Sometimes we need a carrot dangling in front of us when facing a tough workout. One of the most popular apps for runners, RunKeeper, is partnering with an app called GymPact, which syncs with your checking account and withdraws a pre-determined amount every time you miss a workout. Now that's some incentive to get to the gym!
GymPact works like this: You make a pact with yourself on the site saying how many days per week you want to workout and then set the stakes in dollars. To hold you accountable, you must check into the gym on your smartphone and stay in that location for at least 30 minutes. Every week, the money paid by individuals who didn't make it to the gym is divided between those who did abide by their pact. You can change your pact when needed. Keep in mind that the more days you commit to working out, the more money you can earn, that is if you follow through with your set goal.
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RunKeeper uses social peer pressure to motivate you. If you beat your previous times and continue at a steady pace, your social network will know. The app allows runners to post their times on Facebook and Twitter. Jason Jacobs, the founder of RunKeeper, told Mashable in May that using RunKeeper is like putting people on stage, in a sense. "If you stop and walk halfway, people will know," he said. "If you finish strong, people will know. Whether a million or people see it or nobody sees it, just the perception people will see it is accountability.” Now with GymPact, the idea of losing your hard-earned dollars might give you some extra pressure to get moving.
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For the first 1,000 users, GymPact says it will celebrate your first RunKeeper workout that counts for GymPact with an added $5 in rewards.
Here are the RunKeeper activities that can earn you money on GymPact:
- All runs, walks or bike rides tracked by RunKeeper's GPS
- Minimum 1/2 miles distance
- Minimum of 30 minutes of activity in which your pace is above 2 miles per hour (but slower than driving!).
- If in doubt, an extra 5 minutes of walking, running or biking never hurts!
- Maximum 3 hours long
RunKeeper launched in 2008 and became one of Facebook's integrated applications in January, allowing users to share much more than likes. RunKeeper gets more than half a million monthly users just through Facebook alone, according to AppData.
Have you used RunKeeper or GymPact? Will this partnership motivate you to workout more often? Tell us in the comments.
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Alina555
[Via: Pocket-lint]
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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