6 Ways Fitness Makes You Successful

By Andrew Heffernan, Experience Life

It’s 8:25 p.m. and you’re working late. Again. The boss has gone home, along with most of your coworkers. But not you: you’re still chained to your desk, and you’ll probably be there for a while.

Over the last few months you’ve been cranking through work, though. You’ve pulled ahead of your competition, and you figure a significant promotion — along with a bigger paycheck and more responsibility — is right around the corner.

Sure, you feel rundown and you’ve put on some weight. But you just haven’t had much time to sleep, much less shop for and prepare healthy food. And the prospect of squeezing in a workout when there is so much to do seems laughable.

Here’s what you tell yourself: I’ll work out when I clear these projects. I’ll sleep after I get the promotion. I’ll start eating better when the kids start school.

It’s a scenario familiar to many of us: too much on our plates, not enough hours in the day, and a persistent feeling that any time away from work means lost time, money and accomplishments.

Many of us have been brainwashed into thinking that stress and poor health are the price of success. We may even see our rundown bodies as evidence of our unflagging dedication to the demands of our careers.

New research shows that this zero-sum view of work and working out is flawed. Far from detracting from your productivity and efficiency, regular exercise can make you smarter, and more effective, resilient and successful. And this is true whether your “profession” involves tackling corporate mergers or taking your kids to soccer practice.

In addition to helping you look and feel better, time invested in upgrading and maintaining your fitness repays itself many times over in ways that psychologists, brain experts and other researchers are only beginning to understand. And putting even a little effort into upgrading your health and fitness can have a surprisingly dramatic effect on your professional performance.

Need more convincing? Read on.