Maybe a well-meaning friend told you to “just get outside and go for a jog.”

Or a doctor “prescribed” fitness to counter your symptoms.

Perhaps you read the book about dancing as a depression cure, or well-trafficked Reddit threads about the mental benefits of everything from gentle gardening to brutal obstacle courses.

Just get out there, folks say. It’ll take your mind off your problems.

But if you’ve ever lived under the scratchy, smothering gray blanket of this illness, you know:

It’s not that easy.

Depression can make your body feel dull. Heavy. Wooden. Listless.

When you’re depressed, the mere idea of picking up one foot and dragging it in front of the other can seem laughable. (If you can dig up a chuckle, that is.)

I know, because I’ve been there.

One day, while in the throes of a good old-fashioned dark-rain-cloud depression, I woke up and felt stuck. I’d been glued to my flat emotional landscape like a little moth on flypaper.

I knew I needed to do something different.

Without thinking, I got down on the floor. Started doing push-ups. Grabbed a couple of dusty old dumbbells. Did a few lifts. A few rows. A few squats.

At first, it was just a gaspy, desperate rush to experience something — anything— other than what I’d been feeling.

But once I was done, I wanted more.

I needed an emotional outlet. Moving my body felt good. (And to be honest, I wanted to hit things.) So I decided to take a boxing class. Ordinarily I might have talked myself out of it. But at that point, I felt I had nothing to lose.

Lucky for me, it was love at first punch.

Looking back, I wonder about the role exercise played in healing my depression.

Was it powerful medicine? Or just a placebo? Could movement have kept my depression away in the first place?  

Contact the Work Out West membership office at 970.330.9691 for more information on our great Fitness Center Holiday Bundles or contact the WOW Fit Studio at 970.573.5300 for more infomration about our Studio Holiday Bundles only here until December 25th! 

Between pies and cross-country travel, it can be pretty tough to stay active during the holiday season. A cornucopia of family obligations, work parties, and last-minute shopping means that hitting the gym often gets delayed or crossed off the schedule altogether. Not this year! There are 35 days between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, and we’re determined to make the most of them. We’ve come up with 15 smart strategies, tips, tricks, and motivational techniques to make fitness part of the celebration all holiday season long. Read on to learn how to keep up your exercise routine this winter, Christmas cookies be darned.

1. Get out there
Snuggling under the blankets with a mug of hot chocolate is fine and dandy, but it probably won’t help you out in the fitness department. Instead of baking cookies or playing board games, pass the time with an active pursuit like snowshoeing, hiking, or even building snowmen or igloos.

2. Set a challenge
Each year, Runner’s World magazine challenges readers to run every single day (logging at least one mile per day) between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Pounding the pavement not your style? Create your own challenge, whether it involves trying a new bodyweight exercise every day, testing different yoga poses, or experimenting with an unfamiliar running workout.

3. Make it official
Sign up for a race, competition, or fitness-y vacation like a hiking or bike trip in January or February so you have a good reason (and plenty of motivation) to stay in shape over the holidays.

4. Try feet-first sightseeing
If you’re traveling or going on vacation, explore a new city on foot or bike instead of in a car or by public transportation (weather permitting).

5. Find a workout buddy
Rolling out of bed for a 6am gym sesh is much harder to skip when you’re one half of a dynamic workout duo. Enlist a fitness-minded friend or family member (especially if you’re traveling) to be your holiday exercise buddy. Encourage each other to lace up the sneakers for pre-dinner workouts and post-shopping trip runs.

6. Treat yourself
No, not to that extra slice of pumpkin pie. If it’s within your budget, indulge in new workout clothing or fitness equipment before Thanksgiving to boost motivation throughout the holiday season.

7. Start a fitness tradition
There are tons of family-friendly holiday-themed running events in most areas. Sign up the whole family (don’t forget the costumes) for a fun, goofy Turkey Trot or Jingle Jog. Before you know it, the annual race will become a family tradition.  

