Exercise, whether it be regular or not, has been well documented to carry many benefits in studies ranging from weight loss, muscle gain, lowered cholesterol, improved mental health, sharper cognition, stronger bones, and a stronger heart just to list a few. This new study indicates that exercise may be more important to happiness than that of wealth.
A survey of 1.2 million Americans has revealed that those who exercise are significantly happier than those who don’t, even if the people who exercise have less income. According to the study those who are physically active have 35 days of poor mental health a year, while those who are sedentary experience an additional 18 days of downtime annually.
Interestingly enough income was found to have less of an impact on happiness than what was thought as on average a sedentary person would need to earn an additional $25,000 annually to be as equally happy as a person who exercises regularly.
Exercise does have its limits though, as more exercise was not found to correlate with increasing levels of happiness, rather it is a U-shaped curve; findings showed that exercising three times a week for 30-60 minutes appeared to have the most potent effect on happiness.
Well there you have it, put your wallet away, step away from the computer, and put on those sneakers to go for that walk you have been putting off, preferably in nature, to make yourself a little happier than you were yesterday and improve your day. Why not make it a habit that is free and proven time and time again to be worth keeping.
