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Everyone gets over breakups differently. Keeping busy with family, nights out, or staying home watching a favorite series are all go-to strategies for forgetting the heartache.

Leaving distractions behind and hitting the pavement may not be what you want to do when you’re down. But increasingly, science is showing that swapping the creature comforts for a pair of running shoes won’t just get you moving - it will get you moving on.

The Science of moving on

The hardest part of a breakup is the goodbye. Not just a goodbye to a partner, but a goodbye to comfortable routines - to habits, to future plans, and to the things that ground your reality - that make you, you.

'Grow’, become stronger’, reinvent yourself’ are all phrases we associate with leaving the past behind. But from a scientific perspective, they aren’t just figurative – they are literally true.

After a traumatic experience, the brain is forced to rewire, forming new pathways and reorganize itself to cope with the emotional fallout.

Part of the rewiring involves the production of proteins that grow new neurons – the building blocks of your brain. So, all those cliches about becoming a new person’ aren’t merely a figure of speech – a breakup literally grows new parts of you.

And running can play a key part

A consistent running routine increases the production of these proteins. By forging new neural connections, you are building inner strength and resilience. New parts of you are being unleashed, allowing you to heal, and move on to brighter and better things.

And brain rewiring is only part of the story. The runner’s high is a chemical reaction that gives you that feeling of euphoria during a run, and whose positive effects can have a dramatic long-term impact – again helping you to move on.

Healing in Motion

Running has also been proven to be a great way to restore a sense of control.

Getting out there and kitting up can be hard. By doing it day after day, you set a positive cadence to your life. An upward rhythm that breaks the sense of powerlessness and spiraling down’.

Each step is proof that you are rebuilding, getting stronger, moving forward. And by locking yourself into a routine, you give your life more structure: something to ground yourself in on those darker days.

Running is a type of moving mediation. It can be hard to carve out headspace when you’re at home, endlessly replaying old conversations and memories. But on the road, feeling the fire in you muscle fibers, hearing the pound of each heartbeat, you can achieve a heightened sense of mindfulness.

And of course, running doesn’t have to be a solo sport. Running clubs are all the rage, meaning it’s never been easier to get out, meet new people, and be part of the friendly running community.

Keep moving forward

Healing is never a sprint. It can be tough, and there’s bound to be slips and falls on the way.

It takes courage to set up a running routine – and even more courage to stick to it. But as you move on, a new, stronger, more positive version of you will emerge.

With each mile you stack, the closer are to reaching a brighter future. So, if you’re experiencing a breakup, lace up, and run wild. Relish those moments of mindfulness. And lose yourself in that runner’s high.