Last week, I had a chance to visit with my friend Nicole about exercise. She’s been reading about my new fitness goals and workouts, and was encouraging me to keep it up. Who is this “friend Nicole” that I speak of? Oh, just my friend who just trained for and ran a half marathon a few weeks ago – something that completely and totally impresses my socks off. I’ll take her encouragement any time!

One of the things Nicole and I talked about was our increased energy. Both of us (are pushing 40 and) sat there pretty much gushing over the fact that the more we exercise, the more energy we have. Amazing, isn’t it? You have to use energy to work out, but the energy you gain in return is amazing!! Our conversation quickly turned toward the idea of, “oh how we wish more women understood this and would join us in getting fit!”

And now, since I have your ear, here I am writing this post to try and help more women understand this!! I wish I would have understood it earlier. Seriously, I have so much energy now, I am amazed! I keep telling people that I am feeling better than I ever have before, and that is the truth. I’m not sure I can ever run an actual half marathon like Nicole, but sometimes I feel like I’ve run one around my house, knocking out all kinds of tasks that need to be done. It is invigorating! It feels so good to feel this good!

I asked Jen, of Getting Fit With Jen, why this is true? Why does using energy to exercise give us more energy? Here’s what she told me:

When we exercise, we increase blood flow. This helps deliver more oxygen throughout our bodies. We need that oxygen to create energy. As more oxygen is being delivered throughout our bodies, more energy is created. Therefore, after a workout, you are likely to find that you feel much more energetic.

Also, exercise releases endorphins in our bodies. You don’t want me to go into the chemistry mumbo-jumbo to explain that, so I’ll just say that endorphins released in our bodies will give us a “feel good” sensation. In addition, working out gets us in better shape which in the long run means that we don’t get as tired as quickly, which is much like having extra energy.

Ah, I love how Jen always helps me understand the “whys” behind what I’m experiencing when I workout. (Oh, and she’s always really nice about not frequently mentioning the fact that I’m pushing 40. Love that girl.)  ;)

Have you experienced the “feel good” sensation of exercising giving you more energy?