When's the last time you complimented your body on a job well done?

I thought so.

Too often, we're so caught up in what our bodies look like -- and all the ways we'd like to change them -- that we don't stop to appreciate what they can do. But there's actually some scientific proof for what I've known since my days as Shape magazine's Weight-Loss Diary columnist: There is nothing that makes me feel better about my body than a little exercise.

It's not about reaching "goal weight." It's not about fitting into a smaller size. It's not even about a long-term plan for getting "fit." I'm talking about that immediate, in-the-moment feeling I used to get when I finished a workout. I felt strong, lean -- powerful -- and I didn't hate any part of my body.

I still get that feeling -- every time.

The University of Florida recently released a study backing me up. It found that the "simple act of exercising, not fitness itself" can make you feel better about your body.

I can relate to that.

But exercise can also help change the way we talk to our bodies. Simply put, it's hard to beat up on yourself after you've just run a mile or lifted a weight. No matter what else happens in your day, you know you've done something just for you, something that's going to make your body stronger and healthier.