8. Include everyone
Working out can often be a solitary activity, which may explain why many people skip the gym when friends and family are in town. Make it a group activity by inviting visitors to join you at the gym or a favorite exercise class.

9. Find a promotion
Many gyms and exercise studios offer deals and specials during the holidays. Do some snooping and sign up if you find a sweet deal. If you’ve recently joined a gym, take advantage of a free consultation with a personal trainer (most fitness facilities offer this perk) to learn some new moves.

10. Act like a kid
Childhood winter favorites like sledding, snowball fights, and ice-skating get the heart pumping. Head outside for a sneaky (and super fun) workout.  

11. Be a mall rat
With a mile-long to-do list before the big holiday get-together, there’s just no time for exercise, right? Wrong-o: Simply lace up your sneakers and powerwalk between errands. (This is especially doable at a mall or shopping center.)

12. Cut the rug
Being the first person on the dance floor at the holiday party means you’re A) the coolest person in the room and B) getting your rear in gear.

13. Do some DIYardwork
Whether it’s raking leaves or shoveling snow, yard work is an unexpected way to get the heart rate up and work out major muscle groups.

14. Watch TV
Yep, sometimes hanging out in front of the tube can be good for you. If the weather outside is truly frightful, pop in a workout DVD (or for a cheaper version, pull up a YouTube fitness video) and get sweaty. Or, use TV time to work on mobility and recovery by foam rolling, icing, or stretching out with straps.  

15. Work towards a goal
Set a specific, tangible goal to accomplish during the holiday season. There are 35 days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, which is the perfect amount of time to really nail that push-up form, learn to do Crow pose, or master an 8-minute mile. Or, you know, any other fitness goal that strikes your fancy.  

Then something strange happened. Boomers, once the peppiest generation, devolved from fit to flabby. JAMA Internal Medicine recently revealed that boomers are far less fit than their parents were at the same age and are more likely to have diabetes or high blood pressure. Today just 35 percent of boomers exercise regularly; 52 percent have no routine.

Naturally, boomers think they're more active than they are. A new study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise finds that people overestimate the amount of exercise they do by almost an hour a week, while underestimating the amount of time they spend sitting by almost two hours a week.

And then there are those irrefutable outcomes of middle age. "In 1990 the first wave of boomers were moving solidly into their 40s," says Smith. "That's a time in life when most people are really busy — with kids, careers, financial obligations, maybe even with aging parents."

And, of course, our own bodies were — and are — aging. Metabolism slows; muscles atrophy. Stuff happens. Knee-replacement surgery has doubled in the past decade, and tripled in the 45-to-64 age group, because of rising rates of obesity and some boomers' unwillingness to give up on their favorite exercise routines. "It's a big adjustment to realize you can't work out like you used to," says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise. No kidding. Easing back into a routine with simple walking and a few push-ups seems so … not enough.

And while many boomers will likely find their way back to fitness under a doctor's orders, what we really need to do is rediscover one of the first tenets of fitness — what millions of us learned from Hula-Hoops, roller skates and Solid Gold: It's supposed to be fun. We don't need the surgeon general to tell us what we already learned from James Brown: "Get up offa that thing," sang the late, great Godfather of Soul. "And dance till you feel better."

Work Out West’s new Fit Studio allows all boomers to do just that- enjoy their custom tailored fitness routine without the intensity of a boot camp, or the unhelpful aspects of hip-hop or Insanity. The Fit Studio has created a relevant, effective stretching and toning class for the boomer generation that is sure to put a smile on your face, and a few new moves in your repertoire.

1.) Elbows In:

This is probably the most important factor in being able to string together unbroken wall balls. If the elbows are flared out, the shoulders will fatigue quickly. Instead, keep the elbows tight, engaging the triceps and lats. This will make your wall ball shots far more efficient and allow you to get many more in a row.

