Fitness Entrepreneur Chuck Runyon Challenges People to Get Real About Getting Healthy

“Working out Sucks!” is probably the last thing you would expect the CEO of the world’s largest fitness franchise to say in the midst of a global obesity crisis, and yet it’s the self-proclaimed title of a new book co-written by Anytime Fitness CEO and co-founder Chuck Runyon.

Working Out Sucks! (And Why It Doesn’t Have To): The Only 21-Day Kick-Start Plan for Total Health and Fitness You’ll Ever Need hit bookstores this month, with 100 percent of the book’s proceeds going to Limbs for Life, a nonprofit organisation that provides fully functional prosthetic care to individuals who can’t afford it.

“This is more than a book, this is a deprogramming effort,” said Runyon. “For too long we’ve been brainwashed by unhealthy habits, destructive attitudes, and misinformation about health. I’m here to offer a different way to get back on track.”

Runyon’s overall philosophy states that working out may suck—but the alternatives—from heart disease, fat kids, less sex, less money, diabetes, premature aging and shortened lifespan—are a lot worse. Runyon takes a “tough love” approach, asking the reader to ponder such questions as “Should Parents of Fat Kids go to Jail?” and “Is Money Allergic to Fat People?” and he addresses the self-inflicted damage of technology on health in a chapter called “iDeath.”

To help bridge the gap between wanting to “get healthy” and actionable results that help you “be healthy,” Runyon enlists the help of psychologist Rebecca DeRossett and dietitian and personal trainer Brian Zehetner. Together they confront the emotional issues that get in the way of being healthy and dispel the mystery and intimidation surrounding fitness and nutrition, including:

• Strategies to deprogram bad diet, exercise and attitude habits;
• 21-Day Health and Fitness Plan;
• Meal plans consisting of breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner;
• Nutrients breakdown for each day of the plan adjustable for body type;
• Fitness plan that pairs resistance training and cardio with flexibility exercises adaptable to skill level and schedule;
• Tips on how to exercise the mind, such as how to fight negative thinking and how to use physical movement to spark creativity;

“Working Out Sucks!” has garnered advanced praise from such notable health and wellness experts as former chief medical editor for NBC News Dr. Bob Arnot, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Pam Peeke, and Season 7 Biggest Loser finalist and Ironman athlete Tara Costa.