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When Alex Parren came out of a long-term relationship, she was devastated. Running, and later the gym, was what got her through the heartbreak. She went on a journey, not just on the road but in learning to love herself, which included taking a long, hard look at her relationship with food.
I started running for a similar reason. After a pretty difficult break-up, I needed to clear my head and get perspective. I was pretty low, working in a job I hated (not this one, lol) and back living with my parents (which made me feel like a child again, not to mention the 90 minute commute to said job).
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t particularly good at running, but it didn’t matter. At first I could only make it to the end of the road, but after a few attempts I could make it around the block and before I knew it I was running around 5 miles (or 8km, if you’re feeling metric) a few times a week. Now, due to ongoing knee issues, I have moved on to other forms of exercise: yoga, HIIT and weight training. Each serves a different purpose in my life.
You might come to exercise for a deeply personal reason: a troubled relationship with your body, emotional difficulties, stress or simply to escape. But whatever your reason, my advice is to stick with it. The respite, however brief, will help you through tough times.
