The Inside Story: The Surprising Pleasures of Living in an Aging Body

Book Synopsis: What if the secret to healthy aging has been inside of you all along? Find out in this enlightening guide to better aging through embodiment for women at midlife and beyond. “A delicious brew of new knowledge and fresh ideas, seasoned with a feminism that spans a long, rich life. What a treat!” —Valory Mitchell, PhD, coauthor of the 50-year adult development study Women on the River of Life “This is a work of love to women.” —Susie Orbach, author of Fat is a Feminist Issue and Bodies “[Sands] notes how with aging comes greater freedom and happiness, a more meaningful perspective on life, and a transformative capacity for body awareness. By outlining the many benefits of aging and offering practical strategies for wholesome living during the senior years, Sands ignites a genuine excitement about the aging process.” —Spirituality & Health magazine The new science of embodiment tells us that “body sense,” or interoceptive awareness, is a crucial factor for our well-being across the span of our lives. In this eye-opening and wide-ranging book, body image expert Dr. Susan Sands unpacks the research to make a bold call to aging women to find safe harbor from the ravages of age right where they strike the deepest—in the body. “How can we manage the losses of aging? Stop focusing on the ‘outside body’ that others see—the one you may think is too fat, too wrinkled, or too saggy—and move your attention to the ‘inside body’ that you sense and feel.” With wise and humorous insight, Dr. Sands calls on case studies, personal stories, and scientific findings to help us rewrite the cultural beliefs that put us at odds with our own bodies. Powerful yet accessible embodiment tools such as meditation, yoga, breathing practices, and neural feedback techniques make this a practical as well as enlightening self-care manifesto for women at midlife and beyond. “This book is not about trying to look fifty when you’re seventy or thirty when you’re fifty,” writes Dr. Sands. “It’s about forging a healthier relation­ship with your actual maturing body—a relationship of respect, appreciation, tenderness, and yes, even love.” Read more