Committing yourself to regular exercise can help you overcome your divorce sorrow, but it can also assist in a glow-up both physically and mentally. I’m going to tell you all the benefits of exercising through a divorce.

Going through an upsetting experience in life can lead people in two directions. The first of these is when it negatively impacts your mental wellbeing, leading to lack of motivation and having no desires in life. On the contrary, it may positively impact you, giving you the motivation you need to succeed in all aspects of life, such as appearance, career, and health.

In the UK, divorce rates stand at 41.91 percent. Despite it being so common, a divorce can have a huge impact on your mental and physical wellbeing. The question is, will you be the first person, who lets the feelings overwhelm them, or the second person, who thrives?

To help get yourself into shape post divorce, hiring a Bath, Birmingham or Bristol family law solicitor should help you to take care of the practical side of things. This way, you can focus on your physical and mental health, which is where a bit of exercise comes in. Can exercise help you to overcome your divorce? Take a look…

1. Exercise Releases Endorphins

One of the great mental health benefits of exercise is that it creates a ‘happy high’. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals into the brain called endorphins, and these chemicals provide you with positive feelings, and a stabilised mood. This can help to prevent mood swings and help to battle depression.

So, if you and your family are suffering because of your divorce, doing regular exercise, either together with your children or individually, will release these chemicals. This should help to uplift your mood every time.

2. Exercise Reduces Stress

Emotions can run significantly high during a divorce, especially if you have children and complications with your ex. Exercise has been known to reduce stress in people by focusing their minds on other things, such as lifting weights, cardio, or even releasing their stress onto a punching bag.

Releasing stress helps to make you feel mentally better; it will clear your mind and help you to think straight. It also physically has a positive impact on your body; less stress usually results in better sleep, aiding you to think better, have more energy, and be less fatigued.

3. Exercise Pushes You to Be Healthier

Sometimes, in marriage, we let ourselves get comfortable and often forget that we need to nourish our bodies with healthy food. Having children can also lead to feeling like you have a lack of time to make healthy meals or spend time exercising, often meaning you eat convenient junk food.

That said, after your divorce, you might find you have a new outlook on life, and feel more motivated to take care of yourself. You could even exercise with your children, and make healthy food choices for all of you, perhaps even helping teach your children to cook.

Getting into exercise on a regular basis usually results in seeing changes, whether that is mentally or physically, such as losing weight, toning up, or building muscle. Seeing that change will only make you want to work harder, helping you to avoid old habits. Once you get yourself into the right mindset and notice the benefits, it works wonders.

4. Exercise Helps Rebuild Self-Esteem and Confidence

Self-esteem and confidence can no doubt take a hit during and after divorce is finalised, especially if things with your ex didn’t end well. People tend to say horrible things to each other when they are angry or hurt, but what we often forget is that words can stick with us, especially when it is said by someone that we used to think the world of.

As you notice positive changes in both your mental and physical health, your self-esteem and confidence will grow. This will also help you to feel better regarding your divorce as you’ll be becoming happier with yourself and learn to love yourself again.

It might have been that you’ve struggled for a while with losing or gaining weight or to motivate yourself to build muscle, which can sometimes take a toll on us when we want something but can’t push ourselves to do it. Your divorce could be that pushing point where you find the motivation to exercise consistently, lift weights in the gym, and make healthier food choices.

So, although you might be upset about your divorce, you can use it as motivation to hit those goals that you may not have been able to encourage yourself to do previously.

5. Exercise Allows You to Meet Likeminded People

One great benefit of regularly hitting the gym or finding an exercise class you enjoy is that there are other people there who have one thing in common with you; they want to become a healthier version of themselves.

Meeting new people is great for your mental health, with studies finding that it boosts your overall happiness because of increasing your sense of belonging and purpose. It also is found to reduce depression in those who are at risk, as well as help your self-confidence to grow.

Like with your mental health, it also provides benefits to your physical health. Those with strong friendships tend to live longer due to reduced risk of blood pressure, but also as they’re more likely to receive positive encouragement towards their health.

Additionally, you might find that those who you meet could turn into lifelong friends or even a future love interest.

Use Exercise to Mentally and Physically Overcome Your Divorce

Whatever your background, your divorce experience is unique to you, and will affect everyone in a different way. The important thing to consider is not to let it consume you.

Make sure that you take care of both you and your children’s mental and physical health and, as I’ve have clarified, doing regular exercise can help you to do this. Do you agree?

Please be advised that this article is for general informational purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for advice from a trained medical professional. Be sure to consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you’re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I’m not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information on this site.