No matter how low you feel right now, squeeze in exercise during divorce — you’re guaranteed to feel much better in no time. If you have little experience, all you need to do to start your journey is to walk through the park or jog around the neighborhood.
Divorce is a traumatic experience that can affect a person emotionally, mentally, and physically. Since divorce can touch every part of your life, you need to battle it with an activity that encourages healing on all levels, and exercise during divorce is a great option.
A Few of the Benefits of Exercise During Divorce
There are a number of benefits to exercising during or after divorce — mental and emotional well-being is just one of them. Here’s a look at the many ways establishing a good exercise routine can help you.
Exercise Can Be a Social Activity
Divorce often causes people to become closed off and even avoid social contact. Physical activity gives you the opportunity to go out and meet people. If you decide to join a gym, group training, or a sports club, you can meet like-minded people and find new friends.
However, if you don’t want your physical activity to be social, it doesn’t have to be. It’s a great way to get in some “me-time” and recharge your batteries. Many people choose to exercise alone, think about things, and contemplate the future while at the same time doing something healthy and beneficial for both their body and mind.
Physical Activity Helps You Get Out More
Nature has a wonderful effect on the body. Spending time in the sun, getting vitamin D, breathing fresh air, and enjoying the greenery allows your mind and body to relax and unwind. So, if you have a chance, choose to exercise outdoors.
You can stroll, hike, jog, or mountain bike while enjoying your surroundings. You can even consider picking up the Japanese practice of forest bathing, which allows you to interact with a forest in a healing and meaningful way. It’s proven to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and boost the immune system.
Be mindful and enjoy the sky, air, flowers, and animals. Many people feel like everything is falling apart around them during the divorce period, so make sure to stop and take in the little things. It will remind you that you’re alive, that life is beautiful, and that life goes on. Pair this activity with a virtual divorce coach like Life After Divorce Coaching, and you’ll be way ahead of the game.
Working Out Releases Endorphins
Ever heard of the term “runner’s high”? Sometimes exercise triggers a rush of “happy” chemicals called endorphins that will come in handy when you’re going through tough times. The endorphins your body produces during physical activity can stabilize your mood, help battle depression, and make you feel better overall. You don’t need to run a marathon to benefit from the runner’s high. So, grab some good running gear, get out, and run — or get in some fast-paced walking! Just be sure to have the right kind of shoes and socks.
Exercise Helps Reduce Stress
One of the best benefits of exercising during divorce is that it can significantly reduce stress. During separation or divorce, emotions run high. Things can get tense — almost to the point of breaking. When you feel like exploding at your ex, kids, or co-workers, venting to a trusted friend, divorce coach, or counselor is a great way to reduce stress. If you can’t find either, try hitting the gym.
Choose a gym that has a quality punching bag. You’ll feel reborn without hurting anyone! While violence is never the answer, practicing it in controlled environments like a dojo or a gym is a great way to let off steam, release those endorphins, and reduce stress.
If you don’t feel like the gym is for you, choose any activity. Find another physical activity that you enjoy. It can be something you’ve always wanted to do, like horseback riding, or something you used to love doing and would like to pick up again, like tennis. Choose something that you will look forward to doing. If your joints can no longer handle much stress, walking is a simple activity that’s easy on the joints.
When you’re free of the stress that clouds your thoughts, you will instantly feel and sleep better, think more clearly, and experience more energy and less fatigue. This is especially beneficial if your stress levels have gotten so high that they take all your energy and prevent you from concentrating.
Physical Activity Pushes You to Be Healthier
Many people notice weight fluctuations during the separation/divorce period. Whether you’re gaining or losing weight fast, it’s not healthy. However, exercising can help control your appetite and allow you to burn some of those built-up calories. It encourages you to make better food choices, ditch fast food and alcohol, and pay more attention to buying healthy groceries. A good diet will help you control your weight and make you feel stronger and more focused on whatever obstacle comes your way.
