Get to Know: stickK and GymPact, Using Money as a Workout Incentive

There is a short list of motivators – money, love, hunger, anger, pride, religion, respect and fame to name a few. Websites and mobile apps try to capitalize on these motivators in various ways, such as Foursquare declaring you “Mayor” of the local coffee shop to all your followers, or Etsy.com displaying your perfect 100% positive score for sales on custom jewelry.One motivator that is becoming more prominent in health and wellness is money.On stickK.com, when you don’t hit your workout goals or weight goals for the week, your credit card gets charged and money is sent to the person (someone you hate) or organization (one you detest!) you initially select. If you hit your weekly goal, no money is lost or gained.With GymPact, instead of selecting who you have to pay when you don’t reach your goals, you actually pay out a sum to a general pot of money. This money then gets distributed to those using the app who DID make their goals for the week. Essentially, you are motivated to exercise not only to not lose money, but also to make money! My home gym didn’t initially show up on the system so I added it myself.My biggest concern after using GymPact for three weeks was that I couldn’t count my outdoor runs with it. Well as of August 27th, GymPact is partnering with RunKeeper to make your outdoor activities count! See GymPact Blog Post here.