The quick answer is that you are overcoming inertia, which is the amount of force needed to cause an object to move from rest.
When a force is applied to an object work is being done on it. Work is the transfer of energy from object to another. So when you apply force and move the object, you are transferring energy to that object. For the object to move it must overcome several forces, the main of these being friction which is a combination of gravity and surfaces particles rubbing against one another. The others are usually going to be mostly neglegable or non applicable and include wind resistance, magnetic forces, outside gravitational forces, and so on.
In addition to that, force will be exerted back on you.
Newton's Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
When you apply force and move an object it exerts force back on you equal to the force you are applying. If you have enough mass and friction with the surface you are on top of, you should remain stationary. If you don't have enough mass and friction, then will be moved by the object in the opposite direction that you are pushing the object.
A way to imagine this is by thinking of pushing a heavy object on a wooden floor with sneakers on. Then imagine doing the same thing but with socks on and the wooden floor has just been polished so is very slippery. In the first scenario, given that you are strong and heavy enough, you will move the object forward. In the second scenario, the object will move you backward.
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When you apply force to an object and move it, you are exerting a push or pull that causes the object to accelerate in the direction of the force applied. This acceleration is a result of Newton's second law of motion (F=ma), where the force applied is directly proportional to the mass of the object and the resulting acceleration.
Motion of an object can be produced by applying a force to it. According to Newton's laws of motion, an object will remain at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force. By applying a force in the direction you want the object to move, you can produce its motion.
To make an object move, a force must be applied in the direction of the desired motion. The force should overcome any resistance, such as friction or inertia, to cause the object to accelerate and move. The force applied should be greater than any opposing forces acting on the object.
Some activities that apply force to move an object include pushing, pulling, lifting, dragging, and throwing. These activities involve exerting a force to overcome resistance and change the position of the object.
When you push or pull an object, you apply a force. This force can cause the object to move, change direction, or deform depending on its mass and the direction and magnitude of the force applied.
An astronaut has to exert a force on a weightless object in order to move it because in space, there is no gravity to naturally pull or push objects. Therefore, the astronaut must apply force to overcome inertia and move the object.