Healthy Eating Reward Points: Will it Work?
In an effort to get their city fitter and lighter, the city of Manchester has come up with a system to get people moving and eating better. The program (called Points4Life) works like a loyalty card, whereby shoppers can redeem "exercise" and "healthy eating" points towards goods and services, including; groceries, fitness club passes and athletic gear.
How do you earn points?
- By buying fruits and vegetables
- Swimming at a local pool
- Attending a personal training session
- Getting a medical assessment
Who's Involved?
The Federal government is investing $7.2 million into the project, while the city of Manchester will match. A variety of retailers have shown interest in participating as "donors" of their products and services.
Will this work?
I kind of like the sound of this initiative - an offshoot of other "incentive" programs such as the one in Varallo, Italy.
While part of me thinks that NOT being at greater risk for chronic diseases should be motivation enough to live healthfully, some people need a bit more prompting.
While the motivation is external or extrinsic, it may be the stimulus some people need to get on track. According the original article, studies have shown that rewards can create good habits where they did not exist before. Further, another very recent study showed greater weight loss in those who stood to gain or lose financially from it.
I think this can work, IF:
- Enough retailers and services are on board where you can redeem your points
- The point system is designed in such a way that the rewards are commensurate to the feat; ie. You get more than a pack of gum for swimming the English Channel.
- There would have to be ample opportunities to accumulate points ie. include participation in sports leagues, school sports teams and intramurals, running and weight lifting clubs, group fitness programs, etc.
- The system is standardized, well-tracked and well-managed. This part will be though - coming up with a system that can register your feat on a card system.
- The system helps build lifelong habits within the individual, even if a reward system were no longer in place.
15 Comments
Add Your Comment
ADVERTISING
New
- FROM DIET BLOG
- On-Off Fasting: Does It Work?
- 400 Calorie Fix
- 5 Factor World Diet
- Quick Giveaway: Powerhouse Weight Loss Game
- FORUM
- Low Carb Atkins Diet- Tips to Cut the Carbs.
- How Can I Gain a Healthy Weight and Keep it?
- How Do I Eat Healthy at University?
- Starving Myself and Exercising, But Not Losing an Ounce?
Categories
| Body Image Celebrities Diet Pills Diets Exercise |
Fast Food Funny Stuff Success Stories Teens and Kids Tips and Tools |
RSS Feed
Follow @DietBlog on Twitter
Wow, I hope it works, its a great idea!
ReplyThis is a great idea in times like this, when the need for an incentive is so great.
ReplySounds like a really cool idea. I wish I got some sort of reward for working out (besides being healthy and fit, that is). And it'd be nice to get rewarded for buying healthy groceries for a change. Right now the only thanks I get for eating healthy is a big fat grocery bill.
ReplyLOL @ Spectra - I just shopped today. I average about $175 a week for 2 people.
Worth it though. I used to eat garbage and, well, felt like garbage!
I'd like to be able to redeem my points for $$ to afford to eat healthy(!), or a tax rebate or health insurance discount. OK, actually all of the above!
I'm not clear on what incentive a retailer has to participate - aside from PR/Marketing.
Replyhttp://planetearthdiet.blogspot.com/
ReplyA $700 Billion bail out, a deal of billions of $'s in the works for the auto makers -$7.2 million to reward people for eating right - okay sorry to be negative - but doesn't anyone else see something wrong with the way the government spends our money? I will never ever see a million dollars in my life - this is utter "ridiculousness".
You do get a reward when you work out - it's knowing you have a healthy body that is there for you when you need it. Why does everyone need to have a reward for making the right choice. Sounds like Kindergarten logic to me.
ReplyIf someone offered me a reward for exercising and eating fruit and vegetables a year ago I probably would have ignored it. Despite weighing 320lb and suffering from diabetes complications, I don't think this would have done it for me. Ultimately, it was a health scare that motivated me to lose weight.
I'm not suggesting that everyone should be shocked into eating and exercising. But material reward will not encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Nobody can motivate you but yourself.
It's good that the government here in Britain is making an effort, but I don't think throwing money at the problem is the answer. I'm not convinced this will work.
ReplyI think the idea behind this scheme is really good, giving people an additional intensive to start a health lifestyle is always going to have positive effects.
I agree that a lot of stores will have to support it to make it worthwhile but rolling it out nationally would easily gain that support.
ReplyI really like the idea, but I feel like it'll just end up as a long-forgotten fad. :/
ReplyThis is simply brilliant! I didn't know this is how it works now. Very informative post.
-Alexis
ReplyI'd think this would just benefit the people that are trying to be healthy anyway, and anybody that didn't want to before (and I mean wanted to, not 'wished they were') isn't going to suddenly do an about-face now. Or at least only a minority would.
But hey, what's wrong with being rewarded? Blahdeblah, mental satisfaction, 'self-whatsit', but c'mon... if the government wanted to reward me, I wouldn't be complaining.
ReplyI think that if you don't go to a swimming pool already, a few quid off your grocery bill isn't going to incentivize you.
I've lived in a lot of different places and always joined a gym. Some gyms I kept going to, others I gave up after a couple of weeks.
I worked out that it had nothing to do with how good or bad each gym was. The ones I kept going to were simply the nearest to me. And I'm already incentivized to keep fit.
ReplyWow sounds great!
But for those of us who live a healthy lifestyle already are going to be point rich! lol.
I think the key will be to keep this thing going. If it dies in 2 months than it's useless.
Health is a life-time thing... so they would need to keep this going for 20+ years IMO.
- Sahil M
ReplyFlawlessFitnessBook.com
This is the good initiative taken by the Government by donating $7.2 million. It will definitely work and wishing all the best to everybody. Please let me know success of this project.
Reply@ Dawn :
The government already spends plenty of money on healthcare. A good argument could be made if the amount referenced above would offset the amount spent to treat people who develop heart disease, diabetes, and other obesity-related illnesses, wouldn't it be worth it? In the end I believe the government is hoping this initiative will help them spend *less* on healthcare. Healthier people = less $$ for them.
Reply