Your body is your life partner, not your life project.
The anti-aging and diet/wellness industries have scammed all of us into believing that younger and thinner is always better, and there is a narrowly defined way to eat and exercise to age "well." Their fear-mongering tells you to work harder, restrict more, and you'll finally be content with your body.
But this is not the case.
Unapologetic Aging untangles the complexities of anti-aging and diet and wellness culture, teaching you how to navigate their harmful messaging and age with more ease and confidence. You can nourish yourself for vitality and worry less about your body's size and shape. You can move your body in ways that feel good and will continue to feel good as you get older.
Midlife and beyond, with all its changes and milestones, is an opportunity to emerge as your most authentic self. It's time to break free from limiting beliefs and stories you’ve inherited about your body.
Early Praise for Unapologetic Aging
“If we are lucky, we will have the privilege of going through significant changes throughout our lives. Our thoughts, feelings, values, and, of course, our bodies are in constant flux. I profoundly appreciate Deb Benfield’s empathic and insightful book for the help it will give us to navigate these many changes. Living in a toxic diet, wellness, and ageist culture, we must consistently challenge the messages we are given suggesting that we’re not good enough, especially as we age. To break free from this tyranny, Unapologetic Aging helps us to radically accept what we cannot change while appreciating the rewards that life’s changes bring us. Through Deb’s wisdom as well as poignant stories from her clients, we are guided to increase our self-compassion and confidence, and to become excited about all the avenues that are yet to be explored. Finally, it brings us to the gift of body liberation.”
Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CED-S, FAND, Co-creator of Intuitive Eating
“How’s wellness culture workin' out for you? Debra Benfield’s UNAPOLOGETIC AGING offers a much-needed antidote to the toxic mix of fatphobia, ageism, and diet culture that swirls around us all. A registered dietician and nutritionist, Benfield brings decades of experience to this radical, compassionate approach to nourishing and caring for your body on your terms—no matter how thin, young, or virtuous you aren’t. Drawing on eye-opening insights, thoughtful storytelling, and accessible practices, UNAPOLOGETIC AGING will equip you to reject harmful “norms” and embrace your evolving self.”
Ashton Applewhite, author of THIS CHAIR ROCKS: A MANIFESTO AGAINST AGEISM
I wrote a book for you!
my story …
I have helped hundreds of women heal their relationship with food, eating, and their bodies in my 35-year career as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. I bring my wisdom, passion, and lived experience to this intersection of pro-aging and body liberation. My work is trauma-informed and rooted in the intention to help you feel more comfortable and at home in your body.
I believe that you are the expert on your own body. I will help you reclaim that truth if you lost it along the way. I bring my compassionate and empowering presence to you along with my fierce invitation to divest from the body hierarchy of ageist diet and wellness culture.
I am embarking on a liberating path as an elder. This part of my story began the year I turned 60. The number of years I’ve lived on this planet never really concerned me until then. I became a grandmother for the first time the same year. These co-occurring events felt significant to me. I became more awake to the fact that my time here is limited. Simultaneously, I am aware that my life is more abundant, requiring more of my energy.
Entering this critical chapter of my life caused me to become curious about how I care for my aging body.
As I started researching, I realized that I was not that interested in longevity but more about the quality of my life in this final chapter. I am specifically interested in maintaining my ability to live with vitality, as long as I am able. Keeping my mind as sharp as possible and having access to the energy I need to support my sense of adventure are what most interest me. I wanted to know what choices would help me align my daily life with my values.
I was in for a rude awakening. I was frustrated by how difficult it was to find well-researched advice that was NOT related to managing my weight or youthful appearance. I was excited to discover the beginnings of a pro-aging movement. I’m also disappointed that pro-aging movement upholds the same conventional, thin beauty ideals, leaving body diversity and respect out of the conversation.
I decided to create what I was looking for.
I am so excited about my Aging with Vitality and Body Liberation group coaching offering! I am weaving together the most up-to-date research in nutrition related to aging, with practices designed to help you divest from diet and wellness culture. This offering is a culmination of all that I have learned through my training over the years in presence-based coaching, nutrition, yoga, somatic practices, trauma-informed mindfulness, my research regarding aging, and my many years of experience. I am thrilled to make this available to you. The same process is available to you in 1:1 coaching if that would be more your style.
My intention is to coach you in making choices that support your body and mind’s ability to function as well as possible, as long as you are able or interested. I want help you feel vital and free of our culture’s stifling diet and movement rules. This is not the time to feel contained! This is a time to celebrate your unique capacity to live your precious life.