2.) Hip Drive:

It’s only a 20 pound ball to a ten foot target. Surely anybody with a decent amount of strength could just toss the ball up there rep after rep right?? Well, we all know those reps add up quick! It’s true that you may be able to get away without maximizing hip drive, but in order to be as efficient as possible and save valuable energy, it’s important to use your hips during wall balls. Concentrate on driving out of the hole fast and with powerful hips – similar to the way you would on a thruster. Using your arms to throw the ball to the target will cause fatigue quickly. The hips are the strongest part of the body – use them.

3.) Target Touch:

This secret to success is related to #2. During a good wall ball, the arms are mostly along for the ride. The most important function of the arms is to control the ball on the way up and hit the target with accuracy. An athlete using good hip drive will be more than strong enough to throw the ball above the target. In order to stay smooth and consistent, focus on hitting the center of the target so you can get a consistent rebound and get into a rhythm.

4.) The hold:

One of the most common mistakes during wall balls is trying to hold the ball in front of the chest or abs. The problem with letting the ball drop is that it puts the back in a rounded position. It can also cause the athlete to drop the ball, engage the arms too much and lack depth on the squat portion of the wall ball. The athlete may not even realize that he or she is missing depth because it will feel like a full squat. Focus on keeping the ball right in front of your face (the bottom of the ball should be at or above the top of your chest) to maintain a good squat position.

5.) Know when to break:

Wall balls are one of those movements that are completed much more quickly when strung together as opposed to being broken up. Practice wall ball sets to see where your threshold is. It’s important to break BEFORE you hit that redline where you can no longer string multiple reps together. This tip takes some practice as well as knowing yourself as an athlete, but when applied correctly, it will drastically improve your score on the white board.

By:Michigan State University for Science Daily

New Michigan State University research shows that students who were members of the recreational sports and fitness centers on MSU's campus during their freshman and sophomore years had higher GPAs than those who weren't.

The research also indicated that students with memberships stayed in school longer. An increase of 3.5 percent in two-year retention rates was seen among this group.

"That could equate to about 1,575 people within a student population of 49,000 deciding to move on to a third year of school," said James Pivarnik, a professor of kinesiology and epidemiology at MSU. "These results provide a compelling argument to universities that a higher student retention rate could be enhanced just by having adequate recreational and fitness facilities for students."

The study, led by Pivarnik and MSU doctoral student Samantha Danbert in the Department of Kinesiology, can be found in the most recent issue of the Recreational Sports Journal.

The research supports previous theories suggesting that by creating an environment that connects students to an institution, in this case a university recreational facility, an increase in academic success and retention can occur.

During the project, Pivarnik's team analyzed data from a sample of freshmen and sophomores, totaling 4,843 students, and compared the GPAs of those who purchased a fitness facility membership and those who did not. Results showed that after four consecutive semesters, the students with memberships obtained higher cumulative GPAs. They also had more credits completed by the end of their first year in college.

"We found that these students' cumulative GPAs were 0.13 points higher," Pivarnik said. "Although this number may not appear to be significant, in the end, that amount could mean the difference to those students on the cusp of getting into graduate school or even advancing to the next academic year."

Pivarnik noted that 74 percent of those with memberships successfully gained their sophomore status while only 60 percent reached that goal in the nonmember group.

"The results of this study are important because not only are we retaining more students, but we're retaining those that have higher GPAs which is good for everyone," Pivarnik said.

If you've ever started a diet or made a resolution to hit the gym, you've run into the plateau effect. It's the brutal force of nature that gives you early success, but then then keeps the needle on your scale firmly in place, no matter how much time you spend on the elliptical.

"Fuzzing" is the use of new and different routines implemented to shock the system and reduce your body's tendency to fall into a comfortable (read: repetitive) pattern.

