To answer the question of whether fitness plays a role in accumulating wealth, it is necessary to determine what benefits of any exercise, from weight training to swimming, are personal attributes that make people better able to do what is necessary to become rich. Recent studies have found that there may be a significant link between fitness and being successful in business as well as outside the workplace.
For example, in a study conducted by a leading executive search company, surveyed more than 1,300 executives who earn $100,000 or more annually participated in a survey in which. They were asked to describe their perceptions of the connection between weight and work. Seventy-five percent said good physical fitness is “critical for career success at the executive level,” whereas only seventeen percent said staying in shape is “a nice goal, but secondary to fiscal fitness.”
Let’s look at some of the personal attributes required to succeed in one’s career—energy, appearance, productivity, interpersonal skills, and confidence— and examine how they relate to fitness.
Remember that exercise may not only contribute to success but will always be an important component of one’s overall health. Go PRO today for access to certified personal trainers, workout plans, and more.
Energy
Consider energy. Wealth comes from success, and success comes from productivity. Productivity demands energy. Slackers don’t get rich, and slackers are people who don’t have enough energy to do what they need to do to succeed. And without success, unless you stand to inherit a fortune, there can be no wealth.
Gyms are full of CEOs and other successful people working with their personal trainers. Others get up early and out for a jog. In what might be considered the most important position in the world, we see this. Can you remember an American president who you did not see on TV out jogging with a gaggle of Secret Service agents?
Starting the day with energy that exercise promotes sets the stage for a busy and powerful day. If one of a person’s main goals in life is to make more money, it makes sense that it is beneficial to have more physical energy to do the daily tasks necessary to build sources of wealth.
Add to that the mental energy that can be used to develop innovative ways to handle the many challenges that every entrepreneur faces throughout the day, and it becomes obvious how the increased energy that results from a high level of personal fitness contributes to the ability to accumulate wealth.
Appearance
Back in the 1970s, John Malloy did pioneering research on how a person’s looks might be related to their overall success. But we all know that the right clothing looks all wrong on the wrong body. In the same study quoted above by the executive search company, when asked about obesity, 75 percent of the executives surveyed said that being overweight is a “serious career impediment.”
When it comes to women, the necessity of looking good may be even more significant. An article from Reuters reported on a survey of female professionals, senior managers, and business owners by PINK Magazine and Corset Personal Styling.
Nearly all U.S. working women—98 percent—believe that their professional appearance is essential to career success. Twenty percent of the female executives in the study say they have withheld a promotion or a raise due to the way an employee dresses.
Productivity
Is this just about our national obsession with weight loss and Madison Avenue’s preference for the slim and beautiful? Unlikely. It goes beyond just looking good. More to the point, there is a powerful link between improved fitness and increased productivity, enhanced problem-solving ability, and superior energy, stamina, and the ability to handle reduced stress, all of which lead to better job performance.
Fit people are likely to have better eating habits, and stronger immune systems, so they miss fewer days at work due to a higher resistance to illness. Some companies reward employees and managers who miss less work and produce more since individual productivity improves.
Get More Out of Your Exercises. Go PRO!
Sign Up
Interpersonal Skills
Jim McKenna, a professor of physical activity and health at Leeds Metropolitan University in the U.K, was the lead author in a study that showed that employees had better attitudes after they had worked out. They were more confident in themselves and showed more sympathy for their coworkers.
The study also found that work performance was consistently higher, time management skills were better, and mental sharpness increased. All attributes that lead to career success, and consequently, to wealth.
Confidence
Success in achieving a high level of personal fitness carries over into the workplace. Success in any endeavor requires the confidence that one can do the job and do it well. To be a leader, a person must be able to inspire the confidence of others. Business leaders must also have the courage to take risks if they are to take the company to a new level and remain competitive. Confidence in one’s health, appearance, abilities, and interpersonal skills, as we’ve seen, result from personal fitness.
Fit people tend to climb the corporate ladder faster, they convey more authority, get preferential treatment, and they have more energy and stamina to take on all the work required to build a powerful company and the wealth it produces.
People often underestimate the importance of exercise. There is a fitness solution for everyone, so why not get on the road to fitness—and the many advantages that go along with it—today?
You will look better, feel better, be more productive at work, and might even be looked on more favorably by others. Who knows? Financial success may be closer than you think.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many days a week should I exercise?
Three to five workouts a week is recommended for best results.
How do I create my own workout plan?
You can either sign up for an Exercise.com PRO membership or enlist the help of a personal trainer!
What should I do on my rest days?
Sleep, hydrate, eat well, foam roll, and engage in enjoyable movement.
Get started on your fitness journey today by going PRO and gaining access to certified personal trainers, workout plans, goal trackers, and more!