Upbeat rock music played in Mountain Range Fitness as gym members began warming up for a class. Flags from various colleges and other organizations decorated the walls, while countless machines, weights and other equipment sat ready for use.
Jarrod and Colette Wyatt pointed out various aspects of their gym, excitedly talking about the vision that had begun in 2017. That year, the Wyatt’s started Mountain Range Fitness in a small part of the current building with 23 members.
“We didn’t need many more people at the time,” Jarrod said. Now, the Wyatts’ gym uses the entire building at 2310 E. Empire St. in Cortez and offers various workout classes and health classes and benefits to their 300 members. They acquired the entire building in 2021.
Now, Mountain Range Fitness is known as the “most loved gym in Southwest Colorado’s Montezuma County.”
To the Wyatts, it isn’t about the numbers or about having a large gym, however. Their passion is about helping people improve their lives through a healthier lifestyle.
“We want to impact lives in the community,” Jarrod said. “We aren’t just about the numbers. We want to help people change their life.”
Colette echoed Jarrod, saying when they decided to fully commit to their gym in 2021, they knew they had to prioritize their own health and wellness and “walk the walk” to help others on their journeys.
“We’re almost selfish with our health,” Jarrod laughed. “It is a priority in our life.”
“When we’re taking care of our health,” Colette added, “our relationship is better. Our relationship with our kids is better.”
With the growth of Mountain Range Fitness came an exciting new addition to the building about a month ago. The Fit 3D Body Scanner is the only one of its kind in the area, and the closest one to Cortez is in Albuquerque.
The scanner, with 12 cameras and other features, scans an individual’s body and gives them information on their health. The scanner measures the circumference of various parts of the body and analyzes body composition, posture, weight, balance and more.
Colette showed a side-by-side view of her scan earlier in the year compared to one she did recently, pointing out the differences caught by the scanner and how it measured her improvement over the course of the past few months.
She spoke of the value of individuals being able to see their progress or other ways they can keep improving their health and demonstrated how the scanner showed analytics about her posture, balance aspects about her health.
The scanner also can help alert users to potential health issues such as cardiovascular disease.
“My hope is that doctors in the area will refer their patients here to get their scan done so they can have a clearer picture of what they can do to improve their health,” Colette said.
Members and nonmembers alike can use the scanner, and Colette shared that people have been coming from out of town to use it.
A consultation is available by texting (970) 739-8263 to get on the schedule. Members of the gym pay $75 for a scan and consultation, and $30 for each following scan.
Nonmembers pay $100 for a scan and consultation and $50 for every scan following.
Not only does the gym offer the body scanner and workout classes for all levels such as strength training, kids programs, yoga and personal training, they also offer nutrition help and IV.
Those in need of a pre- or post-workout snack can get a smoothie from the gym’s kitchen.
The nutrition program offers individualized nutrition programs for weight loss, sports nutrition, lifestyle and more.
Heather Tarr, one of Mountain Range’s nutrition coaches, said she worked with a couple who were prediabetic before starting the nutrition program at Mountain Range, and they are now both medication free.
People who are dehydrated, feeling sick, or who are deficient in certain vitamins can visit Mountain Range Wellness in the same building and receive IV’s with vitamins, electrolytes and other nutrients to boost their overall health.
Before starting Mountain Range, Colette was a nurse. She expressed her happiness at being able to use her nursing skills to benefit people using their gym, and she said staying on top of health is key.
“I’m passionate about prevention,” she said.
People who are interested in becoming members or attending classes at the gym can register for a free, “no sweat” class on the Mountain Range website. Jarrod emphasized that getting to know the goals and hopes of those attending the gym are paramount to ensuring they hit their goals and keep prioritizing their health.
“People rarely come to the gym with no goal in mind,” he said. “We want to get to know them and their goals so we can help them change their lives for the better.”
