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Fitness With Finesse: 5 Benefits Of Working Out To Help With the Breakup Blues

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UFL chapter.

You’re back to being team #singlelife and have lost touch with what it means to take care of just yourself: a strong, independent lady. Many women gain or lose weight during the first few post-breakup weeks from eating way too much buttery popcorn or from not eating very much at all. Although this is totally normal behavior, there comes a point when you just start to get tired of it and tell yourself to get it together. I know I did. That’s where my workout routine was born from — it was a way of coping with my own heartbreak. Since I started incorporating fitness into my everyday life, I have never been more motivated and confident in myself, and you will too once you check out these fitness benefits to coping with heartache.

1. You’ll boost your confidence
Science proves that exercise releases endorphins, and endorphins make you happy. It’s as simple as that. This is a time to rediscover yourself and all your fabulousness. Getting your bod into the best shape ever plus being healthy will help your confidence skyrocket.  

2. You’ll become more resilient
Exercise helps build resilience — both physically and mentally. It will help you push harder during your workout and will allow you to release your anger in a healthy fashion. All that overthinking gets tiring, and this little remedy called exercise is proven to lessen your stress and give you plenty of energy. You will soon learn to recover quickly during your workouts as well as when you start to feel sad reminiscing.

3. You’ll look good and feel good
Let’s face it; your ex is guaranteed to eat his heart out next time he sees you looking lean and mean with that smokin’ “revenge body.” Feeling comfortable and empowered in your own skin after a strenuous workout will leave you feeling accomplished. Also, seeing those results from breaking a sweat regularly at the gym will motivate you into buying that dress you’ve been eyeing for months but didn’t feel comfortable enough to wear. Note to self: Don’t hold back on giving yourself compliments!

4. You’ll feel more productive
Don’t give yourself too much time pondering over the breakup and all that went wrong. When you find yourself thinking about it for more than a couple of minutes, pick yourself up and work on your brand new pastime: exercising.

5. You will adapt easier to change
At first you could barely lift 2.5 pounds of weight, but after a few weeks you’ll learn to cope with it better. Before you know it, you’ll be lifting 25 pounds. That was all you, that was all your strength. You’ll feel proud of how far you’ve come since first entering that intimidating weight room post-breakup. You will walk into the gym with your head held high and take a look back at your own life and see how far you’ve come in coping with matters of the heart.

With these benefits in mind, always remember to treat yourself nicely, give yourself time to heal and stay active!

Photo credits: pinterest.com

Natalie Cardenas is a fourth year Political Science and Spanish major at the University of Florida. She is from Miami, so Spanglish is basically her first language. She enjoys watching Friends, obsessing over stationery, and lives in black leggings. This past summer she interned with Latina Magazine in NYC, and fell in love with the city life. She plans on booking a one way ticket to the Big Apple after graduation.