Learn Hardcore Chinese: zìcóng tā kāishǐ zài tǐyùguǎn jiànshēn yǐhòu, juéde shēntǐ bǐ yǐqián qīngsōng duō le. - Since she started working out at the gym, she feels her body is much more relaxed than before.

自从 introduces the starting point in the past:
- 自从她开始在体育馆健身… = ever since she started working out at the gym…
以后 emphasizes “from that time onwards / after that point”.

So 自从…以后 together gives a clear “ever since (that time)” feeling.

You will also see these common variants, all natural:

自从她开始在体育馆健身以后，…
自从她开始在体育馆健身以来，… (a bit more formal/literary)
自从她开始在体育馆健身，… (often drops 以后/以来 in speech)
从她开始在体育馆健身以后，… (using 从 instead of 自从)

In everyday speech, people often say either 自从…以后 or just 自从….

Why is there no subject before 觉得? Shouldn’t it be 她觉得?

Yes, in more explicit or careful speech you could say:

自从她开始在体育馆健身以后，她觉得身体比以前轻松多了。

Chinese allows the subject to be omitted when it is clear from context. In this sentence:

The subject 她 is already mentioned in 自从她开始在体育馆健身以后.
So in the main clause, people can drop 她 and just say 觉得….

Native speakers do this a lot, especially in speech or informal writing. The listener automatically understands that the subject in the second part is still 她.

So:

(她) 觉得身体比以前轻松多了。
is just a “shortened” version, but the meaning is the same.

What exactly does 轻松 mean when used with 身体 here?

轻松 (qīngsōng) literally means “light and relaxed,” and it has a few related usages:

Physically light / less burdened
- 身体觉得很轻松 = “the body feels light, not heavy or tired.”
Mentally relaxed / not stressed
- 心情很轻松 = “(my) mood is relaxed.”

In 觉得身体比以前轻松多了, it mostly implies:

She feels her body is
- less heavy
- less tense,
- less tired,
- more relaxed and energetic
  than before.

So it covers both “physically lighter” and “more comfortable / relaxed.”

How does 比…轻松多了 work? What is the function of 比 and 多了 together?

This is a standard comparative pattern:

A 比 B + adjective + 多了

Meaning: “A is much more (adjective) than B.”

In this sentence:

身体 = A (her body now)
以前 = B (before)
轻松 = adjective
多了 = “a lot (more)”, intensifier

So:

身体比以前轻松多了
= “Her body feels much more relaxed/lighter than before.”

多了 strengthens the comparison. Without it:

身体比以前轻松
= “Her body is more relaxed than before.” (comparison, but degree not specified)
身体比以前轻松多了
= “Her body is a lot / much more relaxed than before.”

You can also see:

身体比以前轻松得多。 (same meaning; 得多 = 多了 here)

What kind of 了 is the 了 at the end? Is it past tense?

The final 了 here is sentence-final 了, not a simple past-tense marker. It usually indicates:

a change of state (“now things are different from before”), or
the speaker’s new situation / conclusion.

In 轻松多了, the 了 emphasizes that compared to the past:

Now her body feels much more relaxed.
There has been a change because she started working out.

So the idea is:

“Now, (her body) is way more relaxed than it used to be.”

Chinese does not have a strict past tense marker like English. 了 often interacts with time expressions and context to imply past, present result, or change, but here it’s mainly “change-of-state 了”.

Why is it 开始在体育馆健身 and not 在体育馆开始健身? Are both okay?

Both word orders are grammatically correct; the nuance is slightly different but subtle:

开始在体育馆健身
- Focuses a bit more on the activity beginning:
- “She started working out at the gym.”
- Pattern: 开始 + 在 + 地点 + V
在体育馆开始健身
- Focuses a bit more on the place where this starting happens:
- “At the gym, she started working out.”
- Pattern: 在 + 地点 + 开始 + V

In this sentence, 开始在体育馆健身 sounds very natural and common because we’re describing the new habit she began: working out at the gym.

