One of the 144 questions I asked the rich and poor people in my Rich Habits Study surrounded morning routines. What I found interesting was that, over and over again, the response from the rich people was that they did some form of daily aerobic exercise (jog, bike, elliptical, walk, etc.) for about 30 minutes a day.
This caught me by surprise because I had, for whatever reason, forged a perception of the rich as fat and indulgent. Their responses, however, indicated otherwise. In fact, 76% of the rich in my study indicated that they exercised aerobically 30 minutes or more, four days a week.
Why is this so important?
Well, besides the obvious reasons that daily aerobic exercise keeps you lean and healthy, I also learned from further research that daily aerobic exercise also dramatically reduces stress.
Chronic stress causes a domino effect of processes within the body that lead to heart disease, cancer, obesity, Type II Diabetes and other debilitating diseases. But, also, chronic stress impairs the brain.
Researchers at Brigham Young University recently discovered that chronic or prolonged stress weakens the synapses (electrical connections between brain cells) in the hippocampus, where the brain forms and consolidates long-term memory (AKA Long-Term Potentiation).
Whether or not the rich people in my study were aware of it, their aerobic exercise habit was making them smarter.
One of the hallmarks of the rich in my study, particularly the self-made rich, was the daily habit of pursuing knowledge through daily reading (to learn, not for recreation). Acquiring knowledge, particularly in your career or vocation, helps you to become a virtuoso in your field and virtuoso’s get paid more than others. So, knowing more than your competition translates into increased income and, thus, increased wealth.
Combining this acquisition of knowledge with daily aerobic exercise results in increased retention of that knowledge. So, by combining two important habits – Reading to learn and daily aerobic exercise, the rich were making themselves smarter by improving brain performance.
If you engage in just these two Rich Habits, over a lifetime, you gain an enormous competitive advantage over your competition.
About Thomas C. Corley
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