipe

Recipe for Cinnamon Granola

This delicious, gluten-free Cinnamon Granola recipe is perfect for breakfast because it’s easy to make and can be stored for weeks. The ingredient list below is enough to make eight servings.

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups rolled oats (certified gluten free)
¼ cup slivered almonds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
¼ tsp almond extract
½ tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 325°F
  • Mix grains, nuts and seeds together on a large baking tray
  • Combine remaining ingredients together in a saucepan and heat briefly
  • Pour over nut/oat mixture and toss well to coat
  • Bake for 45 minutes until lightly toasted. Stir every 15 minutes to brown evenly
  • Cool before storing in airtight container