The Immediate Effects You Feel or See After Exercise

If you've chosen to start exercising to lose weight or gain muscle, it will likely take a period of weeks before you can see tangible results. Although these results might not be immediately apparent, other exercise-related effects will be obvious by the end of each workout. The immediate effects of exercising pertain to your physical and mental health.

  1. Feelings of Happiness

    • If you've ever heard the term "runner's high," you might be surprised to know such a feeling isn't exclusive to running. When you exercise, whether you're running, swimming, dancing or playing sports, your body releases endorphins, brain chemicals MayoClinic.com calls "feel-good neurotransmitters." During and after your workout, it's common to experience feelings of happiness. If you were stressed or upset at the start of your workout, these feelings might be gone.

    Increased Heart Rate

    • Although you'll experience an increased heart rate upon beginning to exert yourself in your workout, it's often possible to not realize just how hard your heart is pumping until you stop moving. Elevating your heart rate, provided it stays within the target heart rate zone for your age, has long-term health benefits. Working out can help your heart beat at a lower rate during rest, which means the heart doesn't have to work as hard.

    Boosted Energy Level

    • It might seem logical that an intense workout can make you feel sluggish and fatigued, but the opposite is often true. Upon completing your workout, and in the hours that follow, it's common to feel an increase in your level of energy. This feeling is the result of the oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood that pumped throughout your body while you were working out. If you find you easily get tired during everyday tasks, increase the amount you exercise and see if you have more energy throughout the day.

    Sweat Loss

    • If you weigh yourself before and after your workout and sweat heavily during it, you might notice you've lost a significant amount of weight. The weight you've lost, however, is water weight because of your sweat and isn't related to the burning of fat; it isn't legitimate weight loss. As quickly as you lost the weight, you'll quickly gain it right back as soon as you eat or drink.