Should You Make Bets on Fitness and Losing Weight?
A lot of companies are getting into the “gamify fitness” mindset. That’s because it works, and generally can be quite profitable. But, should you make bets with cash on the off chance you’ll be motivated for fitness or losing weight?
I suppose that’s really up to whether or not you feel like losing money. Never bet anything you can’t afford to lose.
Making Bets on Fitness and Whether You Should
Basically, a lot of companies are using the aspect of fitness to make a bit of money. The concept is to bet against yourself on whether you’ll accomplish challenges against other “players.”
Then, betting platforms take a small cut of the pot to maintain servers, networking, and promotional marketing. Every company needs to turn a profit. Otherwise, it becomes a hobby.
The idea of fitness betting isn’t new, though a lot of companies are giving it their own spin.
Just like any form of gaming or gambling, organizations need a schtick to set them apart.
For example, DietBet.com pits people against each other to lose weight. Based on the competition, rules, and participation, the amount of money you can win varies greatly.
Of course, this also means you’ll have to be extremely motivated to win the pot.
Another example is the new site, Cadoo.io. In this platform, you’re betting that you’ll run further and meet challenges over a set amount of time. It tracks the activity by connecting to some of the most popular fitness trackers.
Holding Yourself Accountable
When it comes to fitness, you’re only accountable to yourself. This means that you have really no worry if you decide to turn into a lump of mush on your couch playing the Xbox all day.
The idea behind betting sites is to instill drive and motivation. After all, you don’t want to lose money. This helps boost the sense of accountability because now you’re accountable for your bank account as well.
Let’s face it, a lot of us just don’t really put much thought into health and fitness. Well, as much as we should. This is evident in the sheer number of overweight people in the United States.
Since you’re not accountable to anyone, and it doesn’t pose an immediate threat, it’s incredibly easy to just not care.
But with systems that promote fitness bets, there is cash involved. That alone inspires a lot of people to jump into these platforms.
Who wouldn’t want to get paid while getting fit? Well, I suppose that’s really up to the individual. Personally, I wouldn’t mind getting $20 if I lost 20 pounds.
Are Fitness Bets Worthwhile?
To play Devil’s Advocate a little bit, it’s clear that the majority of people who win the pots are already focused to lose weight or getting fit. This also depends greatly on the app.
For instance, there is no way I would be able to compete with runners on Cadoo. And I would bet that many people are banking on the idea that they’ll face off against lazy asses like myself.
Depending on how much each entry fee is worth, you could spend a lot of money to play a game that you have no hope of winning. Well, unless you’re completely committed to the experience.
And to be fair, a lot of people are. I can see how the prospect of losing cash on a regular basis can be quite motivating. But what if you’re someone like me who really doesn’t care about the cost?
A small amount of cash means nothing to someone who just doesn’t have the motivation and drive.
Then again, that’s the whole reason for gamifying fitness with bets of cash…to hopefully stir some determination to improve health and get paid.
It really all comes down to each person and what he or she finds motivating enough to get moving.
Are Fitness Bets Legit?
For the most part, diet and fitness betting platforms seem to have staying power. And some even rank exceptionally high in terms of reviews. For example, DietBet has almost a perfect ranking in Google Play…out of nearly 13,000 reviews as of this post.
What a lot of people like about these kinds of platforms, aside from making a few extra bucks, is the social element. You can interact with those whom you’re competing against.
For many people, this interaction is worth the entry fee by itself. Even if you don’t win the cash, the inspiration and interaction of friendly competitors can be rewarding enough.
Especially if you go into it with the idea of having fun above all else.
As for making money by winning, most fitness betting systems appear to pay out as intended. Well, minus the small fee, which can range anywhere from 10% to 25% depending on the app.
Not Necessarily Gambling Per Se
The term “betting” is a bit misleading in regard to fitness bets. Gambling, as by definition, is betting a tangible asset like cash to play a game of chance.
Poker, Roulette, loot boxes…all of these are randomized. Now, in some games, you can do your best to hedge the bet and increase your chances of winning. But for the most part, it still comes down to the luck of the draw.
But when it comes to betting on your own level of fitness, determination, and motivation, it then becomes a game of skill. It will be up to your skill level against that of everyone else.
So, it’s not exactly gambling. This is because the amount of effort to beat someone else is purely under your control.
Whether you beat them or not is another story. But the actions themselves all rely on your capability to lose weight, walk, or run.
How to Win When Betting on Yourself
To get the most out of fitness gamification in this regard is to go all-in. I don’t mean tossing as much money into the pot as possible. I mean from a mental perspective.
You need to put in maximum effort and strive for getting the most out of the platform as possible. This includes everything from meeting challenges to engaging in idle conversation with other players.
Because a large part of the experience is the social element. Most people are supportive of each other when it comes to systems like DietBet and Cadoo.
You never know, that money you bet to play may be a worthwhile expense to get words of encouragement from complete strangers.
Just remember, never bet anything you can’t afford to lose. This means you should always strive to win, but plan for losing the money.
It Depends On You!
Personally, I don’t do too many fitness bets. Right now, I am playing with a group of friends using Fitbit data. But that’s about it. I really can’t afford to lose money on platforms like DietBet or Cadoo.
However, I do see their value when it comes to gamifying fitness. Whatever works to get you moving is ideal.
The best workout routines are those that work best for you. Especially if you’re planning to toss a few bucks into the pot.
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I tried DietBet.com earlier this year and, well, I think we both remember how that worked out. I actually really liked their system, especially since you’re mostly competing against yourself. And everyone who hits their goal weight gets to split the pot – minus the website’s cut.
But you still gotta be self-disciplined to stick with it.
Turns out that as much as I love money, I love pizza even more.
Meh.
Yeah, that’s one reason why I’ll probably never really get into them. I know me. lol