Personalise apps to reach your fitness goals
Fitness apps are easy to download and motivate people to start workout routines, but that may not be enough to sustain those routines in the long run. However, a new research suggests that there may be ways to tweak those apps to inspire deeper commitment to a fitness routine and help users reach their fitness goals.
In the study, researchers found that certain app features that boosted inner, or intrinsic, motivation particularly feelings of autonomy, community, and competence, boosted a user’s chance of sticking with his or her workout routine.
Rock Health, a technology and healthcare venture fund, reported that about 47.5% of people who started using a health app eventually stopped participating, once the novelty of the app wore off.
HOW CUSTOMISATION HELPS
The researchers said that customisation features that inspire autonomy such as the number of workouts that users can follow and the amount of personal details they added corresponded to the number of tracked workouts and the amount of weight lifted.
For each workout program the user followed, the weight they lifted went up by 3.2 % and the number of workouts they tracked went up 3.8%, according to lead author Maria Molina. Similarly, when the user added more personal data to their profile, they reported lifting about 36.8% more weight.
The study found that competence or the level of proficiency people felt using the app also linked with their workouts.
While the number of followers increased the amount of weight lifted for everyone, the numbers of people users follow increased weight lifted only for female users. The number of followers also increased the likelihood that users would reach their body fat goals, but again only for female users.
DIFFERENT MOTIVATORS
The researchers found some differences in why men and women work out. Female users appear more concerned about their weight, while men seem motivated by increasing social recognition and competition, as well as building strength and endurance.