Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: Feeling Good About Your Body and Self After 40 [Paperback]

Ann Ph.D Kearney-Cooke (Author), Florence Isaacs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2004

The rest of your life lies ahead of you. Do you want to spend it fighting your body and worrying about things you can't change? Or do you want to live your life to its fullest by combining age, experience, and creativity to develop a new vision for your body and self?

Women in midlife face many changes, such as children growing up, returning to the workforce, or retiring from it. Then there are the physical changes: crow's-feet, saggy arms, an expanding waistline. The transformations within us and around us can leave us feeling anxious, ineffective, and out of control, especially in a culture that defines midlife as the beginning of a decline. It's easy to look at our lives and ourselves and wish we could turn back the clock, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Midlife is a time of opportunity to renew, grow strong, set new goals, and redefine who you are. Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: Feeling Good About Your Body and Self After 40 gives you the tools you need to utilize your wisdom and experiences to shape a new vision of who you are and what you want your life to look like -- right now.

Learn how to:

• Cope with the physical and mental changes that midlife brings

• Revamp ideas of what is sexy and desirable

• Turn fears of aging into tools for positive growth

• Develop a positive, realistic body image

• Embrace who you are and who you will become

• Set weight and exercise goals you can really achieve

• Help our daughters create a positive self-image

You have the power to renegotiate your relationship with your body, yourself, and the world around you, and Change Your Mind, Change Your Body will help you discover and use it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: Feeling Good About Your Body and Self After Age 40, is an easy to read, inspiring, nurturing, and empowering book, based on years of practice of a skilled clinical psychologist."

-- Maureen Dymek-Valentine, PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Academy for Eating Disorders Newsletter

About the Author

Ann Kearney-Cooke, PhD,  is the director of the Cincinnati Psychotherapy Institute. She has been named a distinguished scholar for the Partnership for Women's Health at Columbia University in New York, where she developed the curriculum for the Helping Girls Become Strong Women Project. She has lectured at more than 150 conferences and written on the treatment of eating disorders, body image, and self-esteem. She was honored as a fellow by the American Psychological Association for her outstanding contributions to the psychology of women. She is the psychological expert for the monthly "Ask The Therapist" column of Shape magazine. Her work has been featured on shows such as NBC's Today, CBS's The Morning Show, and Oprah.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (June 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743439759
• ISBN-13: 978-0743439756
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,017,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a winner, January 27, 2005

By 

Judith Rabior (Lido Beach, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: Feeling Good About Your Body and Self After 40 (Paperback)

As a social worker practicing for thirty years, I found this groundbreaking book which combines psychologically proven techniques, ancient wisdom and spiritual teachings the most innovative, effective book I've read to help women finally overcome overeating and develop healthy body images. I love how she encourages women to exercise and develop physical strength while they are developing a stronger effective self in the world. She encourages women to take charge of their life, inviting them to pay attention to appetites and passions during "the middle years". Ideas like "you can't set boundaries with food (stop eating when full) until you set boundaries with others" is amazing. The step by step plan to reconstruct your body image provides simple strategies that anyone can approach. Patients have told me they found the book a great source of knowledge, comfort and strength. They love how the author not only gives examples how her patients have successfully used the strategies but also shares inspirational stories about herself and her family. This author's deep understanding of why women struggle with food and their body image and has come up with a novel, effective approach to help women move on. I highly recommended this book to all women.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is just how I feel!, February 18, 2005

By 

Regina "Regina" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: Feeling Good About Your Body and Self After 40 (Paperback)

"My girlfriend bought me this book for my 49th birthday.I needed a kick in the pants to get moving and this book gave me one that and more. I have two kids and both are in college and doing well. Its me who has been struggling with my life in general my weight,body image and relationships with others. My Mom became depressed when I went to college and I never wanted that to happen to me. Through the stories and ideas in this book, I realized I have to stop feeling sorry for myself, stop procrastinating and take control of my eating and exercise..The authors insightful examination of why people overeat and great ideas on how to stop overeating have helped me tremendously. The chapter on exercise was really helpful and I am begining to feel stronger, not just in my body but in myself [I have also lost 6 pounds over the last three months]. The story that the author shared about the hike in Australia where the Aborigne guide asked her "What are you hunting for and who are you gathering around you at this point in your life" blew me away. This is a great book that has helped me look at midlif in a new way.

If any women is having probelms dealing with aging, weight and self esteen this is the book to read, it is very easy and interesting reading...you go girls!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: Feeling Good About Your, January 29, 2005

By 

Carolyn Grobe "Carolyn" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: Feeling Good About Your Body and Self After 40 (Paperback)

I bought this book for my mother for Christmas. She's 45 years old, and has always seemed pretty happy with herself until the past few years. She gained a little weight, and tried different diets, but nothing really worked so she gave up. I thought this would be the perfect book to re-motivate her, and I was right. She loved it. She said it not only helped her overcome overeating, but the chapter on fitness motivated her to start exercising. Now she is training with her friend for a five mile mini marathon in our hometown this spring.
I read the chapter on compulsive overeating and found some new ideas to stop my bad habit of overeating. I am using her ideas on handling emotions like anger and sadness which often trigger overeating. I am one of those people who has too much responsibility as a graduate student and no healthy way to re-fuel. Often times, I use food. Like the author suggests, I am working on increasing my resources and decreasing my demands so I don't overeat out of sheer exhaustion. I loved the chapter on self care and am looking at relationships I am in that leave me "hungry". Since Christmas, I got myself a copy of the book and my roommate is currently reading it as well. This is the best book I've ever read about improving my body image and eating healthy. The only mistake this author made was to assume these ideas would only be helpful for women over forty. With the exception of the first chapter, the rest of the book is full of novel, inspiring ideas to help women like me take control of my eating and allow myself to feel sexy and attractive!