Are you newly single? Have you found yourself spending your Sunday afternoons solo, jogging through the park rather than splurging on endless sangria-drenched brunches as a couple? Do you find yourself doing sporadic planks in the office instead of making an imprint on the couch with your former love interest? Are you noticing toning in places that you thought could never be toned? You may have a case of Revenge Body, an increasingly common condition of improved mental and physical conditions post-breakup. Other symptoms include improved posture and the sudden desire to wear crop tops, bright colors, and that skirt you thought was too short (it isn’t). (Also the sudden desire for swimsuit selfies.)
Revenge Body often starts subtly: Drowning your sorrows into bags of Doritos and sappy ’90s movies suddenly feels less appealing than getting out there and leaning full tilt into the physical. Eating well, you realize, actually makes you feel great. Those post-workout endorphins, in fact, are much more stress-relieving than calling your friend to complain about your ex (again). You actually have things to talk about with your friends other than your terrible ex, in fact! (Whether they’ll indulge stories about your workouts is another matter, but we’re willing to bet that the relief of a non-romantic conversation will be a thrill.) Bit by bit, healthier habits emerge: Instead of doing the couple-y indulgent thing of settling down and settling in like it’s going to be a long winter, you’re out trying new things—and you’re looking great doing it.
And about that: With your new feel-better Zen attitude and sun-glazed, healthy flush to your cheeks, you’ll want to show off more of yourself. Revenge Body may be about you first and foremost, but it does, after all, earn its title by the “look what you’re missing” aspect of a more active lifestyle combined with figure-skimming workoutwear. Don’t feel like wearing a shirt? Replace it with a bodysuit. Soak up the last rays of summer on your roof in a barely there bikini. And forget a baggy T-shirt when you go for your Sunday morning sprint: Wear a solo sports bra instead, jog past that brunch place you used to hit up, and make sure to wave goodbye. He’ll never know what hit him. But who cares? Living well—and looking great—is the best revenge.