Helps Rebuild Self-Esteem
Did your divorce shatter your confidence? Physical activity is one of the best ways to rebuild it. It can help you re-gain self-esteem and return to your confident self, which is beneficial if you’re trying to stay strong for your children or even get back to dating. The rush of endorphins will make the world look better — at least for a while.
And if you struggle with emotional eating after your separation or divorce (or if you suffered from it during your stressful marriage), exercise will help you shed weight and tone your muscles. And if you look better, you will often feel better!
Enjoy the Benefits of Exercising During Divorce — Get Moving Today!
No matter how low you feel right now, try to commit to exercising every day. You’re guaranteed to feel much better in no time. If you have little experience, all you need to do to start your journey is to walk through the park or jog around the neighborhood. Don’t underestimate the countless benefits of exercising during and after divorce. Physical activity in any shape or form will be there for you to rebuild self-esteem and offer relief, clarity, and peace whenever you need it!
Have you been hitting the gym during your divorce? If not, why are you waiting? Exercise during divorce is crucial in feeling your best in many ways!
During a divorce, there are good coping mechanisms and not-so-good coping mechanisms. Some people use drugs and alcohol to cope, while others use religion or therapy. Some think dating right away will help them feel better, while others dive into work. Exercise during divorce is a GREAT coping mechanism.
If you don’t love exercise, I won’t try to talk you into becoming a fanatic. I’m not talking about going to the gym seven days a week for two hours, sweating your butt off, and being exhausted after workouts. I’m talking about starting slow, even if you start with walking, and perhaps try to work your way up to some sweating, stretching, and strengthening muscles, particularly your core.
People think exercising means all or nothing. It doesn’t. Even if you want to stay home and exercise, lift two soup cans over your head 50 times three times a day — that is exercise! It’s doing something. Walking, jogging in place, dancing to music, sitting on the floor in front of your TV and stretching — all of that is better than doing nothing exercise-wise.
If that hasn’t motivated you, here are 50 ways exercise during divorce will benefit you:
- Improves mood swings
- Clears your mind
- Empowers you
- Fosters self-love
- Weight loss
- More energy
- Boosts immune system
- Takes your mind to a different place and acts as an escape
- Lowers cholesterol
- Helps with chronic illness
- Lowers blood pressure
- Allows you to eat more and maintain a healthy weight
- Helps you make friends
- Could help your love life
- Keeps your skin healthy
- Keeps your hair healthy
- Helps prevent back pain
- Helps arthritis
- Teaches you to breathe deep (if you do yoga)
- Helps digestion
- Improves sleep
- Makes you a better mother
- Keeps you feeling younger.
- Slows the aging process
- Improves memory
- Improves concentration and focus
- Improves your sex life
- Reduces risk of diabetes, stroke, heart attack
- Boosts self-esteem
- Makes you more health-conscious about eating
- It’s fun
- It gives you a sense of purpose
- Reduces stress
- Increases your metabolism
- Reduces risk of cancer
- Helps with depression
- Helps anxiety
- Increases pain tolerance
- Better brain function
- Reduces inflammation
- Helps headaches
- Cures hangovers
- People who work out have fewer wrinkles
- You’ll make friends you love seeing
- Gives you functional strength-daily activities are easier
- Makes you feel pretty
- Makes you feel powerful, like you can handle anything
- It’s detoxifying
- Makes you proud of yourself
- Makes you less bitter
I want to urge you to speak with your physician before beginning a workout routine to be sure you have the right fitness program for your body type, age, and other factors that impact physical health.
Going through a divorce can be gut-wrenching and one of the most difficult times in a person’s life. Hitting the gym takes some of the pain away and makes life seem much more manageable. Try it. I can almost guarantee no one ever regrets going to the gym!
While exercise is one of the best ways to begin building your life after divorce, learning how to manage your mind is also a crucial tool in your arsenal. But you need the right support in place to know what to do and how to do it. Let us help you get through your divorce and start to discover the best version of yourself on the other side. Set up a Discovery Call today to get started.
