I enjoy working out. It can be tough sometimes, but it’s very satisfying to see myself improve. I mainly exercise because I want to stay healthy and feel good (and I’m kind of vain), but I also recently came to realize that exercise can be a money saver. Here’s how:
- Exercise saves on health care costs. Regular exercise has a wide range of health benefits. Among other things, it keeps your heart healthy, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, makes your muscles and bones stronger, and reduces your risks for certain cancers. In the long run, all of this will save you tons of money on by minimizing your prescription costs, keeping you out of the hospital, and helping you to recover faster if you do suffer an injury.
- Exercise makes you more productive at work. Research has shown that exercise can improve time management skills, mental performance, and ability to meet deadlines at work. A performance boost like that might just increase your odds of getting that raise or promotion.
- Exercise can lower life insurance premiums. A lot of life insurance companies offer reduced rates for people who live healthy lives. Not smoking and exercising regularly are two of the best ways to make sure you pay less money for life insurance. A third good way would be to marry a life insurance salesman.
- Fit people make more money. A study performed a couple years ago by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis showed that “attractive” looking people tend to make 5% more money per hour than ugly people with the same qualifications. “Attractiveness” was based off of height, weight, and facial features. Now obviously you can’t control your height or facial features, but if you make sure your body is in good shape, you’re giving yourself an advantage when it come to your salary. I know, it sure is a cruel world we live in.
- Exercise makes it easier to DIY. Outdoor work can be pretty difficult if you’re out of shape. It’s a lot easier to hire someone to mow your lawn and shovel your snow for you, or to buy your firewood instead of chopping it yourself. When you’re in good shape, outdoor work becomes a breeze and you don’t have to worry about paying someone else to do it for you. (I only mentioned the firewood thing because my brother’s house actually has a wood-burning stove in addition to a regular furnace. He’s been buying his firewood for the past couple months, but once the weather gets nicer we’re going to go out and chop some wood. I’m excited.)
Not bad, huh? But how much does it cost to workout? Well, not that much. A decent pair of running shoes can be had for 50 bucks or so, and a gym membership at a YMCA costs only about $100 a year. I like to workout at home, so I spent about $250 for a decent bench and weight set that I’ve been using for the past 3 years (and plan to continue using for many more). The benefits are huge and the costs are small, so get out there and exercise.
