Austin Passive Solar

A Followup on Gympact

A little while ago we wrote about the new company Gym-Pact. It’s a program that pays you when you work out according to the schedule you choose… and charges your credit card when you don’t!

Devious but effective, Gympact simulates the incentive process that keeps us going to work, but this time you’re working to meet your own fitness goals. You don’t have to be a fitness monster, either. You can sign up to work out as little as once a week, and a maximum of once per day. The site monitors your activity via a smartphone app.

Now Connected with Runkeeper

I personally have been using it and am quite impressed. The system works well (although the app is a bit glitchy, because it doesn’t detect when you are on vacation), and it provides a good incentive to get out there and move. You don’t even have to move fast — a normal walking pace is sufficient. But if you move too fast, Runkeeper knows you’re in a car and will not count your activity.In the past, Gympact was only good for people with gym memberships. The app would use the GPS on your phone to figure out if you were actually at the gym. (Yes, it’s clear that people try to cheat on their own fitness goals!) However, Gympact has upped their game considerably by partnering with the smartphone app Runkeeper. Now you can walk, run, or cycle for 30 minutes using Runkeeper, and when you finish your activity, it logs to Gympact and counts as a workout. If you need to take a break or vacation, just hit the website and change your status.

As you would expect, the charges for missing your goals are higher than the rewards for making them. Hey, Gympact has to make it work somehow! In my experience, you earn about $.40 per workout, and you lose a minimum of $5 for missing a workout. If you’ve made a new year’s resolution to get in shape, check it out.