Counting down the days to when your gym contract ends? Feel like kicking yourself for paying but not going to the gym? If only there was way to motivate you to give the gym another go.
That’s where Gym-Pact comes in. This iPhone app actually charges you for missed workouts and rewards you for attendance. You put in money and make a pact. If you don’t show up, you pay up, and money gets deducted from your account.
While it sounds a little insane, hear us out. Negative financial incentives can motivate you to work out. One study found that when overweight people worked out, it was the ones who had money on the line—instead of just a chance to win cash, or no incentive at all—that lost the most weight: an average of 14 pounds.
“If being overweight hurts your bank account, it will motivate you to lose it,” says B.J. Gaddour, C.S.C.S. There’s less disposable income these days for the movies, or eating out, so every dollar counts. A financial incentive may be just what you need to make a change, he adds.
Let’s say you’re not keen on the whole cash incentive thing? You can try making a weekly bet with your significant other about the number of completed workouts each week. If you meet your quota, you win. If you fall short, your significant other wins. The payout doesn’t even have to be monetary, and you can replace it with doing household chore or giving gifts to each other.
That’s where Gym-Pact comes in. This iPhone app actually charges you for missed workouts and rewards you for attendance. You put in money and make a pact. If you don’t show up, you pay up, and money gets deducted from your account.
While it sounds a little insane, hear us out. Negative financial incentives can motivate you to work out. One study found that when overweight people worked out, it was the ones who had money on the line—instead of just a chance to win cash, or no incentive at all—that lost the most weight: an average of 14 pounds.
“If being overweight hurts your bank account, it will motivate you to lose it,” says B.J. Gaddour, C.S.C.S. There’s less disposable income these days for the movies, or eating out, so every dollar counts. A financial incentive may be just what you need to make a change, he adds.
Let’s say you’re not keen on the whole cash incentive thing? You can try making a weekly bet with your significant other about the number of completed workouts each week. If you meet your quota, you win. If you fall short, your significant other wins. The payout doesn’t even have to be monetary, and you can replace it with doing household chore or giving gifts to each other.
