First off let’s take a quick look at what this article not about, it’s not about how working out will save you money on your insurance premiums. While it is a fact that healthy people pay less money for both their life and disability insurance, that’s certainly not the main benefit, and not what we are going to be addressing here.
What I will be addressing is that working out creates time and increases the likelihood that you will have more time to create the best life possible.
A common excuse among people who don’t exercise is they can’t find the time. My family, business associates and close friends can attest I’m a bit of a time management fanatic. I am always breaking down my day in an effort to continually hone in on those activities that create the highest return. Working out heads the list .
One reason to prioritize working out so highly is that it leads to an increase in productivity. David Wither, a Team and Startup Management Coach, wrote on Entrepreneur.com that working out helps clear a crowded mind, releases endorphins, reduces stress and boosts creativity. An increase in personal productivity can in turn lead to advancement in your career, and the ultimate carrot, more money.
So the argument that people don’t have enough time to work out is flawed – sure short term emergencies come up, life happens, but if on a consistent basis you can’t find time to work out you have to eliminate time wasters or delegate low value activities freeing up time for your higher value activities and working out should head that list.
This where the insurance policy part kicks in. PLOS Medicine conducted a study to determine just how much time you can add to your life by working out.
Their findings? 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week, that’s 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, can extend your life by 3.4 years. Double that to 300 minutes a week and you’ve added 4.2 years to your life.
So exercise can add years to your life! That’s not all though, being lazy, and obese can cost you up to 7.2 years of living. “Research indicates that even small amounts of vigorous activity could help reduce your risk of early death”, adds Klaus Gebel of James Cook University’s Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention.
There are no guarantees. Bad things happen to good people all the time but I’m a numbers guy and safe and functional exercise clearly makes us more productive and increases the number of weeks and years on our calendar, so take advantage of the Ultimate Insurance Policy.
