Overview

Your body is your life partner, not your life's project. The anti-aging and diet/wellness industries have scammed us into believing that thinner and younger is always better-that there's a ""right"" way to eat and move to age ""well"". But that's a lie-and it's doing real harm. When Deb Benfield, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, turned 60, she went looking for guidance on how to care for her changing body. What she found was the same tired and disempowering narrative centering on controlling weight-a goal that puts us at war with our bodies right when we most need to feel at home in them. Unapologetic Aging gently unravels the toxic messages of anti-aging and diet culture, helping you let go of rigid rules and tune into what truly nourishes and delights you. When you stop fighting your body, you make room for vitality, self-trust, and joy. Midlife and beyond isn't a crisis to manage-though it may feel like one sometimes. It's a powerful unfolding. Not a time to shrink or submit to yet more rules, but a time to rise into your fullest self. You can age with confidence, ease, and deep self-respect. Unapologetically.

Full Product Details

9781399819459

Table of Contents

Reviews

How many of us would watch our Moms, Grandmothers or other maternal figures stand in front of a mirror & be unhappy w/their completely normal & perfect bodies? They would grimace & criticize themselves just because they didn't fit the societal images that were promoted by marketing teams or clothing designers made up of men in years gone by? This book is The Bible for body & age acceptance & the demand for the respect that any age deserves. Make living well & being healthy the priority vs trying to fit some heavily edited, AI generated or filtered photo. Loving your body ""as is"" isn't wrong. The author has been a Registered Dietician for 40 years & she covers far more topics than I can write about in this review. That is why I call the book, The Bible, because it covers it all. I most admired the chapters devoted to the concept of shame vs guilt, the 10k step myth, the small % of individuals that are actually underweight despite being bulimic or anorexic & just the general mantra that I do not have to change this body of mine. (On a personal note, I lived about 5 miles from the original Renfrew Center for 20+ years when it originally opened in Bryn Mawr. I remember how cutting edge it was in the late 1980s). This book will be a welcome change from what we see online with social media, television and movies & it applies to the very young as well as our older & wiser population. To quote Mark Twain, ""Do Not Complain About Growing Older. It Is A Privilege Denied To Many"". I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for a fair & honest review. -- Edie Myers * NetGalley * This is a book we have all been waiting for. Have you been bombarded with ads for every anti-aging product and diet now that you're a person of a certain age? Instead of anti-aging (which is actually not possible), Deb Benfield brings us Unapologetic Aging. She shares from her decades of clinical experience a hopeful view of our relationship with our aging bodies -- one where, instead of chasing endless unrealistic expectations (fueled by capitalism), we embrace our most authentic selves. What a different world it would be if we honored and cared for our bodies as we age instead of demeaning or restricting them. If you struggle to be unapologetic in your aging (and it's hard not to in this culture), you must read this book. Then, please buy one for all of your friends. We change this ageist culture with ripples of understanding and compassion. Let's change the conversations around growing older and get wiser together. This book is a brilliant invitation to embrace body liberation and joy, at any age. * Heidi Schauster, MS, RD, CEDS-C, SEP, author of Nourish: How to Heal Your Relationship with Food, Body, and Self and Nurture: How to Raise Kids Who Love Food, Their Bodies, and Themselves * Unapologetic Aging is an invitation to anyone ready to break free from the false promises of anti-aging culture and reclaim their relationship with their body. With compassion and clarity, Debra Benfield offers practical guidance toward true self-acceptance and a path to aging with confidence. She reminds us that at every stage of life, you are not diminishing-you are becoming more fully yourself. * Tracey Gendron, Professor of Gerontology, author of Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End it. * Unapologetically Aging is a brilliant resource for women as we consider our relationship with food, our bodies, our unique histories, and our desired futures. I loved the stories, the practical prompts, and the compassionate and wise guidance. Incredible! * Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS-C, FAED, Founder & Medical Director of the Gaudiani Clinic, author of Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders and Malnutrition (Routledge) * Unapologetically Aging is a must-read for any woman who wants to understand and to revise her body story - a gift that women desperately need today Think of all the women you know who yearn to make peace with their bodies - I have a long list of my own. My recommendation - get it (for yourself!) and give it (to all those other women too!). We could change our world and our bodies would thank us! It's never too late. * Margo Maine, PhD, FAED, CEDS, clinical psychologist and specialist in eating disorders and related issues, and author Hair Tells a Story: Hers, Yours, and Ours, Pursuing Perfection: Eating Disorders, Body Myths, and Women at Midlife and Beyond, and Father Hunger * As a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and body image, I struggle to find books and resources in/for midlife and beyond that align with my values of living and practicing from a non-diet approach. Unapologetically Aging is exactly what I've been looking for! It's the antidote we need to cultivate a peaceful relationship with our bodies at this stage of life. It's a guide to learn how to care for our bodies as we age free of the narrative we're sold about our bodies being wrong and needing to be changed. * Signe Darpinian, LMFT, CEDS, author of A Woman's Guide to Menopause, Body Image, and Emotional Well-being at Midlife *

