Unbreakable: A Woman's Guide to Aging with Power

by Vonda Wright

Stronger muscles and bones, increased mobility, lifelong independence, and a new mentality for aging with power—this cutting-edge guide to nutrition, training, and lifestyle will optimize a woman's body for longevity, through menopause and beyond.

More than 70% of women experience musculoskeletal symptoms like joint pain, muscle loss, and reduced bone density as they enter perimenopause and menopause. These symptoms—what Dr. Vonda Wright refers to as the "musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause"—can often set women up for broken bones, increasingly limited mobility, and reduced independence later in life. Indeed, as Dr. Wright explains in Unbreakable, because we tend to ignore the fitness of our skeletal muscle—the engine that drives our healthspan—our muscles and bones can get weak and crack under our own weight, sending us to the ground. Unbreakable outlines the path to protecting ourselves against this too-common fate.

Drawing on her decades of experience as an orthopedic surgeon helping women at all fitness levels to repair their bones and regain strength, Dr. Wright gives clear action steps to counteract the "timebombs" of aging in four critical

Nutrition: What to eat to extinguish inflammation, repopulate the gut biome, and support strong bones and muscle growth.
Exercise: Pinpointing the right combination of cardio and resistance training for you to aid in tissue regeneration and improve metabolic function.
Lifestyle: How to manage chronic stress, get more restorative sleep, and turn down system inflammation in daily life.
Supplements: What to take to target the elimination of “zombie cells” and improve cell function.

Including a unique quiz to assess your present musculoskeletal fitness (your "Unbreakable Score"), information about baseline blood and mobility tests that will help you understand your current health state, twenty easy, anti-inflammatory recipes, and a master exercise plan to help you pace your weekly workouts, Unbreakable is an invaluable roadmap for adding more healthy life to your years.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Self Help, Science, Audiobook, Nutrition, Personal Growth

400 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2025

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I try to read health books regularly. I find them kind of fascinating. I rarely give out 5 stars but this one absolutely deserves it for a few reasons. The fact that I ordered a hard copy when I got home from work after listening to the audio says a lot.

The author isn't the first to talk about the concepts she covers, but what makes this book so helpful is how she pulls it all together in one place and uses her own stories to strengthen certain bullet points. Her approach to aging well and aiming for longevity was based on her decades of experience as a doctor and it felt down to earth. Unlike many books in the health and wellness genre, it wasn't militant or polarizing. She meets her clients/patients where they are, and as a reader, it felt like she was offering us that same kind of flexibility.

Another thing that stood out was the way she did her own narration of the audio. She was warm and personable without fishing for compliments or setting off a confetti cannon every other page for herself....which is so very rare in this field. She also wasn't trying to sell a product or push a brand, which, again, is rare. I've heard her on several podcasts launching this book and that same sincerity shines through here.

I do have one negative though. The very end (kind of had a huddle feel) sounded so AI! It lacked the feel I got from the whole book. But definitely not a deal breaker.

Overall, this book was informative and refreshingly ego-free. I loved the layout and the organization. She went step by step and stayed out of the weeds. So 5 stars and I can't wait to receive my own copy.

[Abi_reads_and_scribbles · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one really tells you how aging really hits different once you turn 40. I come from era of 90s/ 2000's diet culture and mothers who never really discussed what happens in the transition into perimenopause. Jokes have always been about hot flashes, but when I turned 41, let me tell you, a truck might as well have run me over. The brain fog, the exhaustion, the cycle changes in literally everything was unreal. On top of that parenting and watching my aging parents has been huge inspiration to get my butt into incorporating healthy routines.

I was constantly trying to find books on this topic and what to do, since various tests and dr visits came up empty. I've read, and given up on SO MANY hokey-pokey self help books, but this one was fantastic. If you're a woman 35 and up I highly suggest it. It really explains so much.

Written by a bone doc herself, Dr. Vonda Wright does a great job dropping facts, studies and an action plan. I've been following her for awhile on Instagram and when I saw her book on Netgalley I jumped at the chance to review it.

Wright talks a lot about our bones, nutrition and and how lifestyle plays a huge role in how we age. I didn't realize how fast we lose bone density from nursing our babies and the decline that happens when we are between 30 and 40. Wright's approach to what to eat and what kind of workouts to do are also well detailed. I know I struggle with macros because I feel a constant overwhelm with what those numbers should look like. Wright really has a great workbook component in this to track your goals and workouts.

Though I highly recommend this, I do with a few caveats. First, I'm someone who is still able to move and I don't have any mobility limiting issues. Second, the cost of some of the tests she suggests like the Dexa scan can be expensive. Overall, Wright's plan in the book is doable. I'm planning on adding sprints and her workouts into my daily life to keep this bod movin and groovin.