You could say:

自从她在体育馆开始健身以后，…
and it would still be natural. It’s mostly a matter of emphasis and rhythm, not right vs wrong.

What is the difference between 健身 and 运动? Could you say 在体育馆运动 instead?

You can say 在体育馆运动, but 健身 is more precise here.

健身 (jiànshēn)
- Literally: “to build/maintain health/fitness.”
- Usually refers to working out, fitness exercises, especially in a gym context.
- e.g. lifting weights, using machines, treadmills, classes, etc.
运动 (yùndòng)
- More general: “to exercise; to play sports; sports in general.”
- Could be ball games, running, swimming, etc., often outdoors or as sports activities.

Because the place is 体育馆 (gym, sports center) and we’re talking about a regular workout habit, 健身 is the most natural verb.

在体育馆运动 is understandable, but sounds more like “doing physical activities in the gym” in a broad sense, not necessarily focused “working out to stay fit” the way 健身 does.

Why is 在 used before 体育馆? Can you just say 她体育馆健身?

You need the preposition 在 to mark the location where the action happens.

在 + place + Verb = “to do (something) at/in (place).”

So:

在体育馆健身 = “work out at the gym.”

Without 在, 她体育馆健身 sounds ungrammatical. You must have 在 (or another appropriate preposition) before a location phrase used this way.

Correct patterns:

在家学习 – study at home
在办公室工作 – work in the office
在体育馆健身 – work out at the gym

Could we omit 开始 and just say 自从她在体育馆健身以后? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

自从她在体育馆健身以后，觉得身体比以前轻松多了。

The main difference is nuance:

With 开始:
- Focus on the starting point of a new habit:
  - “Ever since she started working out at the gym…”
Without 开始:
- Slightly more general:
  - “Ever since she’s been working out at the gym…”

In practice, the overall meaning is very similar: a new exercise habit at the gym led to feeling better physically. 开始 just highlights the beginning of that habit more explicitly.

Why use 觉得 here and not 认为 or 感觉? What’s the difference?

All three relate to “feeling/thinking,” but they differ in tone and typical usage:

觉得 (juéde)
- Very common, neutral, everyday word.
- Can be physical or mental:
  - 我觉得冷。 – I feel cold.
  - 我觉得他很聪明。 – I think he’s smart.
- Here: 觉得身体比以前轻松多了
  - Combines a personal feeling about her physical state.
感觉 (gǎnjué)
- Can be a verb or noun (“feeling/sensation”).
- As a verb, often a bit more subjective, sensory, or emotional:
  - 我感觉身体轻松多了。 – I feel my body is much lighter. (also fine here)
认为 (rènwéi)
- More formal/logical; used for opinions/judgments, not physical sensation.
- e.g. 我认为这个方法最好。 – I believe this method is the best.
- 我认为身体轻松多了 sounds strange, because we usually don’t “logically believe” our body is relaxed; we feel it.

So 觉得 is the most natural choice for “she feels that her body is much more relaxed than before.”

Can the time clause 自从她开始在体育馆健身以后 be moved to the end of the sentence?

Grammatically, Chinese allows a lot of flexibility with adverbial clauses, but not all orders are equally natural.

Original:

自从她开始在体育馆健身以后，觉得身体比以前轻松多了。

If you move it to the end without repeating the subject, it becomes odd:

✗ 觉得身体比以前轻松多了，自从她开始在体育馆健身以后。
- Sounds awkward because the main clause now starts with 觉得 and has a missing subject, and the “ever since…” condition is tacked on unnaturally at the end.

More natural if you keep the subject and adjust a bit:

她觉得身体比以前轻松多了，自从她开始在体育馆健身以后。

This is understandable, but still, Chinese strongly prefers putting 自从…以后-type clauses at the beginning to set the time/frame:

✅ 自从她开始在体育馆健身以后，她觉得身体比以前轻松多了。

So, while end-position is sometimes possible, the most natural and common place for 自从…以后 here is at the beginning.