We know that exercise can improve just about every aspect of your health. The benefits range from bone health to libido and cardiovascular health to brain functioning. New research out of Cleveland State University tells us that exercisers earn more money.

Vasilis Kosteas, an associate economics professor at Cleveland State University, wrote a paper that showed that regular exercisers earn nine per cent more than non-exercisers. Yes, you heard that correctly: people who exercise make more money than people who don’t.

According to Kosteas: “The paper finds a roughly six per cent increase in weekly earnings associated with regular exercise (three-plus times per week) for men and a roughly 11 per cent wage increase for women. Exercising at least once per week yields a similar wage increase for men, but only a roughly nine per cent increase for women.”

The paper didn’t conclude why this was the case but it did take body composition out of the equation. Anecdotally, some people might assume that people who exercise have less body fat so they look better and have more energy. The study was able to conclude that body composition had no relationship to the amount of money people earn.

There are a few things we know about exercisers based on the research. We know that people who exercise regularly tend to have a higher level of education and that that they tend to have a more optimistic outlook. We also know that exercisers tend to hold more white-collar jobs compared to traditional blue-collar jobs.

In general, a more educated person in a white-collar job is probably going to make more money than someone who does not have that same level of education.

We can only speculate as to why certain individuals exercise more than others. The reality is that there is very little cost to going out for a brisk walk, light jog, bike ride or doing some basic exercises at home. Despite this fact, income level still appears to play a role in determining the likelihood of whether or not someone will exercise.

As with a lot of research, it tells us that there is a relationship between exercise and income level but it does not tell us why the relationship exists.

At the end of the day, exercise may actually be a better investment than the stock market. At the present time no one is going to guarantee you a nine per cent rate of return on your investments. The research now tells us that exercise can do this. The best part is it doesn’t have to cost you a dime. Even if you do chose to invest in a gym or a personal trainer, the benefits far outweigh any costs you might incur.

The benefits of exercise just keep getting bigger. Your excuses for not exercising normally boil down to one or two, so go where the odds are – exercise!