Burning off unwanted pounds is a great thing, but let’s not overlook a more immediate benefit of exercise.

Exercise transforms how you feel—with a quickness.

It’s true. While weight loss takes time and extended effort, all it takes is one workout to begin reaping the reward of a more energetic and capable body.

Here are the top 3 ways that your body will feel better with exercise:

1) You’ll Have More Energy
How are your energy levels these days?

(And I’m talking about natural energy, not energy manufactured by caffeine.)

Do your eyes pop open at the sound of your alarm? Then do you bounce through your day with a spring in your step?

Or do you hit snooze half a dozen times before getting up and dragging through your day?

While you may not instantly feel like the Energizer Bunny, your energy levels will dramatically increase once you begin a consistent, challenging exercise routine.

How does spending energy create more energy?

“(Exercise) literally creates energy in your body. Your body rises up to meet the challenge for more energy by becoming stronger,” explains Samantha Heller MS, RD.

Research consistently concludes that regular exercise increases energy levels and reduces fatigue.

2) You’ll Have Fewer Aches and Pains
When your life becomes sedentary (this means you are inactive for most of the day) then you’ll quickly find your body developing aches and pains.

You’ll feel it when you stand up – a throb in your back, creaking in your knees and stiffness in your legs.

This is pain due to underuse.

Your body was meant to move!

Movement improves flexibility and range of motion, and releases natural pain-reducing endorphins, which means that, with a regular exercise program, you’ll be moving smoother and with less pain than ever before.

3) You’ll Feel Happy and Confident
It’s hard to understand how 30 to 60 minutes a day spent on exercise is able to completely transform how you feel about yourself. But it does.

Think back to the last time that you accomplished something. Maybe you performed well at work and received kudos from your boss, or you finished a project at home that took weeks of your time and concentration.

Do you remember how that accomplishment made you feel?

You stood a little bit straighter, you smiled easily, and deep down you felt alive with excitement.

When challenging exercise becomes a regular part of your life, feelings of happiness and confidence also become a part of you.

From now on I want you to forget the idea that exercise is nothing more than a means to achieving a slimmer body.