Let’s face it. Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t the easiest thing to do, but it sure is worth it. It takes effort, perseverance, and motivation to reach your goals. With most health regimens, results can be seen overtime which leaves little for those of us looking for immediate gratification. It’s difficult to look forward to the lasting impact when it seems so far away. The struggle can definitely be real.
Would you feel more motivated if you were getting paid to exercise? The Russian bank has created an innovative wellness program to encourage customers to get out there and move. They offer a higher interest rate to customers who exercise more. All they do is link their activity trackers, like Fitbit or Runkeeper, to their regular bank accounts. Each time they exercise, this program transfers small amounts of their money into higher-rate activity savings accounts. According to Alfa-Bank, these customers are saving faster and exercising twice as much.
Is there something out there for us here in the United States? I didn’t find anything specifically like this, however, there are two incentive programs I happen to love through personal experience.
HealthyWage
Have you ever muttered the words, “I bet you $100 I’ll lose 15 pounds before our vacation.” Friendly wages are all too common as we come up with ways to make weight loss fun among friends. Now, there’s a program that offers prizes as you reach your goals.
HealthyWage is at the forefront of the weight wagering movement, having formally created competitive, cash-fueled programs for more than 500 Fortune 500 and other companies, hospitals, health systems, insurers, school systems, municipal governments and other organizations throughout the U.S. HealthyWage is also available to consumers who do not participate through a company. HealthyWage has been informally run at more than 3,000 companies and organizations.
You can form your own team of friends or you can find a team through HealthyWage. The program provides weight-loss tips and online tools to get you started, and then keeps you motivated with a little healthy competition and the chance to win cash. You can even download the HealthyWage app for your iPhone or Android to easily track your progress.
CharityMiles
Want to give back to your community or favorite charity? Does helping others drive YOU to reach your health goals?
Charity Miles is a free iPhone and Android app that enables people to earn corporate sponsorships for charity while walking, running or biking. They are supported by companies like Humana, Johnson & Johnson, Timex Sports and Kenneth Cole. Charity Miles makes it easy to live a healthy lifestyle while giving back to the organizations you hold near and dear to your heart.
It’s really easy to use! Just download and launch the app, choose a charity and either walk, run or bike. The selected charity then earns money for every mile covered. Charity Miles uses your phone’s GPS and accelerometer to measure your distance. Walkers and runners earn up to 25¢ per mile; bikers earn up to 10¢ per mile.
I used this app for my half-marathon training and it felt SO good knowing that my long hours of training each day could really make a difference!
While we all know living a healthy lifestyle is payment in itself, these are just two incentive programs that might get you motivated to get moving. Do you know of other programs you’ve tried that will help motivate others? Leave us a comment!
Sara Patterson is the Social Media Manager for Nova Medical Centers. With more than 8 years working with clients in the social media industry, she now manages the digital aspect of Nova Medical Centers through online marketing, social media, and web content.
You can follow her on Twitter @SocialNewsSara as well as our corporate account @NovaMedicalCenters.