Becoming numb to the normal, desensitized to the mundane, is a problem that hits everyone who has walked into a gym or hit week two of a diet. Some exercise programs are built around the concept of fuzzing. If you don't have diversity and a little fuzziness, eventually you become numb, and what worked yesterday will be less effective tomorrow. So the next time the plateau effect has you in its grasp, fuzz it.

How can you fuzz up your fitness or diet plan? How can randomness work to your advantage? Most dieters who eat the same foods every day will plateau after awhile. Nutritionists recommend eating a variety of foods when someone's stuck. Diversity can break you out of those plateaus at the gym, too. Instead of the treadmill, try running outside to get some variety in your stride (not to mention diversity in scenery). Look for "fuzzers" outside the weight room. The new Paleo-inspired movement might be a place to start. Instead of lifting barbells, followers of the Paleo movement go outside and move around big rocks, climb trees, adapting the "fitness" routines of our ancestors.

Whatever fuzzer you choose, remember to change it regularly, otherwise the plateau effect will have its revenge.

Here are the 5 most common myths about weight loss I encounter, and a 4-step formula for getting past them and achieving your goals:

Myth 1: Weight loss is about calories.

“Calories in = calories out” is a lie. Not all calories are created equal.

Eating 500 calories of brussels sprouts is not the same as eating 500 calories of soda.

While the energy that can be measured in a lab from breaking the chemical bonds stored in 500 calories of brussels sprouts might be the same as from breaking the bonds in 500 calories of soda, what happens in your body when you digest and assimilate these two foods is a totally different story.

To eat 500 calories of brussels sprouts, you'd have to eat about 10 cups! These green veggies are packed with complex carbohydrates, protein, fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin A and other phytonutrients. They are metabolized slowly, and the calories contained are not entirely absorbed.

On the other hand, 500 calories of soda, the equivalent of two 20-ounce Cokes, come entirely from sugar. Those calories are easily absorbed, and when consumed, lead to an inflammatory hormonal cascade that is the beginning of diabetes, obesity, high triglycerides, and sugar addiction.

To anyone trying to lose weight I say, forget counting calories. It’s about quality, not quantity.

Myth 2: Weight loss comes down to cardio.

The metabolic boost you get after a short session of intense weight-lifting lasts up to 24-hours. By contrast, the boost from a long run lasts only a couple of hours. Spending hours on the spin bike might feel great and be an important balance in a sedentary lifestyle, but cardio doesn't equal weight loss.

In fact, for people who are stressed out all the time, too much cardio might be perpetuating that state and pushing their bodies to hold on to every calorie like it’s the last one it will ever see.

So, while cardio can be awesome, I recommend also finding a regular form of exercise like yoga, which is about unwinding and focus and gives the body a chance to come out of stress-mode. I also recommend lifting weights, which builds muscle, bone, and actually boosts your metabolism. For many people, adding in yoga and strength-training and cutting back on cardio tips the scale in the right direction.

Myth 3: To lose weight, you're gonna have to starve.

OK, yes, if you eat almost nothing, you'll lose weight. But most people can’t sustain that and they yo-yo, eventually becoming so tired from relying on adrenal hormones like cortisol for energy, that the fatigue becomes too much and they over-eat to compensate.

Healthy-skinny people eat real food in real quantities. They eat nutritious foods like whole fruits and veggies, plant-based fats, and lean protein, and they avoid the processed sugar and chemical crap that's widely available in our grocery stores.

Myth 4: Fat makes you fat.

Wrong! Fat doesn’t make you fat. Sugar makes you fat.

Fat tastes great for a reason. Mono- and poly-unsaturated fats are critical for your body to function. These fats are the building blocks of your brain and all of your cell membranes, and certain kinds of fat, like Omega-3 fatty acids, keepinflammation down.

It’s actually the processed foods filled with refined sugars and grains that are absorbed quickly and stored quickly, which lead to a cascade of inflammation and ultimately to more fat storage.

Myth 5: Weight loss is about sticking to a plan.