Thanks to Netgalley and Rodale books for the ARC.

Rating: 4.5⭐
Release date: August 26

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide for women on aging with greater vitality, strength, power, mental acuity, and independence. Written by an orthopedic surgeon/longevity specialist, with tips for exercise, nutrition, mindset, and a healthy lifestyle, along with a six-week implementation program that I found incredibly helpful. A wonderful resource!

[Kristine L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written by an orthopedic surgeon and "longevity specialist" - whatever that means - this book is for all women wanting to live their best life long into their senior years. It's especially helpful for postmenopausal women and offers "A 6-week program for lifelong strength and vitality."

It includes tons of medical info that gets pretty technical pretty fast. It offers 20 pages of healthy, nutritious recipes.

A big issue I had with the big is in Part TWO: Building Your Unbreakable Future with the exercise acronym FACE. Flexibility/Mobility, Aerobic Activity, Carrying a Load and Equilibrium and Footspeed. Several of the exercises described are difficult to visualize and execute properly without illustrations. This section has none. Also, the author seems to assume that everyone has access to a gym, personal trainer, or physical therapist. Not.

The quantity, intensity and sheer volume of exercise sessions - sometimes 30 to 45 minutes with "10 minutes of light jogging or cycling" with "static stretching afterwards" - may be daunting to the point of overwhelming for beginners. For example, the "dynamic warm-up" is "ten simple movements" with multiple reps. These "should take you about 15 minutes." That's BEFORE and in addition to the session itself. The Day 1 Lower Body Workouts include 19 separate exercises, with about 10 reps and 4 sets of each. That may be a bit much for beginners.

This book was okay-ish. But not worth a re-read. It feels clunky and is not particularly user-friendly, especially for those new to the bone-building/health journey. I've found more practical, easier-to-follow resources elsewhere.

[Emily V · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the hopeful empowering message of this book. There was a lot of research to back up the authors recommendations and a how to guide for how to get started. The part that stood out to me, was the importance of training your balance and quick feet in order to mitigate falls in the future.

[Rachel Oppitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive & impressive content. Needs more photos and diagrams or additional editing. It was not a fun read (boring). I think many lay people will feel lost and overwhelmed.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audio but highly recommend reading the hard copy (which I may buy) in order to have access to the charts and appendixes. Very informative and inspiring but too technical at times.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

written by AI and read to you by Vonda Wright, md -In case you didn't catch it the million times she mentions it, she is an orthopedic surgeon (riding the menopause gravy train) & uses the word badass & baddassery just as many times to describe herself.


Author describes participating in Spartan competitons as "doing hard things". Definitely has a different meaning for me.

"feeding episodes"

tldr: eat well, exercise, sleep, reduce stress (yet constantly be optimizing)...and make a gajillion doctor appointments for labs, scans, diagnostics -- that won't be help much bc "we need more research"

i dont know who this book is written for - people that are already into training, peak performance know all of this and people who are not, I don't see how this book would be motivating/inspiring.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I ended up skimming this. I didn’t find it particularly useful or unique. Seems like the same advice all over social media. It’s probably too complex and overwhelming for someone new to fitness and not terribly useful to someone already in shape. The recipes are for birds - or specifically, not super helpful to someone doing a decent amount of endurance training. 350-450 calorie meals?

I also seemed to dwell on the negative. I was like, am I falling apart more than I’m admitting? I am for sure in perimenopause but gosh, this book made my thoughts more negative - obviously not the intent.

[Priyanka Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly think that everyone should read this book. Especially every single woman. Dr. Wright goes into EVERYTHING. She makes everything easy to understand and I took away so much. I haven’t learned as well as I have from her in a very long time. Must read for those in their 30’s and 40’s looking to turn things around before menopause!

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very technical in nature so for me, I had to skim. It is a long book but nicely organized so you can find the areas specific to you. For example, I skipped most of the parts about your health and menopause. Also, it has a nice recipe area, again specific to what you need to have: more protein, anti-inflammatory meals. To sum up, I learned a lot.

[G. Aria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to several podcasts with Dr. Vonda Wright and expected Unbreakable to deliver clear, practical guidelines. While the book does a great job framing aging as something women can actively influence, I was disappointed that most of the exercise instructions are tucked away in the appendix and only described in text. In an era where video instruction is standard, this makes the book feel impractical to follow. The same goes for the nutritional section — it includes valuable information with detailed measurements, but it’s so specific that it feels unrealistic to live calculating every bite. I finished the book still unsure what to actually follow in my daily routine.

[Jess Brandes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insane. If I did all the things she told me to do in the book my entire life would be exercising, prepping food, going to doctors appointments to run complex bloodwork, and standing on one leg the rest of the time. Totally overwhelming detail that was tough to follow.

