It Doesn’t Have to Hurt to Work is a transformational memoir about breaking free from the physical pain and mental misery of achieving the “perfect” body, and a guide to helping you find strength and whole-body health through the practice of functional fitness. As a former cardio-junkie and champion calorie-counter, author Erin Paruszewski grew up believing that “more is more” when it came to exercise and “less is more” when it came to food. On the outside, she was in great shape. But on the inside, her body was falling apart thanks to the wear and tear of overexercising and fueling herself with a chemically processed, low-fat, high-sugar diet. After hitting rock-bottom, this reality set her on a new trajectory in both body and mindset. Erin’s lived experience and functional lifestyle pivot are the inspiration behind this how-to message as she blends narrative stories and research-based explanations of how our bodies and minds work best.