There are many great ways to utilize tech devices, mobile apps and internet in the pursuit of health and fitness; you can listen to music on a run, monitor mileage with a fancy chip in your shoe, track calories, find fast food restaurant nutrition info on the go, and download great free workout videos. If you don’t have neighbors below you (or you want them to move out) I highly recommend this short youtube workout. And, if you are willing to deal with the temperamental nature of a newly developed app, the free GymPact app for iPhones and Androids can be another tech tool in the fight to stay in shape.
With GymPact you “stake” a certain amount of money and set a goal for working out. For example, I made a pact to work out 4 times per week and staked $5 per workout. So if I only worked out twice, I would have to pay $10 for the 2 missed workouts. However, the money from the gym-skippers gets divvied up and if I make all 4 workouts, I get paid! (Usually about $.50 per workout). The app knows you made it to the gym because you either “check in” on your phone, sync with the Run Keeper App (that tracks walks, runs or bike rides) or wear your phone and exercise at home because somehow it magically knows you are working out and not making dinner or watching TV. If you wanted to cheat you could check in at the gym and sit in the steam room for 30 minutes, or check in by sitting at the coffee shop next door, but if you’re there you might as well get some time on the treadmill.
Sounds good, right? It did to me. However, I had so many problems with the app from the beginning that I can only recommend it with some major caveats. I Googled and found out that I’m not the only one dealing with the app’s glitches. You will encounter a lot of “cannot connect to our server” messages which is aggravating with any app, but is even more annoying so when your money is on the line! It would sign me out for no reason and the app wouldn’t let me log back in; when I changed passwords, it couldn’t find my original account (by my error the account was created with a .con instead of a .com email- whoops!). The instructions mentioned that runs or walks tracked via Run Keeper would take a day or two to sync, but mine never did and I wound up being charged $5 for a week where I actually completed my pact! Worse, I could never get anyone to respond to e-mails from the company, and when I “reported bugs”, nothing was done. Thankfully, when I tweeted @gympact, they helped, got me into the right account, and refunded the $5 to PayPal, which was certainly appreciated. However, when I tried to delete the incorrect .con account, their server was mysteriously not working for hours and could not process my delete request.
The major value of the app is not the 50 cents per workout, but the making of your pact requires some forethought and planning. With money at risk I was more likely to think through and schedule my workouts. So, even though the technical problems are a huge headache, I think I’ll continue with the app, at least until I earn enough money to purchase some $100 see-through Lululemon yoga pants!
What other apps do you like for staying in shape? Let me know in the comments if there are others I should try or review!
The post Make (or Lose) Money with GymPact! appeared first on ClotureClub.com.
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