Chuck Runyon, co-founder and CEO of Anytime Fitness, is a friend of Franchise Chatter.  In fact, Chuck was the very first franchise executive that agreed to do an exclusive interview with me, barely 3 weeks after I started this blog — and he didn’t know me from Adam!  Many franchise personalities soon followed, which is a testament to Chuck’s reputation and influence within the industry. He wasn’t afraid to take a chance on a new blogger, and for that I am grateful.

I’m happy to announce that Chuck just released his first book called 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 (published by Da Capo Lifelong Books), which hit bookstores nationwide last Jan 3, 2012.  He wrote the book with Brian Zehetner, the Chief Science Officer at Anytime Fitness, a registered dietitian, and a certified strength and conditioning specialist with more than fifteen years of experience in the nutrition and fitness industries; and Rebecca A. DeRossett, an executive coach for Anytime Fitness.

In the book, Chuck asserts 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. The co-authors confront the emotional issues that get in the way of being healthy and dispel the mystery and intimidation surrounding fitness and nutrition.

Among the highlights of the book are strategies to deprogram bad diet, exercise, and attitude habits; a 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; a fitness plan that pairs resistance training and cardio with flexibility exercises adaptable to skill level and schedule; and 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! is getting a lot of positive buzz on the blogosphere.  Several notable fitness blogs have given Chuck’s book the thumbs up:

Jack Sh*t, Gettin’ Fit:  “Where the book really drew me in were the personal accounts of real people and their watershed moments of how they changed their lives through a commitment to exercise and healthy living. These short, first-person accounts (accompanied by before-and-after pics) read like short blog posts and really drive home the message more than statistics and speechifying ever could.”

Sweet Tooth Sweet Life:  “Overall, I really liked this book! It was a very easy read, it’s straight to the point, and even funny at times, too. For anyone who may be just starting out on their health and fitness journey, this book would be a very useful tool. It provides some good, solid advice on how to eat well and work out, and also clears up a lot of confusion about many of the ‘shoulds’ and ‘shouldn’ts’ currently out there (are carbs REALLY bad? will strength training REALLY make me bulk up?).”

Alfonso Moretti’s Angry Trainer Fitness: “What I like most about the philosophy behind Working Out Sucks! is that not only is the plan geared to new trainees, but it focuses on being all around healthy. How many times have you heard me say you need to both ‘look fit and be fit!’ In other words, the author Chuck Runyon isn’t promising readers six-pack abs or a beach ready body in 6 weeks. What he does say is that the only way to really grab life by the horns and maximize your potential, is through exercise.”

Alfonso goes on to say, “I really like the tone of the book, it’s kind of punchy and truthfully Chuck isn’t trying to make friends here, he’s simply giving you his point of view, whether you like it or not. As a result the message comes across as genuine and it seems clear he really wants to help people.”

Working Out Sucks! retails for $14.99 (but you can get it for 10 bucks on Amazon) and 100 percent of the book’s proceeds is going to Limbs for Life — a nonprofit organization that provides fully functional prosthetic care to individuals who can’t afford it.

This sounds like the perfect book to start the year with.  Definitely looking forward to reading Chuck’s work.