Physical Activity Leads to Lower Costs

There's one fundamental truth that most scientists and medical experts can agree upon; physical activity and exercise is a powerful weapon against bad health and a bad economy. Governments across the world are making efforts to encourage exercise amongst their citizens in order to improve the general wellfare and increase economic output across all sectors. Average lives in the western world have become more and more sedentary as technology has exploded and more people have office jobs and commute in their cars to work. The U.S. Department of Health and Human services estimates that a lack of exercise will cause 7 million early deaths in the next decade.

Many people think of exercise only when it comes to benefitting weight loss or athletic ability, but exercise helps improve quality of life across the board. One of the most noticeable affects witnessed by business owners is the increase in productivity gained by workers who exercise regularly. This phenomenon is really no surprise, as exercise improves mental clarity and stamina, helping people not only improve the quality of their work, but the quantity as well. This is why many offices have installed exercise equipment in their lobbies and recreational areas.

If more exercise makes business sense for companies, it must also make sense for the country and economy as a whole. "Governments worldwide, from the community level to national legislatures, are wising up to what businesses are already finding out," said Robert Sallis, M.D., a physician with Kaiser Permanente and former chair of the Exercise Is Medicine global health initiative. "Keeping people healthy has a profound impact on the bottom line. Lack of physical activity has an estimated cost of $223 billion to $381 billion per year, which is now going to treat preventable diseases."