Working Out and Cashing In

I'm sure you've seen the studies that indicate attractive people earn more money -- 3 to 4 percent more according to this WSJ article. "Attractive" isn't necessarily within our control, so that hardly seems fair. A new study published in the Journal of Labor Research shows that people who exercise regularly earn 6 to 10 percent more than their more sedentary counterparts. Now we're talking! That's more than twice the positive impact with something we do control. 

The more I read, the more I have come to believe that exercise is the magic bullet. It seems to impact health more than weight and a whole host of other variables. None of the studies I've read suggest you have to become an olympic athlete to reap the rewards. Even a moderate increase in activity has a positive impact on health. And, according to this study even moderate exercise has a positive impact on pay. 

We're kicking off a new football themed program at work to encourage people to be more active. We won't be passing out checks at the end of the program, but this study looks pretty legitimate -- just saying.