Do you struggle to meet your fitness goals despite many fitness trackers installed on your Android/iPhone? Here’s Pact, an app that will pay you to lose weight. Yes, I said that right. This San Franciscan start-up is all about getting people to go through their fitness goals instead of faking entries that are punched in everyday.
How does it work?
Before I begin, this app works on both Android and iOS devices.
In 3 simple steps : Commit, Meet and Reap.
You begin by committing to a certain goal every week and set a price you will pay if you don’t meet that goal. And believe me, with exchange rates going sky high and a minimum bet of $5 will have you taking that run you have managed to postpone forever. Once you set your goal, you work out towards your goal and if you do end up meeting your target, Pact will pay you.
Does it work? – “You can run but you can’t hide.”
Yes, it does to a large extent. Unlike other fitness trackers, Pact uses GPS to physically track your location. Even if your gym facility is not listed with Pact, you can add them to your list and Pact will verify the physical existence of such a gym before it starts counting your goals. It has also tied with various other fitness trackers such as Runkeeper, Mapmyfitness and Fitbit which helps keep track of outdoor runs and walks.
It is not just fitness pacts that Pact helps you with. You can also add nutrition pacts like veggie pacts or food logging pacts that connects your my fitness pal account to keep track of what you eat and makes sure you stay within the caloric intake goal every single day.
So what happens if you miss a day of your pact?
Sad but true. You get charged the amount you set in the beginning of your pact. The minimum bet is $5.
And what if your tummy aches and you get sick?
They may exempt you from your pact as long as you have the necessary information from your doctors appointment!
Our Opinion
While the app seems to have covered most loopholes such as refusing to consider home gyms in their activity list and has an excellent system to keep track of gym hours/walks/runs etc, the price you pay to miss a goal seems rather steep. After having used this app, we can definitely say that the price they pay for you to finish a goal is the teeniest fraction of what you will pay if you didn’t meet your goal. It is the amount you pay that actually gets you moving and motivated than the money you get. While the thought of a company making money from someone’s laziness seems a little mean-spirited, it is a genuinely great app for those who struggle to maintain discipline in fitness goals.