[Debbie Brouwer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book and it sounded like one long infomercial with many repetitive phrasing and “inspirational” catch phrases. The medical terminology would be above your “average” woman with a non medical or physiological background and the exercise descriptions don’t need to be part of a book. The entire first chapter is dedicated to what she’s going to talk about in the rest of the book. I agree with an earlier review, not sure who the intended audience is for this book.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook but am happy that I bought a hard copy. I will definitely be returning to the information on health assessments and the appendices with recipes, workout plans, etc.

[Karin Künnapas · Rating 4 out of 5]

/Audiobook/

Vonda Wright covers all the different aspects of aging and what we can do to make sure we age well with good health, mobility, and mental power. A lot of these topics have been covered before, but the clear focus on women and very clear and to-the-point action points make this book stand out.

Also, the optimistic view of aging and how turning 30, 40, 50, 60, and even more is not the end of life, and how the decline is not given and has to happen.

Key things:
* Optimise health - make sure you track your health and talk to doctors to prevent rather than heal.
* Peak performance - training and lifetime changes can make sure you're flexible, strong and mobile in older age.
* Mental health - keeping social connections, continuing to learn ,and having a purpose will help to avoid cognitive decline.

My recommendation would be to actually read it as a physical copy and not an audiobook. There were a lot of checklists, instructions, and guidelines that were not easy to follow or to remember when just listening.

I won't write all the lists here, but the book had very clear things to check, what to do and what to avoid. I definitely took some things into my everyday life already.

[Kelly Gesker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book prior to it being published. With all the information out there, I opted to pick one source and hit it hard. I appreciate the science and the emphasis on mindset, medical and physical health. It has stirred me to tackle the next 40 years of my life more consciously, recognize that I have choices and not making a choice is also a choice. That being said, my eyes did begin to cross with endless abbreviations, numbers and recommendations. I had taken careful notes and struggled to find a recommended starting point for my (not) fitness level. I have instead fallen back to a more beginner exercise program while taking the FACE recommendations into consideration. I am more motivated than ever but opting to be realistic and activated rather than feeling the task insurmountable.

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure my rating may be on the low side because I listened to the audiobook while my ferritin levels are below 20 which makes it feel impossible to even walk briskly let alone do the exercise suggested.

That said, this is fairly comprehensive, and I like that the author is pretty direct about mindset. You have to want the change enough to do hard things consistently, and often to do even more challenging things once you get used to the original hard things!

[Megan Shadley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of great information about how to prevent chronic disease and live strong and healthy as we age. I felt some of the information, especially toward the end of the book was a little out of reach for the average person but I appreciate that much of what was discussed were lifestyle approaches.

[Natalie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Great information especially about building bones and muscles with various exercises and resistance training. I don’t agree 100% with her nutritional advice but overall it is a great resource for better health and longevity.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved listening to this author in snippets on podcasts. I chose to listen to this book, and I think it would be much. Water with a physical book. Much to mark and calculate as you go. Hard to listen to in segments at the gym lifting HEAVY. Ha. I did learn from it.

[Judyleach · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a post menopausal woman dealing with health information overload, I was glad I read this book! I love all the tests and measurements to get a baseline of where you are at and recommendations on how to move forward. Where it lost a star for me was too much technical medical info and jargon. There were some spots I just turned the page and moved on.

[Miranda Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this one on audio and was about to read to read about half of it before having to switch to the paper copy of the book. To anyone starting this starting this, I highly recommend that you get the physical copy of the book. Fantastic information in this book and something that all women should read from much earlier age than perimenopause!

[May May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Xuất sắc!

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The complete book for those of us that are post menopausal, looking to level up strength training and protein meal planning. This book is my health manual for a continued vivacious life.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book goes into extreme detail of workouts, foods to eat and other behaviors for women as they get older.

[enyanyo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very informative, just not for me.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Highly recommended.

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to kick of this review by noting that it struck me as weirdly specific that Dr. Vonda aspires to live to age 97. I mean, why not 95 or 101? In any case, after finishing Unbreakable, I get the sense that she's determined enough to live exactly to whatever age she picks, whether there's a special reason for it or not. I'd like to be that determined, too...up to a point. There is absolutely great fitness and nutrition science in Unbreakable that I plan to incorporate into my routines: adding velocity/tempo work to strength training, working sprint and VO2-max intervals into my cardio, replacing my afternoon black tea with green tea, that kind of thing. But I probably won't be exploring the precision labwork, continuous glucose monitoring, cold plunges, or other more hardcore recommendations the book makes. Don't get me wrong--living to a healthy 97 sounds good. But I'd settle for 80-something with some french fries and ice cream along the way.

[Dlynn1116]

So much information. I have to get the hard copy