A new Hollister health store focuses on wellness of mind and body, with an assortment of health shakes, fitness challenges, and an opportunity to pay it forward.
Samantha and Michael Walker opened Quake City Energy and Nutrition, at 1715 Airline Highway Unit 2 (the ACE shopping center) in January. Michael told BenitoLink that they want to “not only bring health and wellness, but we can bring the community together in a way everybody can enjoy.”
“We are about the community,” he said.
The store offers a variety of nutritious shakes and several teas that are sweetened with stevia, derived from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana. The sweet taste comes from glycosides in the plant, which the body does not metabolize into sugar. Shakes come in over 50 flavors, including an array of fruits and chocolate, and have all three of our essential macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates and lipids (fats). They also contain 21 necessary vitamins and minerals and supply approximately 220 calories per serving. Their 25-plus tea options, including fruit choices such as strawberry and pineapple, offer flavor and energy with no added sugar.
The Walkers also put on a fitness challenge for customers. They provide advice on nutritious eating and weight loss. The couple creates an individualized 15 to 21 day plan that they hope will lead to a permanent lifestyle change.
“We give them a sustainability plan,” Michael told BenitoLink. This is a service the Walkers provided to clients for a few years when they were personal nutrition and wellness advisors. They said their plan has an 85%-90% success rate.
Alison Stull took the 21-day wellness challenge starting last January. She told BenitoLink that she continued the challenge every month through 2019, during which time she lost a total of 40 pounds. The challenge required Stull to consume two shakes and a small snack a day, along with a nutritious dinner. She also exercised three to four days a week, either walking or going to the gym. She said Samantha would check in to make sure she stayed on track and would send inspirational texts such as “you’ve got this” and “don’t give up.”
BenitoLink caught up with Stull recently, who said exercising has been harder to keep up because “life gets in the way,” but she plans to get back to the gym for the season of Lent.
Quake City doesn’t just focus on wellness of body, they also cultivate wellness of being. They promote random acts of kindness and allow their customers to pay it forward by purchasing drinks for someone else. This doesn’t have to be for someone present in the store at the time of purchase; a customer can pay for the drink of someone who will be there to claim it later.
Samantha said she wants people to feel good while in Quake City.
“If they don’t come in with a smile hopefully they are leaving with one.”
Quake City is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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