Broken Heart Rehab

Posts Tagged ‘Exercise’

One of our favorite ways to heal a broken heart is through heels.
No, we’re not talking about shoe shopping (though, it is a past time of ours). We’re talking about enlisting your heels and walking!

Walking is a great way to heal a broken heart. Not only is it heart-healthy, but it is a great way to heal the mind through meditation and reflection upon a relationship. It does not (typically)require the endurance running or other “heeling” activities, so it is easy to put on your comfiest shoes and just let your mind and body wander.

Take the time to breathe. Take the time to think. Take the time to reflect. Just take the time for you.

Healing after a break up is not easy. Adopting new rituals and doing things to heal your heart are more important than ever. Using your heels to heal your heart is just one thing that we suggest to help you do that.

It is easy to wallow in sorrow with a broken heart. It can feel nice to lay around, cry, and react to your new and unwelcomed singlehood. And that is ok, for a short time. But too much self pity leads to self destruction, and the only person you are hurting is yourself (not your ex).

One of the best ways to liberate yourself from the depths of despair is through exercise. It is ok to take baby steps, especially if it has been some time since you have had a workout. Joining a gym has many benefits beyond toning your fabulous single body. It is a great way to meet new people, join classes (aka be active in the outside
world again), and improves mental health.

Starting with thirty minutes of moderate cardio three times a week is a perfect start. Walking on the treadmill, yoga, or even rowing are good ways to bring new movement to your body. After feeling confident with these exercises, add fifteen minutes of light weight training to the end of your cardio session. This is a complete physical and mental boost, improving not only your psyche (hello new hot body!) but will elevate self esteem and mental clarity.

Daily supplements like vitamin D, Omega 3′s, and herbs like St. John’s Wort can add to your mental health, elevating mood and motivation. If a gym membership is out of your budget, neighborhood walks, bike rides, and longs runs are just as beneficial. It is time to love yourself and your life. Taking care of your body is a sure ticket to experiencing the beautiful new you.

**Please consult with your physician prior to taking any vitamins or supplements.

Getting through a broken heart is hard. Regardless of what the loss is, change can be challenging. During this time, it is important to take care of yourself.  Stress more than likely is a big factor at these times. Emotional and mental strain (wracking your brain to make sense of what is happening) is understandable. A healthy diet and exercise is a sure way to alleviate excess stress. But herbs and vitamins to supplement your diet can be helpful during troubled times.  Daily multi-vitamins are always recommended, regardless of crisis or not. Extra omega 3′s and flax are beneficial for mental clarity. An extra dose of vitamin C, not exceeding 1000mg a day will help boost immunity, which tends to suffer during high stress times. And feeling fatigued? Load up on your B’s to help maintain a level mood. 

Herbs are beneficial as well. Mood elevating St. Johns Wort is a wonderful antidote to depression, as well as 400mg of Sam-E (not suggested to take both during the same time and be careful about taking St. Johns Wort if you are on birth control and sexually active-it can negate your birth control). Two doses of vitamin D a day (400mg each) will also do wonders for your sorrows.  Can’t sleep with that racing mind? Melatonin, taken half an hour before bedtime, will ease you to slumber. Chamomile tea is great for bedtime as well. It is relaxing, decaffeinated, and natural.  Take this time to invest in yourself, and love yourself. Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you for it.

**Please consult with your physician prior to taking any vitamins or supplements.

It is scientifically proven that exercise is not only good for your heart cardiovascularly but also mentally. When you are heartbroken, you want to feel good and, of course, you want to look good! Since there is no magic pill (damn, they need to invent one of those), go exercise. But you “don’t feel like it”, I know staying in bed and crying and watching depressing movies sounds so much better, that is when you need to go out and work up a sweat! And don’t even think about grabbing the cookies and ice cream and booze while you watch these sappy heart wrenching movies, they won’t help. All these foods/drinks will do is make you lethargic and cause you to pack on the pounds. And that won’t show, oh what’s his face, what a big mistake that he made by breaking up with you. Instead, show him by becoming a more confident, healthy and sexier you by exercising.

When my ex dumped me, the only thing that made me feel better was to exercise. I would head to the gym and put on my Ipod and listen to songs like Chris Daughtry’s “Over You” and Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable”. Not only are they great for pushing your heart rate, they also gave me a “He’ll be sorry he left me” attitude. Especially after I whipped myself into super woman shape by going to the gym. I would smile when songs came on that spoke to me and assured me that “I would survive”, thanks Gloria Gaynor. It was an hour a day that I felt good about myself and I felt like I was invincible. I had a great, “fuck you” attitude about my ex when I was running on the treadmill. It is truly what got me through the dark days. I could not have made it through if I had stayed in bed and ate the whole day long. All that would have accomplished would be pounds gained and my self-esteem would have plummeted. Now, I’m not a gym rat. I hate the gym. But once I got there and I was sweating and my heart was pounding and I turned on my breakup mix (not the sappy one but the “you’ll be sorry” one), I was good to go. The time flew by.

Now, how does this apply to you? All you have to do is decide, right here and now, that you are going to use those sweatpants you have been living in to do what they are intended for you to do-sweat! That’s right, get up-NOW! Go outside or go to the gym and put one foot in front of the other, quickly! Make sure you are working up a sweat. Take out your anger and frustration on your walk/run. Bring some music that will make you feel good. Sweat for at least 30 minutes. Do more when you feel like it. And there will be days you feel like it. It becomes addicting and you want to feel good. So you will workout longer. And there are days that you will need to rest, but make those days few and far in-between. Aim to workout at least 3-5 days a week. You don’t need a gym membership, you can just walk outdoors. Start sweating that man right out of your life and in no time your heart will thank you for it in more ways than one. And by the end I know that you will survive and your hot self will look kick ass in a mini-skirt when you start dating a hotter, better guy that you met on a run!