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.
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.
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