Saturday, January 7, 2012

Working out sucks...well it does but the payoff is more than worth the effort

We all think working out sucks. Yes, I know that we can enjoy it at times and the result is worth the effort but anyone who makes time to train is aware of the list of excuses we or others use get out of a workout or working out all together. Well, Chuck Runyon, CEO of the Anytime Fitness 24/7 gym franchise, has written a book that gets to heart of all the excuses we use or have heard. His "Working out Sucks" and more importantly the bi-line "and why it doesn't have to" is a snarky, multi-pronged approach to address the excuses and how they don't pass muster when it comes to getting your training done. Look, this is not some fluffy, huggy, touchy-feely, self help book. This is a no holds barred, tell it like it is, take charge of your life kind of tome.

Runyon opens the book by citing...and then promptly ripping apart all the excuses for not working out. His ripping apart can range from giving you examples of people who prove the excuse wrong (i.e. there are people missing limbs that struggle but DO get workouts in, what are you complaining about?!) to even addressing people that have provided terrible examples to our pursuit of a healthy lifestyle (he even goes after Oprah Winfrey...yes, OPRAH WINFREY!!!).

But Runyon is no dummy in his approach either in that he doesn't just hit you in the face with his "quit being weak and just go do it" writing, he realizes that in order to make REAL changes you're gonna have to change ALL aspects of your life. He brings in Brian Zehetner (MS, RD, CSCS), who writes about proper nutrition and offers fitness plan advice, and Rebecca Derossett (MSW), who talks about the best way to address and beat the psychological challenges that short circuit our thinking from becoming physically fit and nutritionally sound.

The last section of the book focuses on an easy to do 21-day fitness and nutrition plan to get you pointed in the right direction. While the workout plan isn't for someone who's been working out for a while, I think it can provide a great resource for things to add into your existing routines. I mean, you can never have enough new things to try right? And since we're ALWAYS looking for healthy snacks and meals to eat to keep us on caloric track the last section is just the ticket.

One of these copies can be yours!!!
Now, I've written all this not only to tell you my take on the book (no, I have no desire in starting "Dutch's Book Club"...but if I did this one be one of the first I recommend!) but to SHARE the book with you. Yes, I have 3 copies to give away!!! Unlike working out, entering my contest is easy. Just leave a comment with what you do to overcome the excuses to not workout. For an extra entry, tweet "I entered to win the @rangerdutch contest for the @anytimefitness book #workingoutsucks" with a link to this post. Winners will be chosen by a random number generator and announced on the 31st of January. Thanks for taking the time to read my review...now go workout!

10 comments:

  1. To overcome the excuses... I make deals with myself sometimes. For instance, I had a run scheduled on Wednesday but it was pouring rain and Thursday's forecast looked better. So I did an indoor workout on Wednesday and ran outside on Thursday.

    I use goals, and public statements of my intentions to help keep me on track!

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  2. I tweeted your message and your link, but had to make a tinyurl to do it... was well over the allowed 140 characters on Twitter!

    Have a great Sunday.

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  3. Thank you and you've been doubly entered!

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  4. Dear Dutch: Yours is the only book club of which I would want to be a member. I agree; training at the level I am currently I don't have time for excuses. I wish I would have had a book like this when I was just starting out.
    I'm sharing on Facebook...my twitter people are already out there kicking ass!

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  5. Bwahahaha. You're the best Skibba! Thanks for the love and the props. Tweet it too, shows the Anytime Fitness folks people are participating...AND it gets you another entry :)

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  6. To overcome the excuses I do what's easiest.....I don't make any and just workout.

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  7. To get over excuses I remind myself if this f'ing workout doesn't kill me (literally) that's it's going make me stronger. Then I push myself harder until the very very end of my workout where it feels like I was killed -hahaha

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  8. To overcome excuses I tell myself I can only have coffee on days I work out. My keruig is my motivation:)

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  9. I just look at how my clothes fit and know that no excuse will make my pants looser.

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  10. Overcoming the urge to 'take it easy', I always wear something to show the body part I'm working that day, or bike shorts to Spin and face the mirror. We're our own worst critics. I tell myself to do 'one more' or get my revs up on the bike, a steeper incline on the treadmill. I keep a pic of myself a year or so ago on my desktop, to remind me what I can do.

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