Is there a link between health and wealth? You bet you're sweet gluteus maximus there's a link. In fact, there are several.
One day while mowing through the dumbbell rack in a Beanie Sigel-aided rage, I paused in mid-set of my bent-over rows and thought, "WHEW! This stuff is actually work! Too bad I can't convert all this expended energy directly to cash… if only there were a way I could wire myself up to an electrical generator or something."
As a so-called white collar worker myself, the fact wasn't lost on me that many individuals in and around the world still do make a living lifting, tossing and heaving heavy objects. Not for their health, but because that's the one marketable skill they have. Unfortunately for them, physical power is dirt cheap these days - typically minimum wage or less.
And yet, I stood undeterred from trying to brainstorm a multitude of ways in which someone might turn their weightroom passion into cash. On and off over the years, I've pondered, if not actually attempted a few. And it is doable. You could try to become a pro bodybuilder, which may or may not involve ingesting varying amounts of officially banned substances. Personal training of clients. Inventing workout routines, gadgets and or DVDs. Even, if you're bold enough, exotic dancing for bills in one's g-string. For a number of reasons, I wasn't that bold.
Those were all direct, literal ways to get paid in some fashion from working out. What it took me awhile to fathom though, is that just the ability to work out is a form of wealth in itself. Let's count the ways.
Working out boosts your immune system, which means you get sick less often. And on the rare occasions that you do get sick, you're able to bounce back much more quickly than an out-of-shape person can. Scientific study after study has proven this. Now, think about how much health insurance and treatment costs. Maybe you have insurance and maybe you don't. Either way, you likely have to pay some out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits, prescription meds or whatever. But if you don't have to use the healthcare system as much as someone who is overweight and sedentary in the first place, you don't have to pay as much. (One of the great injustices of the U.S. health "care" system is that people who maintain themselves must pay the tremendous freight of folks who choose to let their bodies go to hell. I'm talkin' bout the sky-high insurance premiums paid by all, no matter what kind of risk you are).
If you have the discipline and drive to stay in shape, that means you're more inclined (not guaranteed, but more inclined) to be 
a disciplined and driven worker - or entrepreneur - and therefore more valuable to an organization. Higher value equals higher pay. Discipline is a transferable quality. Just like training at the gym or in your home, it takes steady, dedicated, but basically simple movements done on a regular basis to succeed at anything. A marriage, a business, staying organized… you can probably think of several more everyday situations to which this applies. The big picture might seem daunting and dizzying, but if you break it down into the little things you need to do each day, it seems almost pretty brainless. The sad thing for most people is, it requires even less brainpower to plop down in front of the television and simply stop burning any calories, mental or physical. If you can break that pattern -- and I know you can if you simply choose to -- then you will notice positive ripple effects in your life that extend far beyond the gym.
You'll see the results of these cumulative actions in your love life, on the job, and in the way that people interact with you. Your very attitude will change, to one of self confidence and assuredness. That in turn will cause others to respect you even more and offer opportunities that weren't previously available. If you can make it in the weight room's stinky air, you can make it anywhere.
Cashing in on your looks. If you train hard enough so that you're what most people consider buff, and you were fortunate enough to be blessed with a stunning mug, ka-ching! Of course, looking good is no guarantee of financial security - having at least half a brain often helps. It may not be right or fair, but let's face it, good-looking folks have it easier, much easier in life, including when it comes to getting hired. So why not boost your prospects by getting in great shape? You may not be able to control the spacing between your eyes, or in my case, the hog-like rake of one's nose, but you can hone your body to its highest potential - or close to it.
Finally, a person's health is the absolute greatest resource. As many a motivational guru has said, "you don't want to be the richest person in the graveyard." In other words, all the money in the world won't do you a damn bit of good if you lack the vitality to thoroughly enjoy it. Think Howard Hughes in his later years, lying up in his antiseptic fortress, isolated, inactive and frail. That isn't wealth. That's a living tomb, that happens to be lined with gold.
And so the bottom line is, as with any hobby, if you possess an absolute burning passion for it, staying in fantastic shape will repay you many times over. Whether it takes the form of personal satisfaction, or cold, hard cash or simply your transformation into a more tranquil, healthy individual, your life will be made infinitely wealthier by doing it.
Highly Suggested Reading: Success Secrets of the Rich - Are Rich People Lucky?
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