Work It Out by Sarah Kurchak

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Work It Out
by Sarah Kurchak
April 18, 2023 · Quirk Books Nonfiction















I loathe exercise. I don’t mean that I dislike it. I don’t mean that I talk about how much I hate it as a form of humble bragging i.e. “You know running is just SO HARD on the knees but it was SUCH A RUSH finishing the marathon in first place.” No, I really, really hate it. I would never, ever, ever have expected to fall in love with a book about exercise but…I think I’m in love!
Work It Out: A Mood-Busting Exercise Guide for People Who Just Want to Lie Down  is specifically for people with depression and other conditions that make exercise extra important but also very difficult to do. While the author doesn’t tackle specific disabilities, everything in the book can be applied to all kinds of challenges, especially since the main thread of the book is to do whatever you can and chill out about everything else. It’s very anti-diet and anti-guilt and has a whole list of exercises that you can do without getting out of bed. This book will not help you train for a marathon or for climbing Mount Everest, but it can help you get more movement into your day.
This book doesn’t go into any specific plan in a lot of detail. Instead it gives you a philosophy, a tool kit to stay motivated, and a starting point that you can implement along with your own preferences or recommendations from your doctor. The book does list a “F-It Workout” with a standing version and a modified version to do in a chair or in bed. Given my long list of impediments, I was amazed that I could do everything on the list with a few modifications!

This book is full of humor, it has adaptations for different personality types and motivation styles, it includes all kinds of fun ideas including breaking out old Richard Simmons tapes, and above all it is supportive, compassionate, and encouraging of any level of movement. It debunks the “no pain, no gain” credo, is body positive, and it avoids any kind of guilt or victim-shaming.
I truly enjoyed this book and am planning to implement the “F-It Work Out”…some of the time, which is better than none of the time. If you are having trouble getting more movement into your life, this is a positive, encouraging, gentle guide.