Health=Wealth?

Hi

I've got the good habit of going to the gym regularly. Having taken some statistics classes after school I was wondering whether this makes me more likely to get rich?

I.e. health/fitness => wealth

Or is the causal relationship the other way around:

I.e. wealth => health/fitness

Is rich people generally more fit/healthy than the poor and middle class?

Just wondering

To say that either leads to the other is a bit of a stretch, in my opinion. There are several key factors that come to mind when relating level of fitness with level of financial achievement. One factor is motivation. A person who has achieved their financial goals through diligence and determination obviously has an advantage over a person that has difficulty setting goals and following through on them. This does not, however, mean that the higher achiever is interested in hitting the gym or getting out to exercise...that's a personal preference. Another key point is time...someone who has to work 50+ hours per week to make ends meet simply may not have the time to devote to his/her personal fitness improvement. On the flip side of this, there are plenty of manual labor jobs that will keep a person in shape, so who knows? Third is a level of stress and/or outlook on life...does the financially strapped person feel like a victim of a cruel society? If so, they may be less likely to see the benefit of exercise because they are so caught up in negative outcomes. However, there are plenty of wealthy people who are under an equal or greater amount of stress...although, it's more likely that this type of stress may encourage exercise to get rid of the negative energy rather than dwell on it. Again, who knows?

Interesting question but after thinking about it, it's tough to draw any conclusion that indicates that wealth and physical fitness are proportional without including many other factors.

- John

I remember reading some study on this a while back. I'll look it up

Ask Arnold Schwartzenegger or Jack LaLane, and they will attribute 100% of their success to the regimen of exercise, and where it puts them, both physically and mentally.

Others (Paul Prudhomme, Orson Welles, Marlon Brando) would probably not agree.

Then again, Welles and Brando are both dead. Welles at 70, Brando at 80. Prudhomme is only 66.

Jack LaLane is 93 (still alive, born in 1914).

-Russ H.

Hi

Thanks for everyone's replies.

In a pure health sense, I think you would be better of if you have money, i.e. you can pay for good medical care. Or in other words, your life expectancy might be bigger if you are wealthy compared to when you are not wealthy.

I also agree that in a discipline sense it would help if I can apply the same discipline to business and getting wealthy.

On the other hand, I know a couple of wealthy friends that aren't in the best of shape (gym speak) health wise, so it definitely isnt a prerequisite to wealth.

Now, the question to ponder is what (action-oriented) habit I can apply/start on a daily basis (similar to going to the gym for 1 or 2 hours a day) that will increase my wealth over time (like gym increases health over time)?



Sparks

P.S.

Healthy body equals a healthy mind , there for i think somebody that is in a great state of health through exercises and the right nutrition has a better state of mind and healthy stable mentality ..substance abuse poor nutrition and lack of exercise eventually leads too an un-healthy state of mentality with is not obviously optimum for business success if you don't feel good everyday how can you possibly focus on your goals etc ....

I can attribute it to myself I have been working out for many years and at points in my life when i have stopped , I noticed a huge difference in the way i felt emotionally physically of course and my overall state of mind , exercise and feeling great contributes to allot of motivation to get stuff done in your life versus the opposite ..at least in my personal experience ...I have noticed that allot of very successful people tend to follow healthy alternatives like don't drink much alcohol try and eat healthy and most find some way or form of excersise...Donold trump is perfect example of that.

Simply put,

Read
Plan (with details and worst-case scenario analysis)
Do.

- John

Any chance you are an electrical engineer...or just a nickname (sparky)?

Socrates once said, "An unexamined life is not worth living." I couldn't agree more. Self-development fascinates me, people that obtain massive results totally wow me. I want to live up to my fullest potential as well. In order to get there, I believe that there is a "base level" of good habits that a person needs in order to develop/maintain success. Those base level, daily habits (for me) would be:

