One of the
hottest self improvement trends in recent years is gamification. In the effort
to accomplish major goals and overcome procrastination, many people utilize
computer apps that keep score and give rewards for good behavior — such as
getting paid for being healthy, which we will discuss more below.
In most
cases, the rewards are purely symbolic. You might, for example, get a virtual
trophy for sticking with your diet for a week or finishing your work on time.
But there's
a new breed of apps that take the whole concept a step further by offering real
money and prizes to those with the most self discipline.
Some of
the most popular apps of this type are focused specifically on health and
fitness, which makes sense if you think about it.
In our
modern world with all the sugary temptations crowding store shelves and the
perpetual siren's call of social media begging us to endlessly stare at shiny
screens, it can be tough to maintain good healthy habits.
We all
know we shouldn't stuff our faces with junk food or slouch around on the couch
all day, but sometimes we need a little extra motivation to overcome our worst
tendencies. It just so happens that money (even if it's only a small amount) is
one of the best motivators around.
4 Apps
That Pay You For Being Healthy
In the
following list we'll look at a handful of the most popular cash reward health
apps so you can get a good idea of how they all work. Then, try to determine if
any seem like a good fit for your own situation.
Remember
that none of these programs are going to earn you much cash. At best, you'll
get a small financial incentive to live a healthier lifestyle.
The money
is just a side-benefit. The primary aims are optimizing your psychology for
maximum self-discipline and making real tangible progress on your health goals.
Healthy
Wage
This app
seems like a corporate-focused take on the DietBet concept. Companies often use
Healthy Wage as a way of encouraging all their employees to exercise more and
lose weight, but individuals can also use the app.
There are
options for competing with others to achieve weight loss goals, or if exercise
is your main concern, you can join a steps-per-day challenge.
Go here to sign up for HealthyWage or
read our HealthyWage review and success story first.
DietBet
This app,
available on the web and through portable devices running iOS and Android,
challenges you to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to weight
loss. Add your name to a list of other dieters with a goal to reach a target
weight by a certain date, and put a little money into the prize pool.
Those that
hit the mark get to split a share of the pot, while those that fail lose their
stake.
Go here to sign up for Dietbet or read our Dietbet review.
Achievement
With
Achievement, you track your lifestyle automatically, earning small cash rewards
for staying on your best behavior. The app will link up with a number of
popular online services, including Fitbit and MyFitnessPal, to monitor your
daily performance.
Achievement
also gives you points for taking part in health surveys and manually entering
certain positive habits, such as meditating, directly into the app.
Go here to check out Achievement, or read
our Achievement review.
Lympo App
Lympo App
is very simple to use. Just connect it online to your fitness tracker of
choice, then join walking or running challenges with other users, and compete
for LYM tokens, which can be exchanged for items in the online store.
Lympo App
counts both outdoor and indoor walking, so it's fine if you prefer to use a
treadmill or do most of your exercise at the office.
The app is
free to download, and the top-notch community features bring in a social
element that really helps some people stay motivated.
Go here to learn more about Lympo.
The
gamified approach to motivation doesn't appeal to everybody, but I was able to
find dozens of satisfied users for each of these apps, many of whom swore that
they'd lost significant weight and improved their fitness by leaps and bounds.
For some
people, the promise of even a few cents per day is enough to help them fight
procrastination and stick to healthier habits.
If you
have any experience with one of these gamified health apps, or if you know of
another good one that we might've missed, please tell us in the comments
section below. We'd love to hear about your experience.
0 Comments