Staying active and regularly dedicating time to physical health is one of the main habits of the wealthy. Many studies have found that the benefits of exercise extend beyond our physical well-being and that there’s a significant link between fitness and success. In fact, a study carried out by The Ladders Inc. found that 75% of executives and higher earners believe that physical exercise is a crucial part of professional success.
In this blog post, we will explore the ways in which fitness helps encourage self-development including energy, productivity, interpersonal skills, confidence, and, ultimately, wealth. We’ll also discuss the role that exercise plays in becoming wealthy as well as the financial benefits of keeping fit and popular workout routines that successful people swear by.
Does fitness play a role in becoming wealthy?
Taking care of your body greatly impacts your mental health. It helps boost memory, concentration, and intelligence. That’s why successful people use exercise as a way to nourish their productivity, leaving them energised and motivated to start the day and focus on their financial goals.
The types of exercise that you do isn’t hugely important as long as your regime is consistent and fits in well with your schedule. Generally, low-impact activities like walking, yoga, low-intensity aerobics, and strength training exercises have been scientifically proven to increase productivity and creativity.
Some of the key areas that fitness can help improve are:
Energy – Success requires productivity, and that requires energy. Whether you prefer to start your day with a morning jog or a session with your personal trainer, regular exercise can make you feel more energetic and uplifted ahead of a powerful day. It also helps fill you with mental and physical energy, which contributes to the ability to accumulate wealth.
Productivity – There’s a strong link between fitness and increased productivity. It can help maintain momentum throughout the day, improve mental capacity, and reduce stress, all of which contribute to improved professional performance.
A study found that 60% of workers found that their time management skills and mental performance improved on days when they exercised, with an overall performance boost of around 15%. One of the key takeaways from this study was that busy professionals who exercise during the day – and regularly – feel more productive.
Interpersonal skills – Building valuable connections and taking part in events is an important part of wealth-building. Physical exercise can help fuel our physical and mental energy to sharpen and maintain our interpersonal skills.
Confidence – Fitness helps boost our general confidence, social skills and, therefore, success. For investors and business leaders, confidence is required to make worthwhile decisions and inspire teammates, so confidence in your health and abilities is crucial, which largely results from regular exercise and looking after ourselves.
The financial benefits of keeping fit
Keeping fit doesn’t just make you healthy, but it also has several financial benefits. That’s why the majority of the rich are known to aerobically exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. This includes running, jogging, walking, or cycling. Not only is this an excellent way to stay physically healthy, but it’s also beneficial for the brain to have some time off and refresh. It’s also a free activity, avoiding the need to spend money on a gym membership.
Here are some of the main financial benefits of staying physically fit:
1. Less time off work
Looking after your physical health means that you are less likely to need to take time off work due to illness, so there is a significant link between health and the ability to earn money. Successful people consistently invest in their physical health as it can protect them from unnecessary financial losses, making the long-term maintenance of good health easier.
Investing in your physical health through exercise can also pay off in other ways such as lowering your health insurance premium and reducing medical bills.
2. Improved work performance
Being in good shape impacts your body and mind in many ways. It helps you function more efficiently, allowing you to maximise your productivity and earning potential. However, it’s important to distinguish between healthy and physically fit; while many people may be healthy enough to work, being in good shape is what benefits your overall performance. This doesn’t mean training to be a professional athlete, but simply maintaining a consistent exercise regime that works for you can make all the difference in effectiveness at work.
3. Spend less on transport
Physical fitness increases your endurance, meaning that you can replace unnecessary car trips with a walk, run, or cycle. Not only is this a great way of incorporating exercise into your daily routine, but it also helps reduce needless expenses.
Can fitness increase lifespan?
Research has discovered that wealthy people live up to a decade longer than those that are less fortunate. Over 25,000 adults over 50 years old were analysed for factors that predict their lifespans and it was found that wealth was the biggest socio-economic cause for prolonged life before experiencing health difficulties.
More specifically, some of the wealthiest men over the age of 50 could expect another 31 years of healthy life as opposed to another 20 or so for those less well-off. Similarly, wealthy women of the same age group were predicted an additional 33 years of good health versus 24 years for the disadvantaged.
One of the most important factors in the above study is that it measured life expectancy alongside the quality of life, discovering that fitness can increase lifespan by up to an additional three healthy decades. This, of course, means more time to enjoy recreational activities, spend time with our loved ones and continue accumulating wealth to pass down to younger generations.
Ways the rich keep fit
If you’re looking to refresh your fitness regime or need a boost of inspiration, here are some of the tried-and-tested workout routines from some of the world’s wealthiest people:
1. Richard Branson
Now in his early 70s, Branson is committed to keeping up his early-morning routine. He starts his day at 5 am and exercises straight away. His regular workouts include running, playing tennis, cycling, and kitesurfing, claiming that he can achieve twice as much through early-morning fitness.
2. Mark Cuban
The billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks stays in shape with an hour of cardio 6-7 times a week. His go-to activities include basketball, kickboxing, aerobic classes, and bench-pressing.
3. Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO describes himself as a “fitness nut”. Cook’s everyday routine involves waking up at 3:45 am and hitting the gym. He generally aims to do around an hour of exercise each day and up between 8,000 and 10,000 steps a day.
4. Oprah Winfrey
As well as a huge American media personality, Oprah Winfrey is an investor. Behind her life-long success lies a clear commitment to fitness, which involves yoga and a goal of making 10,000 steps every day.
5. Jack Dorsey
Despite his already packed day, former CEO of Twitter and developer of Square, Jack Dorsey, still manages to fit in regular exercise into his schedule. To get set for the day ahead, Dorsey mediates for 30 minutes in the morning and then completes a series of short workouts. He explains that he does the same thing every day as it “allows a steady state that enables [him] to be more effective.”
Keeping your finances fit
Exercise has a huge impact on personal and mental fitness. While it’s majorly beneficial to your physical health and lifespan, it’s also advantageous to your mental and emotional well-being, which are responsible for your wealth-building abilities.
To help keep your finances in shape, you might find the Propiteer Capital Personal Development blog useful. Here, we discuss the many ways in which you can continue to enhance your self-development and, ultimately, be wealthier. Whether you’re looking for your next book recommendation or the next big influencer to follow, we cover many areas of the personal development category to help boost overall health and connection with the business world and promote wealth-building strategies.
Recommended Read: Think Yourself Richer: The Millionaire Mindset