I can’t tell you how many patients and friends I’ve seen grow weary of maintaining their constant vigilance over weight. The stress and self-loathing that comes with it is too much to bear. And strangely, when they do let go — when they start eating with nourishment as their goal, and start exercising to feel good, rather than to exhaust themselves — the pounds actually disappear. It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s a much freer way to live life.

So if these are they myths, what is weight loss really about?

1. Eat, real, whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods that don’t cause inflammation.

It's simple: This includes as many fruits and vegetables as possible, moderate amounts whole grains, significant amounts of healthy fats, and some lean, grass-fed, free-range, hormone/antibiotic-free meat and eggs.

2. Avoid sugar and refined carbs.

Sugars and refined carbs are the drivers of inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and dementia. If you want to lose weight, have more energy, and slow the aging process, cut them out of your life as much as possible.

3. Detox regularly.

The most important things from which to detox are booze, restaurant food, processed food, and for many people, foods like gluten and dairy (to which they may be sensitive). I recommend doing a 10-day detox four times a year to reset your system, keep you on track, and reduce inflammation.

4. Find amusement and enthusiasm on a regular basis

When we operate from a place of seriousness and fear, our creations reflect that energy. When we operate from a place of ease and amusement in the moment, and genuine enthusiasm for what comes next, our lives reflect that much more positive and expansive energy.

When you think about creating the body you want, ask yourself how you'll feel when you have it. For me, one of the dancers in Pharell’s Happy video comes to mind! Once you feel it, sit with that feeling for a minute, and move forward from there.

A vacation can do wonders for reducing stress levels, but it can derail a healthy fitness regimen. Even some of the most die-hard exercisers find it difficult to stick with a workout program when away from home. Sure, many have good intentions. They may even pack their workout attire. Unfortunately, their gear never makes it out of the suitcase until they're back home.

But travel doesn't have to result in an interruption or complete abandonment of your healthy habits. You can still fit in exercise time when away from home, regardless of whether you find yourself in a warm or a cold climate. Even if bad weather forces you into seclusion in your hotel room, there are exercises you can complete without a single piece of equipment.

Below are some tips to help you stay fit while traveling and avoid coming home with unwanted extra baggage.

• Be realistic. You probably won't be able to fit in your normal weekly workouts and that's okay. Shoot for completing at least 50% of your normal regimen.


• Plan ahead. Before leaving town, find out what type of workout facilities your accommodations will have or if there is a nearby park of jogging track (weather permitting, of course).


• Scope out local gyms. If you are staying somewhere that doesn't provide a workout area then inquire at the nearby local fitness centers for their rates. Often they offer day passes for minimal fees.


• Pack a resistance band in your suitcase. The band takes up very little space, yet can provide you with an entire upper and lower body workout routine.


• Don't deprive yourself of all local delicacies. You can enjoy some special meals without going overboard. Ask the restaurants to prepare your favorite dishes with a few lower fat ingredients.


• Be creative. Find unique, fun ways to exercise instead of doing the same routine you do when you are at home. Try biking, hiking, a pedal boat excursion, water-skiing, beach volleyball, etc. Effective workouts aren't limited to the standard fares of walking, jogging and fitness machines.


• Try out your travel routine at least once at home. A new workout that you've never done before will require more time and preparation. This type of frustration just makes for an easy excuse to skip the workout.


• Prepare snacks. If your journey includes a lot of time in the car, be sure to pack some healthy snacks so you aren't forced to eat at all the fast food and convenience shops along the way.


• Play in the pool. If lounging poolside is part of your vacation plans, then hop in the pool every 20 minutes for 5-10 minutes of pool walking (try it in waist-deep or higher water for a really challenging workout).


• Get comfortable. Don't forget to pack comfortable workout attire that fits your destination's climate.

Here is a quick, simple circuit workout that only requires a resistance band and can be done anywhere. Complete at least one set of 8-12 reps of each exercise.