Those who move more earn more

Need a pay rise?

Try strapping on your runners. Studies show those that move more, earn more.

Exercise improves your attention, memory, accuracy, and how quickly you process information – all of which helps you make smarter decisions.

According to Tom Rath, Author of Eat Move Sleep, studies show that employees also see a significant increase in overall earnings as their activity level increases.

Exercise has such an impact on your ‘executive brain’ (the part of the brain that makes all your smart decisions) that you can expect a 20 per cent increase in memory function after just 20 minutes on a treadmill.

In fact, in a study using brain-scanning technology (functional MRI) outlined in the National Academy of Sciences, subjects who were assigned exercise for one hour a day, three times a week, over a six-month period, show an increase in hippocampus size (that’s the part of your brain responsible for memory and learning).

Working out literally bulked up the participants’ brains; allowing them to perform better at tasks that require concentration and recall.

Want to earn more?

Here are the top two things you can do to increase your earning potential.

Every step counts, so count your steps!

Heard of the old adage you can’t manage what you don’t measure? The same applies with your steps. It is estimated the average person only moves 3500 steps per day. In Eat Move Sleep, we hear of a clinical trial in which one group of people were assigned to wear a pedometer as part of randomised controlled trial. Their overall activity levels went up by 27 per cent compared to the group who had no form of measurement.

To measure your steps you will need a device. One way is get yourself a pedometer that you can clip to your clothes and that counts your steps for you. Alternatively you can download any number of pedometer apps for your smartphone. There are apps that will beep to remind you to move and apps that you and your team can use to compare and compete for steps.

Increase your exercise intensity

Mix up your exercise with intensity. In fact one study by Winter et al found that people learned vocabulary words 20 per cent faster after intense exercise than after low-intensity activity. Those who did high intensity exercise had a bigger spike in their brain’s levels of Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor, (or BDNF, which supports learning and memory), dopamine (feel good chemical) and epinephrine (adrenaline) afterward. So the more you challenge your body, the more your grey matter benefits.

You don’t have to be signing up for high intensity interval training to reap the benefits, just mix up what you do. There are three things to think about when thinking of intensity; terrain, incline and speed. Take walking as an example, to mix up your terrain try walking on sand or going for a bush walk. To mix up your incline try walking up a hill, or up a sand dune. To mix up your speed you could try walking fast between every second light post, or for 1 minute fast and 3 minutes slow.

Moving more doesn’t just increase your earning potential it can also save your life.
When scientists from the National Institute of Health followed 240,000 adults for a decade, they discovered that diet alone was insufficient to maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind. Those who spent the most time sitting had a 50 per cent greater risk of death from any cause. They also doubled their odds of dying from heart-related diseases.

It’s never too late

In Brain Rules, we hear of researchers who found a group of couch potatoes, measured their brainpower, exercised them for a period of time, and then re-examined their brainpower. They consistently found that when couch potatoes are enrolled in an aerobic exercise program, all kinds of mental abilities begin to come back to life.

So, start moving more today and just remember, it’s never too late to reap the benefits of movement!

Melitta Hardenberg AIMM, founder of Fit & Focused, is extensively experienced in building an organization of 'exceptional thinkers' who make better decisions faster, are more engaged, and bring a healthy mind, body and attitude to work.