07 Earn money as you move
With a new wave of wellness apps, including Running Heroes and Bitwalking, now hitting our shores, you can get fitter while ‘earning’ with every step you walk or jog
Many of us commute to work, while some of us get exercise from running. Now, a new trend in wellness apps is encouraging us to walk and run more. Bitwalking and Running Heroes are at the front of the movement, offering us a chance to earn ‘money’ or frequent flyer points simply by moving more.
Bitwalking is an app that converts your steps (using your phone’s motion sensor) into Bitwalking dollars, which you can save up to buy products (ie fitness trackers) from the in-app store Bitwalking Market. It’s first come, first served, so move fast if you spot a product and have enough dollars to buy it.
After a successful launch in France, Running Heroes is now in the UK. The project has a wide network of companies offering rewards (ie trainers and GPS sports watches) to runners who sign up to the project. “We set up Running Heroes because we believe it’s an absolute necessity to encourage people to exercise regularly, and we think we need new motivational leverages for this,” says Quentin Auberger, UK country manager for Running Heroes. “Studies have shown that 30 per cent of the population being sedentary is held responsible for 50 per cent of cancers worldwide. We want to lower that number by rewarding the practice of sport in order to promote it to everyone.”
Running Heroes works when you create an account, connect Running Heroes to your favourite running app or GPS watch, go for a run and collect activity points that you can redeem against exclusive offers from the project’s partners. “Regardless of your pace, age, gender or health condition, you can win points and rewards with Running Heroes,” says Quentin.
“Companies like Bitwalking and Running Heroes reward our activity and wellness”