wealth-blog

One and Done

A few days ago I was listening to ESPN Radio about 8 AM on my way to a training session.  The morning hosts, Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg (AKA Mike & Mike) had the Duke men’s basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, (AKA Coach K) as their guest. But as fate would have it, Mercer cancelled Duke’s ticket to the next round. Coach K remarked, “…In a one-and-done elimination tournament, anything can happen. One loss and you’re out.”

First Impression

Ain’t that the truth! It’s like creating a first impression: You never get a second chance to make one. Last week I flew to Chicago to address a group of financial planners and investment advisors for one of America’s largest financial services firms to present “Leveraging the Link Between Wellness and Wealth.” There is, of course a direct link between one’s fitness and finances. One of the five key strategies I shared was entitled “Enhance Your First Impression by Improving Appearance, Posture and Vitality.”

Weight and Salary

My talk went beyond the obvious health implications of being overweight to highlight the impact of weight on your wallet or purse. Being overweight will likely reduce your lifetime earnings. According to an article published in the March 22, 2011 edition of Forbes, “The Price of Obesity: How Your Salary Depends on Your Weight,” research shows that overweight people are “…seen as less conscientious, less agreeable, less emotionally stable, less productive, lazy, lacking in self-discipline, and even dishonest, sloppy, ugly, socially unattractive, and sexually unskilled; the list goes on. Therefore it may come as no surprise that research has provided strong evidence that obese people are paid less than their slimmer counterparts.”

Posture and Salary

Another component of your first impression is posture.  I discussed how good posture increases the likelihood of achieving higher lifetime earnings. Where’s that written? The February 26, 2011 edition of Business Insider magazine published the article “If You Look Like This, Your Pay Check Will Be Higher Than Average” summarized a Harvard Business School Study entitled “Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance.” That’s Harvard-speak for “…If you sit up straight and stand with good posture, you will earn more money during your lifetime than if you slouch.”

Harsh words, from Forbes, tough talk from Harvard. Being discriminated against because of one’s weight and posture is unfair, prejudicial, and flat out wrong. But it is what it is. Knowing this, the question then becomes, “What are you going to do about it?” If you don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror or stand on the scale, please contact me so I may send you two free tools to improve your appearance:

Help with Food

Download a PDF free chapter entitled “How to Dine Out Mindfully and In Style” from my book, Leave the Cannoli Take the Weights: Practical Guidance on Eating, Exercise and Empowerment. Since we all tend to eat out more often, and restaurant food is packed with more calories than home-cooked meals, these top 10 tips will help you tap the brakes on weight gain and still enjoy dining out.

Help with Posture

Trainer Joe’s Top 5 Exercises and Stretches to Improve Posture. Most poor posture involves an imbalance between the muscles of the back and chest. These exercises and stretches will help rebalance your upper body so that your back will be stronger and your chest more flexible.

Yes it will take some work. Yes it will take some time. But if you maintain normal body weight and have good posture, the only thing getting fatter will be your wallet.