- Balancing my checkbook (how can you chart a course if you don't know where you are?)
- Charting a financial course. Have a plan for your money.
- Expanding my horizons. Try something new. If you don't like it the first time, try it 2 more times to make sure! I hated running the first 3-4 times I tried it. I'm about 5'2 and not built for speed! I got an Ipod last year, and now I love running! If I have energy to burn, I put on some Metallica or Rob Zombie and run as fast as my little legs will go!
- Taking time to think big. Like Trump says, "If you are going to be thinking anyways, you might as well be thinking big." Anything is possilble, but ya have to think of it first!
- Being organized (study is tidy and efficient, room is clean) ...About 2 years ago I organized my closet according to color and type of clothing. I can't draw a direct line to productivity and results, but I can tell you that my morning runs smoother and I am less stressed.
- Drinking plenty of water (gives me energy and makes me feel better.)
- getting at least 20 minutes of exercise a day (clears my head for new ideas, or just helps me decompress.)
- Taking a bath, having a glass of wine and journaling (decompression and reflection)
- Taking time to be grateful. Every morning before my feet hit the floor I give thanks for 5 things.
- Be true to your word. This one is huge. I used to sign myself up for things I didn't really want to do, then I'd back out of it later. I've since learned that if you aren't good for your word, you're not good for much. Do what you say you're going to do- be reliable. ...Being true to your word also has a ripple effect in your personal life. Once you get in the habit of committing yourself to your word, you also tend to honor the commitments that you make to yourself. ...which does make you more productive.
- Planning the day the night before. I make a list of things to do tomorrow before I go to sleep- that way I am on track right away. I also make my lunch and plan my outfit.
- Planning in general. Ever heard the saying, "Poor preparation leads to poor performance"? Think ahead. Plan ahead.
- Associate with quality people. One thing that I give thanks for on a daily basis are my friends. I am radically and outrageously blessed to have friends that are there for me whenever I need them. They are positive, encouraging and really fun to be with- and I am a better person for knowing them.
- Learn to control your thoughts. Spend time daily to keep your thoughts on the right track. When I first started learning about NLP and how to develop a positive attitude, some people thout I had lost my mind. ...I felt like I had finally found it.
- Change your vocabulary. Pay attention to the words you use. ...I had several issues with my cabins over Christmas. I had to consciously reframe my thinking from, "this is a disaster, or I"m sick to my stomach" to "this is an inconvience, a great time for an attitude check as well as a time to learn a lot- and fast!"
- Take time to learn. I spend at least 30 minutes a day reading or on this site learning as much as I can.

These are just a few of the habits that I have made a conscious effort to implement in my life on a daily basis. Analyze the current habits you have that will lift you to the next level, and think about the other habits that are dragging you down. Think about how to change them. For me it was taking small steps daily. Ex: Drinking one bottle of water a day. That is workable, then I focus on growing that habit.

I am currently working on adding the habit of getting up early, and jogging more often. To set myself up for success, I decided this morning that (after 2 weeks of not hearing my alarm go off at 5am) I am going to aim for 6am- which is doable. I also got a treadmill for Christmas and signed up for the Race for the Cure in June. (My ultimate goal is to run 5 miles a day. Currently I am at 1-3 miles a day.) That will give me a goal to train for. I still have habits that aren't in sync with who I want to be, but I work at it daily- and I write them down so I won't forget- it's easy to forget you are working on drinking more water, if you aren't a water drinker!

It doesn't take massive actions to have massive results in your life. If you can tweek a behavior or habit but just a degree or two, (instead of focusing on a 180 degree change) imagine the difference down the road!

I'd be curious to know other people's habits and what they work on as far as self-improvement.

Nope, I just think I'm a bright spark

Thanks for the detailed respones, yves, its awesome to see!

My habits for success:

Gym. Everyday before work - work only starts at 9:30 so I can squeeze in an hour of exercise or so before work.

Reading. I would say I read a new educational book about wealth every month or so, thoug h at the moment I've stopped -> need to action everything!

Tracking cash flow. Keeping track of the money coming in and out (and trying to do it every day). I'm not sure if this is called 'balancing the check book', but if it is, then I don't balance -> on average, I'm short about £10 for every £100 that I spend. Still, it gives me an idea of where things are flowing.

I would also like to say that I plan the day the night before, but I've only done that 2 or 3 times. What I have found useful when I've done that (based on some new years introspection about reality vs what I've thought I'd achieve the previous year ) is to ask myself the question "What can I do tomorrow that will move me closer to my dream?" In answering this question I'd have to be able to visualise this action and know that it will move me in the right direction (as opposed to going with the flow and drifting where life will take you )

I too would like to see some other habits that people here employ to remain succesfull in life.

Regards,