This is a book we have all been waiting for. Have you been bombarded with ads for every anti-aging product and diet now that you're a person of a certain age? Instead of anti-aging (which is actually not possible), Deb Benfield brings us Unapologetic Aging. She shares from her decades of clinical experience a hopeful view of our relationship with our aging bodies -- one where, instead of chasing endless unrealistic expectations (fueled by capitalism), we embrace our most authentic selves. What a different world it would be if we honored and cared for our bodies as we age instead of demeaning or restricting them. If you struggle to be unapologetic in your aging (and it's hard not to in this culture), you must read this book. Then, please buy one for all of your friends. We change this ageist culture with ripples of understanding and compassion. Let's change the conversations around growing older and get wiser together. This book is a brilliant invitation to embrace body liberation and joy, at any age. * Heidi Schauster, MS, RD, CEDS-C, SEP, author of Nourish: How to Heal Your Relationship with Food, Body, and Self and Nurture: How to Raise Kids Who Love Food, Their Bodies, and Themselves * Unapologetic Aging is an invitation to anyone ready to break free from the false promises of anti-aging culture and reclaim their relationship with their body. With compassion and clarity, Debra Benfield offers practical guidance toward true self-acceptance and a path to aging with confidence. She reminds us that at every stage of life, you are not diminishing-you are becoming more fully yourself. * Tracey Gendron, Professor of Gerontology, author of Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End it. * Unapologetically Aging is a brilliant resource for women as we consider our relationship with food, our bodies, our unique histories, and our desired futures. I loved the stories, the practical prompts, and the compassionate and wise guidance. Incredible! * Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS-C, FAED, Founder & Medical Director of the Gaudiani Clinic, author of Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders and Malnutrition (Routledge) * Unapologetically Aging is a must-read for any woman who wants to understand and to revise her body story - a gift that women desperately need today Think of all the women you know who yearn to make peace with their bodies - I have a long list of my own. My recommendation - get it (for yourself!) and give it (to all those other women too!). We could change our world and our bodies would thank us! It's never too late. * Margo Maine, PhD, FAED, CEDS, clinical psychologist and specialist in eating disorders and related issues, and author Hair Tells a Story: Hers, Yours, and Ours, Pursuing Perfection: Eating Disorders, Body Myths, and Women at Midlife and Beyond, and Father Hunger * As a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and body image, I struggle to find books and resources in/for midlife and beyond that align with my values of living and practicing from a non-diet approach. Unapologetically Aging is exactly what I've been looking for! It's the antidote we need to cultivate a peaceful relationship with our bodies at this stage of life. It's a guide to learn how to care for our bodies as we age free of the narrative we're sold about our bodies being wrong and needing to be changed. * Signe Darpinian, LMFT, CEDS, author of A Woman's Guide to Menopause, Body Image, and Emotional Well-being at Midlife *

Author Information

Deb Benfield, MEd, RDN/LDN, RYT has helped hundreds of clients heal their relationships with food, eating, and their bodies in her 35-year career as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She brings wisdom, passion, and lived experience to this intersection of pro-aging and body liberation. Her work is trauma-informed and strives to help people feel more comfortable and at home in their bodies. After turning 60 and becoming a grandmother in the same year, Deb became frustrated by how difficult it was to find well-researched advice that was not related to managing weight or maintaining a youthful appearance. Currently, she runs her clinical practice and Aging with Vitality and Body Liberation group coaching where she weaves together the most up-to-date research in nutrition related to aging, with practices designed to help her clients divest from diet and wellness culture and focus instead on nutrition, yoga, somatic practices, trauma-informed mindfulness.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available