With the rise of wellness apps, adopting healthy habits has become easier than ever.
Embarking on a healthy lifestyle journey is vital for overall well-being, yet it’s an intimidating endeavor. Numerous individuals struggle to adhere to their New Year’s fitness goals, with statistics indicating a high failure rate.
According to a report by UK-based sportswear brand Sundried, a significant majority of New Year’s Resolutions, approximately 95 percent, are fitness-related. However, the same report suggests that after just three months, only a mere 10 percent of individuals feel confident that they will be able to sustain their resolution in the long term. These statistics suggests that there are significant challenges associated with maintaining a fitness routine and achieving long-term success. This may be due to a range of factors, such as lack of motivation, difficulty in sticking to a fitness routine, or unrealistic expectations.
Fortunately the advent of technology has brought forth a ray of hope. Various online platforms now exist that not only incentivize healthy habits but also make it easier for individuals to cultivate them. These platforms offer a wide array of tools, including fitness goal tracking, nutrition monitoring, mindfulness promotion and rewarding challenges and incentives. By leveraging these platforms, users can stay motivated, remain on track and make positive choices towards a healthier lifestyle.
A study published in the international journal Nature found that small incentives, as low as nine cents, can effectively encourage people to maintain a consistent gym routine. This finding is particularly relevant today, where people face numerous challenges in sticking to an exercise routine. In this article, we will explore some of the top apps that incentivize healthy habits, enabling users to improve their overall well-being.
Sweatcoin
Get ready to start sweating for rewards with Sweatcoin, the free mobile app that puts a digital currency spin on physical activity! Founded in 2016, Sweatcoin incentivizes physical activity by rewarding users with its in-app digital currency, Sweatcoins. The app tracks your daily steps like other step-tracking apps. It connects to Google Fit, Apple Fit or similar fitness apps to log your steps, whether walking, running outside or on a treadmill.
The app verifies your steps and rewards you with 0.95 Sweatcoins for every 1,000 steps. Sweatcoin takes a 5 percent commission from your earned coins. You can redeem your points in the app’s marketplace for merchandise from over 600 partners, including Sonos, Reebok and Apple. The marketplace offers a variety of products and discounts. The app has both free and premium versions, with the premium version offering faster coin earnings. Redeeming your points may require additional costs, such as shipping and handling.
Sweatcoin’s proprietary algorithm is designed to track steps accurately without compromising user privacy. Unlike other step-tracking apps, the app does not track user location or share personal information with third parties. This means that users can feel secure in knowing that their data is kept private while still being able to earn rewards for their healthy habits.
Available on: Android, Windows and iOS,
DietBet
Launched in 2013, the gamification app DietBet offers the perfect mix of social support and financial incentives to help you shed those pesky pounds and achieve your goals. The platform lets you join weight-loss games or create your own. It features two programs: the Kickstarter program is ideal for those who want to see quick results by shedding 4 percent of their weight in just four weeks, while the Transformer program offers a longer-term challenge to lose 10 percent of your weight over six months.
To get in on the action, participants must contribute to a prize pool, typically ranging from US$35 to US$100. If successful in shedding weight, the prize money is shared among the winners, but those who fail to meet their target forfeit their contribution. This format provides a powerful incentive for players to stick to their weight loss goals and achieve lasting results.
Your prize depends on the number of participants who achieve their weight-loss goal, as each person receives a portion of the pooled prize money. Fortunately, DietBet offers a no-lose guarantee that you will receive at least the money you contributed if you succeed, even when multiple players win.
Available on: Android and iOS
Charity Miles
Charity Miles is a unique free-to-download mobile app that lets you make a difference in the world while breaking a sweat. For each mile you walk or run with the app, the company donates 25 cents to a charity you select from a list of more than 30 organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, Operation Smile, The World Wildlife Fund and many more.
After downloading and creating an account on the app, you can grant access to your health data for activity tracking. Then, you can choose a charity to support and invite your friends and/or employer to sponsor you. While there is no fixed payment per activity, your selected charity will receive a percentage of the funds donated by the company’s sponsors, which will depend on the number of miles you have tracked.
Charity Miles is funded by corporate sponsors like Johnson & Johnson, Del Monte Fresh, Brooks Running and others. These sponsors allocate a portion of their advertising budgets to the sponsorship pool. This pool is then distributed to charities based on the miles completed for each organization. To ensure accurate workout tracking, it’s crucial to keep the app open and running. Like many other fitness apps, Charity Miles utilizes GPS tracking technology, so it’s essential to grant permission to ‘allow tracking’ to use this feature.
Available on: Android and iOS
Ness Rewards
Ness Rewards app, which debuted in May 2022, provides an opportunity for consumers to earn points for leading a healthy lifestyle. The app grants reward points to users who make healthy choices, such as exercising and undergoing wellness checkups. These points can be redeemed for exclusive deals at popular wellness brands, including Sweetgreen, Thrive Market, Barry’s Bootcamp and other such providers.
Linking your credit cards to the app is all that is required to start earning points, making it a simple and hassle-free way to earn rewards while prioritizing your health and wellness. Currently, the app is only accessible on IOS and operates on an invite-only basis.
Available on: iOS
These apps represent a growing trend of incentivizing healthy living through rewards and tracking progress. By doing so, they make it easier and more appealing for users to adopt healthy habits and stay on track with their wellness goals. So why not give them a try and see how they can make a positive impact on your lifestyle?
Also read:
- How to Start a Fitness Business: 6 Essential Steps for Beginners
- Top 7 Reliable Health and Fitness Gadgets of 2022
- 4 Startups Transforming the Fitness Landscape Through VR Technology
- 3 Major HealthTech Trends in 2023
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