The more you burn, the more you earn, says Buyagift research

What do Ariana Huffington, Barack Obama, Tim Cook and Richard Branson have in common? Aside from being successful beyond most people’s wildest dreams, they exercise daily. Not only that, but most of them exercise before the rest of the world has even stirred from slumber, according to Buyagift.

Buyagift looked closely at 12 of the most successful entrepreneurs, CEOs and founders in the world and their sleep and exercise habits in relation to their net worth and began to see a trend. The team wondered – is there a correlation between exercise frequency and earning potential?

Judging by the company’s research, it would appear there is.

Buyagift surveyed 850 customers on their morning routine, exercise schedule and income bracket. Overwhelmingly, they found that those with higher earning potential were the same individuals getting up with the lark to embark on a structured and active day.

Half of the biggest earners (£200,000+ yearly salary) live in London, and 44% of them work out five days a week. A massive 71% begin the day with a workout – 30% of that occurs before 5am. And not all of them are getting their sweat on in a fancy gym; many report walking, swimming and cycling as their exercise of choice. Furthermore, 45% of high earners agreed with the statement that “regular exercise can contribute to being more successful in life”.

On the other end of the spectrum, 30% of those with a salary between £20,000-£29,000 reported working out three days or less per week, with only 17% working out a total of five days. The average time they got out of bed was 6.30am, at which point 69% of respondents in this bracket reported heading straight to work instead of working out. However, 58% of this group agreed with the statement that “regular exercise can contribute to being happier in life”.

Whether you make a little or a lot, everyone seems to agree that exercise can improve quality of life, which produces higher income potential due to increased motivation and productivity throughout the day. If your New Year’s resolution was to get in shape and feel better, this research is an even better reason to stick to your goals.

View the full infographic at buyagift.co.uk/more-you-burn-more-you-earn.